Health isn't simply the absence of disease. It's a complete state of physical, social and mental well-being. To deliver holistic health services to community members, many hospitals and healthcare providers are partnering with payers, government agencies and other organizations.
Cigna has sponsored and provided editorial input on this article.
At Becker's Hospital Review's 10th Annual Meeting in Chicago, Cigna hosted a workshop to explore how three Chicago healthcare systems are using partnerships to provide more connected care to the community. The conversation was moderated by Catherine Dimou, MD, Cigna's Midwest market medical executive.
Delivering Mental Health Services in Non-Threatening & Supportive Ways
As Frank Perham, vice president of community mental health and housing at Lisle, Ill.-based Amita Health, noted, "All healthcare is local." To address behavioral health needs, Amita is partnering with local government organizations throughout Chicago. The system has several examples of partnerships to highlight in its Evanston, Ill. market. For example, the Evanston Fire Department noticed that repeated ER calls were correlated with the end of the month when people run out of Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Income. Without food, some people resorted to ER visits to get a meal. The fire department identified repeat ER users and Amita sent social workers to their homes. The social workers connected people with group services to address their needs in more efficient, less costly ways.
Amita has also partnered with public libraries to provide mental health services to the community. The initiative started with a social worker in the Evanston Public Library. During the first year, the social worker met with 643 individuals and successfully intervened in several cases, avoiding higher levels of care. In the first six months of the program at the Uptown Library Branch, Amita's social worker met with 510 library patrons, 43 percent of whom were homeless.
"Many people would never walk into a mental health clinic for services, but there is less stigma when services are offered in a setting like the library," Mr. Perham explained. Social workers connect library patrons with primary care referrals and outpatient behavioral health services, as well as food, shelter and job resources.
Improving Public Health and Life Expectancies Through Behavior Change Programs
"In the neighborhoods served by Rush University Medical Center, life expectancies are around 69 years of age, compared to 81 to 85 in the Chicago Loop area. We want to close that gap," said Ashleigh Mansker, ambulatory licensed clinical social worker at Rush University Medical Center.
To address this issue, Chicago-based Rush obtained grants from the Retirement Research Foundation and the Cigna Foundation. The Health Legacy Program targets African American women and inspires behavioral change. Participants meet twice a week for six weeks, working with professional fitness instructors and nutritionists. Last year, the program added a social determinants of health screener to immediately connect women with additional resources using technology from NowPow.
"Our staff meet with churches and other community organizations that host the Health Legacy Program. Many women have lost significant weight and developed regular fitness routines. Volunteers collect data to quantify the impact on community members," Ms. Mansker explained. The results have been so positive that Rush has committed to continue the program.
Addressing Social Determinants of Health at the Doctor's Office and in the Community
Lurie Children's Hospital's Healthy Communities initiative is designed to improve health equity for Chicago children. With Cigna Foundation funding, Chicago-based Lurie Children's has developed a social determinants of health screening tool.
"When you start asking people questions systematically, you learn things you didn't know before. Often only 10 percent of a population's health is due to access to care. The rest may be due to the social and physical environment, behavior or genetics," said Karen Sheehan, MD, professor of pediatrics and preventive medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.
Cigna Foundation also funded a long-term follow-up study of the Chicago Youth Program. Researchers identified 250 program participants from the early 1990s. The study found that youth program participants were twice as likely to have graduated from college, three times as likely to be in good health, less likely to live in government housing or have food insecurity, and more likely to have money at the end of the month.
"Philanthropy from organizations like Cigna allows healthcare organizations to offer services that have a positive downstream impact for communities," noted Dr. Sheehan.
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