Ideas & Innovations for Hospital Leaders Case Examples 2 In 2006, hospital leaders across the country received their first Community Connections resource — a collection of pro- grams that demonstrate the various ways hospitals provide for and benefit their communities. This case example book is the second in the series and highlights many more innovative programs. For more examples or to share your own story, visit www.caringforcommunities.org. Photos in this publication are courtesy of Doug Haight, photographer, and illustrate programs from recent Foster G. McGaw Prize winning organizations. Since 1986, the Foster G. McGaw Prize has honored health delivery organizations that have demonstrated exceptional commitment to community service. The Prize is sponsored by The Baxter Interna- tional Foundation and the Cardinal Health Foundation and the American Hospital Association. T oday, more than 5,000 hospitals This book highlights the unique and inno- of all kinds -- urban and rural, vative ways hospitals are doing this work. large and small -- are making Far from a comprehensive list, Community their communities healthier in ways that Connections begins to illustrate where and are as diverse as the needs of each com- how hospitals are meeting their commu- munity. The men and women who work nities’ many needs. The stories cover four in hospitals are not just mending bodies. broad categories: Their work extends far beyond the literal u Social and Basic Needs and figurative four walls of the hospital u Health Promotion to where free clinics, job training efforts, u Access and Coverage smoking cessation classes, back-to-school u Quality of Life immunizations, literacy programs and so Every day in America’s hospitals there many others are brought directly to the is tremendous good being done. The people of the community … often with instantly recognizable blue and white very little fanfare. “H” sign signifies more than a place that patients and families can depend on for care. It signifies the heart of a community. Social and Basic Needs ....................................................................................................................3 Health Promotion ..............................................................................................................................7 Access and Coverage .....................................................................................................................17 Quality of Life ......................................................................................................................................27 Index ............................................................................................................................................................33 communityconnections   American Hospital Association Social & Basic Needs Divider page Non-medical needs are often intricately tied to personal health and well-being. Hospitals are working to address basic, social and personal needs as a way to improve their community’s health. The programs described in the following pages illustrate approaches hospitals are taking to meet the basic needs of everyday life, from food and shelter to education and self-reliance, ultimately improving the long-term health of their communities. communityconnections 7 S o c i a l a n d B a s i c N e e d s Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center – Contact: Judy Wischkaemper, Phoenix, Arizona community wellness director Telephone: 985-871-6036 Program: Banner Poison Control Center (BPCC) E-mail: [email protected] What is it? BPCC is a free, 24-hour emergency telephone service for Arizona residents and medical professionals. Certified by the American Bridgton Hospital – Bridgton, Maine Association of Poison Control Centers, the hotline Program: Youth Campers Clinic (YCC) is staffed by nurses and poison information What is it? A special summer clinic within the providers trained in the recognition and assess- hospital’s emergency department, the YCC ment of poisonings, first aid and drug information. addresses the non-emergency health needs of Additionally, the Banner Good Samaritan Medical area youth camps. The YCC dedicates set hours Center Department of Medical Toxicology provides each day, 7 days a week, for youth camp nurses 24-hour physician support. and counselors to bring children in for medi- Who is it for? Arizona residents and physicians. cal care. The emergency department develops Why do they do it? Each year in Maricopa County, criteria and guidelines for YCC admissions, more than 8,000 people are bitten or stung by coordinating with area camp nurses before rattlesnakes, scorpions, spiders and other critters. campers arrive for the summer. Eighty percent of poisonings can be treated in Who is it for? Area campers. the home. The center, which receives more than Why do they do it? Bridgton Hospital is located in 100,000 calls annually, prevents an estimated the Lakes Region of western Maine—the epicenter 45,000 emergency department visits. of youth camping in the United States. The YCC Contact: Ann Marie Krueger, addresses the summer influx of youth campers community educator needing non-emergency hospital care. Telephone: 602-239-2510 Contact: Pamela Smith, E-mail: [email protected] director of development and community relations Telephone: 207-647-6055 St. Tammany Parish Hospital – Covington, E-mail: [email protected] Louisiana Program: Audrey Hepburn Care Center St. Luke’s Magic Valley Regional Medical What is it? The Audrey Hepburn Care Center is a Center – Twin Falls, Idaho comprehensive forensic medicine center aiding in Program: Children At Risk Evaluation Service (CARES) the treatment, prevention and care of maltreated What is it? CARES provides a collaborative, children in southeast Louisiana. An RN assists child-focused approach that reduces trauma forensic medicine physicians in the non-acute to children during a child-abuse investigation. exams of physically and sexually assaulted chil- Services include forensic interviews completed by dren. St. Tammany Parish Hospital partnered with a specially trained nurse or social worker, medical Children’s Hospital to offer this service. examinations, counseling referrals and scholar- Who is it for? Children from the greater New ships, and other information and referral services. Orleans region and surrounding areas. Approximately 350 children receive services from Why do they do it? Each year, 3 million children are CARES annually. reported abused or neglected across the United Who is it for? Children and their families in the States. The Audrey Hepburn Care Center ensures eight counties of South Central Idaho, plus two ad- more children get the care and support they need. ditional jurisdictions served by a satellite clinic.  