Health Research & Educational Trust of New Jersey (HRET)
Research
HRET Community Outreach Awards
Awards 2005
Press Release: Hospital Association Presents Awards For Commitment To Healthcare, May 13, 2005
| Category 1: |
|
Preventing Disease and Injury |
| Winner: |
|
Southern Ocean County Hospital |
| Name Of Program: |
|
Choose the High Five Life |
| Contact Person: |
|
Joyce McFadden
VP, Marketing and Public Relations
Southern Ocean County Hospital
1140 Rt. 72 West
Manahawkin, NJ 08050
Phone: 609 978-3108
Fax: 609 978-3079
E-Mail Address: jmcfadden@soch.com |
Description Of Winning Program:Choose The High 5 Life is an educational campaign designed to promote healthy and safe behaviors in five high-risk areas by creating a message that has broad-based appeal to children of all socio-economic backgrounds. The take-home message of the program, which targets children between the ages of 3 and 12, centers on wearing protective gear during sports activities, choosing not to smoke, internet safety, the benefits of exercise and the importance of helping others. This collaborative effort includes "Partners for Health," a total of 23 agencies including healthcare agencies, schools, municipalities, social services and community agencies. These agencies provide sites for program events and spread the message via newspaper articles. Southern Ocean County Hospital provides the financial, technological and staffing resources needed to develop and produce the educational and promotional materials. These materials, featuring a kid-friendly, easy to remember logo, include Frisbees, magnets and printable resources from the hospital web site, providing easy access to many participating organizations. Staff also designed an evaluation tool to monitor the impact of the program on their target audience and to give teachers and community leaders an opportunity to provide feedback. Within the past two years, there have been 41 educational outreach events, which have reached over 10,000 children, nearly 2,000 parents and 81,600 households.
| Category 2: |
|
Improving Access and Quality of Care |
| Winner: |
|
St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) |
| Name Of Program: |
|
Village Initiative |
| Contact Person: |
|
Barbara Koegel
Patient Education Specialist
703 Main Street – Johnson 237
Paterson, NJ 07503
Phone: 973 754-3446
Fax: 973 754-2741
E-Mail Address: koegelb@sjhmc.org |
Description Of Winning Program:The
Village Initiative is the living embodiment of the African proverb, "it takes a village to raise a child." Rallying law enforcement and concerned healthcare workers alike, the initiative manages the needs of the "juveniles on probation" population - incorporating home visits, curfew checks and monitoring the activities of juvenile probationers during non-traditional hours. The program is implemented by St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in collaboration with the Paterson Police Department, Passaic County Superior Court, citizens, faith-based organizations, public schools, social service agencies and juvenile probation and parole officers. Through this "Health Improvement Partnership," a medical team including a social worker, police officer and juvenile probation officer conduct home visits to further assess the home environment and healthcare needs of juvenile probationers, provide appropriate health education and information, facilitate referrals to healthcare providers and address their urgent healthcare concerns. In evaluating the program, the Juvenile Section of the Superior Court of New Jersey Passaic Vicinage Probation Division estimates that up to 85 percent of the juveniles on probation in Passaic county have unmet medical needs and benefit from the Health Improvement Partnership interventions. Thirty five percent of all home health visits resulted in either a healthcare referral or a referral to another social service agency and, since 1998, probation violations have been cut in half and recidivism rates have dropped from 37 percent to 5 percent among juveniles who received visits.
| Category 2: |
|
Improving Access and Quality of Care |
| Winner: |
|
Somerset Medical Center |
| Name Of Program: |
|
Healthy Congregations |
| Contact Person: |
|
Phyllis M. Kumpf
Director, Community Health
110 Rehill Avenue
Somerville, NJ 08876
Phone: 908 595-2606
Fax: 908 685-2535
E-Mail Address: PKUMPF@somerset-healthcare.com |
Description Of Winning Program:The
Healthy Congregations project at Somerset Medical Center was established to improve access and quality of care to the increasing minority and immigrant populations in the hospital’s core service areas. The project’s goal is to improve community health outcomes through identifying those at risk for chronic illness; ensuring that high-risk populations receive needed services, including transportation and medications; and ensuring treatment is provided regardless of income level. To accomplish these objectives, Healthy Congregations staff have partnered with parish nurses in the community as well as with the Richard Hall Community Mental Health Center, the Women's Health and Counseling Center and the Resource Center for Women and Their Families. The parish nurses serve as case managers in their places of worship and screen individuals for eligibility for government sponsored health programs, link them to healthcare and financial services and refer them to Somerset Medical Center for further evaluation and follow-up care. Services at the hospital have consequently been extended to weekends and evenings, and bilingual staff serves as interpreters. Since September 2002, the Healthy Congregations project has served more than 2,100 patients. The services have not only improved patients' health status, they have decreased reliance on charity care and the hospital's emergency department, directly benefiting the financial needs of the hospital.
| Category 2: |
|
Improving Access and Quality of Care |
| Winner: |
|
Overlook Hospital |
| Name Of Program: |
|
Closing The Healthcare Loop |
| Contact Person: |
|
Joyce Passen
Manager Community Health
Overlook Hospital
99 Beauvoir Avenue
Summit, NJ 07902
Phone: 908 522-5355
Fax: 908 522-2324
E-Mail Address: joyce.passen@ahsys.org |
Description Of Winning Program:Closing the Healthcare Loop conducts routine screenings and active follow-up in the diversely populated service area of Overlook Hospital, which consists of 23 towns in Union and Morris counties. As part of this program, which is implemented in collaboration with the Community Health Center at Vauxhall, the Susan G Komen Foundation and the Summit Area YMCA, the hospital has purchased a Healthy Avenues Van. This mobile unit travels to senior centers, schools, recreation departments, libraries and community events to screen local residents in convenient and easily accessible community settings. Screenings include cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure, body mass index, bone density, balance, carotid bruit and respiratory peak-flo measurement. Project staff also educates all screened participants and coordinates appointments with a physician for patients with abnormal results. Hospital staff will follow up within one week of screening to ensure that any appointments were kept and to confirm that appropriate physician involvement occurred. Payment is accepted on a sliding scale depending on income and insurance. Closing the Healthcare Loop is routinely evaluated by tracking the screening results, the number of referrals and number of physician appointments for those with abnormal results.
| Category 3: |
|
Reducing Healthcare Disparities |
| Winner: |
|
The Mountainside Hospital |
| Name Of Program: |
|
The Diabetes Outreach Program- Clifton |
| Contact Person: |
|
Grettel Muscato
Manager of Community Health
1 Bay Avenue
Montclair, NJ 07042
Phone: 973 429-6082
Fax: 973 680-7805
E-Mail Address: grettel.muscato@ahsys.org |
Description Of Winning Program:The
Diabetes Outreach Program of The Mountainside Hospital aims to screen and educate the large Hispanic populations in the Clifton community who have been cited to be at high risk for diabetes. Goals include identifying individuals who are either pre-diabetic or diabetic; reducing risk factors for developing diabetes; providing broad-based linguistically and culturally appropriate education and resources; enhancing and reinforcing diabetes self-management skills; preventing or prolonging the onset of serious complications in those diagnosed with diabetes; and assisting individuals in receiving access to necessary medical care. Through a bilingual counselor, participants are educated about diabetes at community social gatherings and religious functions, and are provided vouchers to shop for healthier food. The program is a collaboration between the Clifton Health Department, the Clifton Hispanic Association, Community Action for Social Affairs and local churches. In the years since it's inception, the Diabetes Outreach Program has become an irreplaceable addition to the community's health improvement efforts.