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Jefferson Healthcare Receives WSHA Community Health Leadership Silver Award for Community Health Leadership

Jefferson Healthcare received the Washington State Hospital Association’s 2018 Community Health Leadership Silver Award for its innovative approach to community wellness and population-level interventions.

 

The association gives the Community Health Leadership Award annually to health care organizations serving their community’s broader health needs in innovative and lasting ways. The award was presented during the association’s Annual Member Meeting on Oct. 11, 2018, at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront. More information about the Community Health Leadership Award can be found on the WSHA website at http://www.wsha.org/our-members/awards/community-health-leadership-award/.

 

“Historically, hospitals were thought of only as places where people went when they were acutely ill or hurt. Hospitals still provide critically important acute care, but they offer much more to their communities,” WSHA President & CEO Cassie Sauer said. “Hospitals like Jefferson Healthcare are valuable community partners, working in collaboration with community groups to make residents healthier.”

“This year’s award winners showcase a diverse array of programs that serve their communities in unique ways, helping vulnerable populations, increasing access to care and working to improve overall wellbeing,” said Nancy Gorshe, chair of WSHA’s Hospital Governing Boards Committee. “We are very proud of programs like the one operated by Jefferson Healthcare, which have improved the health of Washingtonians in communities across the state.”

Jefferson Healthcare was nominated for the work done by the population health department which focuses on community-level interventions, specifically those associated with social determinants of health. Its three main areas of work are focused on housing, food and social isolation. Each area of work focuses on a different demographic. The housing program works with those who are homeless or housing insecure, and it is operated in partnership with local community action program OlyCAP and local community mental health agency Discovery Behavioral Health. The food insecurity program focuses primarily on children and young families, though portions of the program also touch older members of the community. It manages a “Veggie RX” program, which encourages providers to prescribe fruits and vegetables to at-risk families, and the prescriptions are then  “filled” at the local farmers markets or food co-op. The social isolation program has a dual focus, serving isolated older adults and families with young children.

“In rural areas like Jefferson County, where we are the major provider of services for the community, we will be relying on programs like these to make more rapid and targeted differences in our community health.  Our population health team is positioned to create a bridge between traditional individual medical care and healing the social needs of our community”, said Mike Glenn, CEO of Jefferson Healthcare.

More information about the Community Health Leadership Award can be found on the WSHA website at http://www.wsha.org/our-members/awards/community-health-leadership-award/.

 

About WSHA

The Washington State Hospital Association works to improve the health of all Washington state residents by being active on key issues of policy and quality. WSHA represents more than 100 hospitals and health systems in the state, including those that are non-profit, investor-owned, and county, state and military hospitals. The Triple Aim guides our members and our work, as we strive to improve the patient experience, improve the health of populations and reduce the cost of health care. Visit www.wsha.org for more information.

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