American Hospital Association Why do they do it? In the past, child victims of Lawrence & Memorial Hospital – New London, abuse were subjected to numerous interviews as Connecticut information was gathered about their case. The Program: The Faith in Action Network agencies involved didn’t always communicate What is it? In collaboration with several health or- effectively and cases were sometimes lost or ganizations, the Faith in Action Network provides dropped. CARES is a child-focused alternative. culturally and linguistically appropriate sup- Contact: Jody Tremblay, port and resources to assist parish nursing and director of community relations health ministries’ volunteer efforts. The program, founded in 2000 with four congregations, now Telephone: 208-737-2943 serves 23 faith communities. E-mail: [email protected] Who is it for? Members of faith communities in southeastern Connecticut. Sisters of Charity Providence Hospitals – Why do they do it? Faith communities in south- Columbia eastern Connecticut are struggling to meet the Allendale County Hospital – Fairfax needs of aging congregations with increasing McLeod Medical Center – Dillon numbers of immigrants and families living in poverty. With cutbacks in welfare programs, faith Self Regional Healthcare – Greenwood, communities have served as a source of support, South Carolina constancy and hope for many residents. Program: Healthy Learners Contact: Bruce Cummings, president and CEO Telephone: 860-442-0711, ext. 2221 What is it? This collaborative program provides E-mail: [email protected] access to needed health care, as well as assistance with transportation to receive care. As part of an effort to improve the whole health of children in Crouse Hospital – Syracuse, New York the community, Healthy Learners strives to remove Program: Partnership with Hughes Elementary School health barriers to learning. This decreases absentee- What is it? The partnership with Hughes Magnet ism and allows students to focus on their education. Elementary, an inner-city school with a 95 percent Who is it for? Uninsured and underinsured poverty level, addresses students’ overall needs. school-age children in seven S.C. school districts. An on-site wellness program, “Health is Hoppin’ at Hughes,” has already made a positive impact on Why do they do it? Healthy Learners began when student nutrition and exercise awareness. This past the Sisters of Charity Providence Hospitals led an year, Crouse employees also organized a hat and effort to reach children in need of health care in mitten drive and a back-to-school supplies drive for the South Carolina Midlands. the school’s 525 students. Contact: Jo Pauling-Jones, Who is it for? Students at Hughes Magnet executive director Elementary. Telephone: 803-252-0133 Why do they do it? Crouse Hospital has had a E-mail: [email protected] long-standing partnership with the Syracuse City School District. Targeting a school like Hughes made sense in the hospital’s efforts to improve the health of the community. Contact: Bob Allen, director of communications Telephone: 315-470-7582 E-mail: [email protected] communityconnections  S o c i a l a n d B a s i c N e e d s St. Andrews Hospital and Healthcare Center Middlesex Hospital – Middletown, Connecticut – Boothbay Harbor, Maine Program: Opportunity Knocks Program: Domestic Abuse Prevention Council What is it? A community collaborative that links pedi- What is it? A community initiative comprising law atric health services and systems with early care and enforcement, municipal and state offices, and education programs, Opportunity Knocks focuses on other local organizations, the Domestic Abuse three main areas: nutrition and physical activity, oral Prevention Council focuses attention on domes- health and social and emotional health. tic violence. St. Andrews developed an in-house Who is it for? Children birth through five and their policy on domestic abuse and a series of educa- families in the city of Middletown. tional programs for staff. It also helped coordinate educational programs for the local school and Why do they do it? The program works to ensure through a series of articles in the local newspaper. that every Middletown child enters kindergarten Who is it for? The Boothbay Harbor community. emotionally and physically healthy and ready to succeed. The principal objective is to craft a sus- Why do they do it? Domestic abuse has been identi- tainable, multidisciplinary consultation system that fied as a public-health issue in Lincoln County and helps promote more effective preventive practices the state. The concern became especially acute while increasing access to care. following two high-profile murders in August 2004. Contact: Peg Arico, manager, Contact: Peggy Pinkham, public relations & communications president and CEO Telephone: 860-344-6980 Telephone: 207-633-1901 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Veterans Affairs Medical Center – White River Massachusetts General Hospital Chelsea Junction, Vermont HealthCare Center – Chelsea, Massachusetts Program: White River Junction Model Program: Police Action Counseling Team (PACT) What is it? A walk-in mental health clinic en- What is it? PACT arranges for Massachusetts General sures all patients receive treatment immediately. Hospital clinical social workers to accompany Chelsea Patients are assessed for symptoms of depres- police officers responding to 911 calls where children sion, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and are present. Social workers provide immediate, on-scene intervention to child victims or witnesses overall physical and mental health functioning. of violence. They educate parents about the conse- If needed, prescriptions are provided at the first quences of violence and help them access medical visit. Approximately 75 percent of the patients are and mental health care. Social workers are available treated in the outpatient clinic; the remaining pa- to Chelsea police 24 hours a day, seven days a week. tients are referred to mental health experts within the medical center. Who is it for? Children and their families who have been exposed to violent behavior or traumatic events. Who is it for? All patients are treated on an open- access basis. Why do they do it? Early attention is given to chil- dren who experience or witness violence to reduce Why do they do it? The VA average wait to see a the effects of trauma. Ultimately, PACT’s goal is to mental health provider was 42 days. By offering interrupt the devastating cycle of family and com- mental health services in a primary care setting, munity violence. patients are treated immediately. Contact: Georgia Green, Contact: Andy Pomerantz, MD, chief of mental LICSW health and behavioral sciences Telephone: 617-889-8543 Telephone: 802-295-9363, ext. 5672 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]  American Hospital Association