By Jamie Cetrone | Categories: | Comments Off on Rx for Change
The Rx for Change program was created with funding and support from Regional One Health’s Foundation, and a partnership with the Office of the Mayor of the City of Memphis. The purpose of Rx for Change is to “intervene and offer support and guidance to victims of violence” by connecting clients with community resource partners which may 1) reduce retaliation levels, 2) allow clients to achieve personal goals, and 3) reduce recidivism rates.
The program serves clients ages 14-24 who are victims of intentional violence and residing in Shelby County, Tennessee. The program is funded and staffed by the hospital, but involves a number of internal and external partners that help assist clients with navigating on-going care, as well as completing personal goals outlined by the client once they are discharged. Partners include: Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Regional One Health Foundation, the City of Memphis Mayor’s Office, GRASSY, 901 BLOC, Workforce Investment Network, HopeWorks, and Hospitality Hub.
Clients are reviewed at the end of a six-month period of time to assess progress. At that time the client is marked graduated, or not. Through-out the process clients are marked active, deferred, inactive or referred. These categories allow us to monitor progress toward success. To-date, approximately 200 clients have been on-boarded. Repeat Intentional Injury rates are low, and this past fiscal year three clients were successfully graduated.
By Jamie Cetrone | Categories: | Comments Off on VIDA!
Recognizing the health disparities present in neighborhoods surrounding The MetroHealth System’s main campus, a community coalition of residents, community organizations, and Latina faith leaders came together to envision a “healthy community.” The VIDA! program resulted from this engagement, with an initial focus on promoting healthy cultural cooking practices in the local Hispanic community. The goal of the program is to train representatives from local Hispanic congregations as Community Health Cooks, who then go forward to educate others within their networks about healthy cooking practices and foundational healthy lifestyle principles.
This is a train-the-trainer program, focused on training Latina women from local Hispanic churches as Community Health Cooks, emphasizing healthy and culturally appropriate meals. MetroHealth works with a local Hispanic female chef and health coach to implement the program. This cadre of trained, lay leaders then extend the lessons of healthy cultural cooking practices to individuals and families throughout their faith community networks. The program emphasizes affordable, accessible, nutritional, and culturally appropriate meals that bring people together around a family table. MetroHealth provides staffing to coordinate the program and covers the costs of training the Community Health Cooks (instructor, food, supplies, curriculum). Participating churches provide food, space, and other in-kind support once the cooks are trained.
In a venture related to VIDA!, MetroHealth began a farm stand on its main campus to provide fresh produce to employees and local residents, working with the same Latina chef that trained the Community Health Cooks. Various internal departments were involved with this effort including Strategy and Nutrition Services. MetroHealth’s Center for Reducing Health Disparities was also integral in the planning and launch of the VIDA! program. Externally, a coalition of residents and community organizations, including the Hispanic Alliance, Cleveland Department of Public Health, Family Ministry Center, and others helped to design the program. Numerous local churches are partners in implementing the program.
Eleven women from four churches have been trained as Community Health Cooks in the initial cohort. Pre- and post-tests were administered to assess health behaviors, consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, and cooking attitudes and efficacy. Participants reported positive impacts including weight loss, blood pressure and blood glucose control, and adoption of healthier lifestyle practices around eating and active living for themselves and their families.
By Jamie Cetrone | Categories: | Comments Off on School Health Program
Many children in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) lacked easy access to health care. MetroHealth launched the School Health Program (SHP) in November 2013 to bring primary care health services to children at their schools, initially serving two schools. Now, in the fourth year, the mobile unit travels to three high schools and nine elementary schools. The program also serves one CMSD site via an in-school clinic.
The goals are creating healthy schools with wellness programming, improving school attendance, growing the program, and becoming more sustainable with patient-based revenue, all with the aim of population health.
Nearly 100 percent of CMSD students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. A graduation rate of 64 percent and chronic absenteeism rate of 35 percent are the result of the many challenges students face. By providing services at schools, the SHP eliminates many of the barriers to receiving health care. The SHP has a medical director, behavioral health director, APRNs, physicians, program directors that are medical assistants, and a mobile van driver. It connects students and their families with primary care providers in Patient Centered Medical Homes (PCMHs) across The MetroHealth System. Operating resources are a mix of patient revenue, institutional support, grants, and individual philanthropy.
Our partnerships have resulted in a variety of education and engagement opportunities for our CMSD sites. The SHP collaborates closely with internal MetroHealth departments including the Aamoth Family Pediatric Wellness Center, Trauma Department and Arts in Medicine to provide wellness services to students, staff, and families. Programs and activities include fitness breaks, safety towns, art classes focused on social and emotional learning, and introduction of the #BeWell campaign across sites. Externally, the SHP has partnered with the Cleveland Foodbank to provide health screenings at schools. The SHP also serves as a site to train child health professionals – including students in nursing, public health, community health, social work, and medical residents and students.
The SHP provides valuable care coordination in the management of chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes. Working with families, school nurses, SHP providers, primary care providers and specialists has produced significant documented improvements in population health outcomes. Care coordination, along with convenient services and proactive outreach, has increased utilization of preventive services and completion of immunizations more successfully when compared to state and national Medicaid populations.
By Jamie Cetrone | Categories: | Comments Off on Healthy Youth Transitions
Memorial Healthcare System in Hollywood Florida started the Healthy Youth Transitions (HYT) Program 7 years ago as a result of an investigation of the child welfare system which identified gaps in services when youth unsuccessfully transitioned to adulthood with little support, skills or preparation. HYT helps youth and young adults age 15 to 22 who are aging out of foster care make the transition to independent living.
The program structure is provided by Memorial Life Coaches, who develop rapport and engage youth in an open, honest professional relationship in order to assist them with successful transition to an acceptable, responsible, productive adulthood. Typically, the youth distrust the very systems they have relied on as they have been disappointed frequently by foster care agency staff turnover, lack of services, frequent group home relocations (several youth served have been in over 20 homes in the 10-12 years they have been in foster care) and being separated with the siblings. By building a safe and nurturing relationship, HYT youth being to realize that the Memorial staff are here to help them grow, mature and develop into the adults they desire to become but did not have the role models or consistent caring adults in their lives. The Life Coach aims to help each participant gain skills and self-sufficiency to navigate the logistics of daily living, health management, social relationships, education, employment and money management, and other aspects of young adulthood.
All of Memorial Healthcare System’s Community programs and initiatives are rooted in collaborative partnerships that work to strengthen families and communities. HYT involves internal collaboration, with partnership from the primary care, specialty services, and behavioral health departments. External community partners include local universities, food banks, legal service providers, and the sheriff’s office.
Current outcome measures of the program found that 96% of the females have had no new pregnancies, 98% of all youth have had no new law violations, 98% demonstrated proficiency in employability and/or job retention skills, 86% made progress in school, were promoted, graduated, or obtained a GED, and 89% have obtained stable housing.
