Through the pilot, LifeBridge Health — which owns Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Northwest Hospital in Randallstown, Md., and Carroll Hospital in Westminster, Md. — will build a direct relationship between places of worship and its hospitals. Several churches have already signed up to participate.
Under the pilot, called the Maryland Faith Community Health Network, volunteer liaisons from churches, synagogues and mosques work with hospitals to identify worshippers who are admitted to the hospital and help with their care, particularly after they are discharged, according to the report.
Participants include patients who give the hospital their consent to call their place of worship if they are admitted to the hospital. Trained faith liaisons, supported by hospital coordinators, manage support services for patients and their families, which could be administered through the religious organization, a nonprofit organization or government agency. Examples include setting up transportation from the hospital, picking up prescriptions and scheduling follow-up appointments with physicians, according to the report. Patients can specify how much personal information they want the religious organization to know.
“Many people truly follow and listen to their pastor, reverend, priest or whoever it may be,” said Neil Meltzer, CEO of LifeBridge Health, according to the report. “There is a comfort level and level of trust from folks within their congregation. This could really create a link between traditional healthcare and the community.”
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