Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/644565
22 offer programs tailored to their needs and have regular check-in oppor- tunities with a healthcare provider to keep them on the path to success. We removed sugared beverages from our facilities and encourage and provide healthy food options throughout our organization, including all vending machines. We've partnered with local grocery stores to provide the community with healthy recipes and food options. We have also part- nered with local fitness facilities for our employees and the community. Access to care is another an important piece of reducing chronic dis- ease. Access does not mean coming to a hospital like it did 10 years ago; rather it's about getting a person's health needs addressed. Today, this can be through a phone call, electronic message, telemedicine visit, Express Care, an in-person appointment or in a variety of other ways. It's all about having a relationship with a patient and ensuring they have access to care anytime, anywhere so we can together be suc- cessful in keeping people healthy. Wellness and prevention are two important initiatives we are passionate about, and this will continue to be a priority for Cleveland Clinic patients and caregivers." Oklahoma Di Smalley, Regional President, Mercy (Oklaho- ma City) "Our market is large and diverse, but I would say that a common concern across our market is the use of tobacco and childhood obesity. Mercy recently launched Tobacco Free Mercy at our Oklahoma City hospital and at more than 65 Mercy Clinics statewide. So far, the program has led more than 1,000 Mercy patients to contact the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline. We plan to expand the campaign at other Mercy hospitals in the spring. Mercy also helps promote healthier choices in school lunchrooms across southern Oklahoma by offering cafeteria staff members food handling training and nutrition education. Mer- cy also provides a registered dietitian at those Southern Oklahoma schools to help students who aren't aware of their healthy options." Oregon Janice Burger, CEO, Providence St. Vincent Med- ical Center, Providence Health & Services-Ore- gon, Western Division (Portland) "Providing access and affordable services to the many people in our community who are recent- ly covered through the Affordable Care Act is a pressing issue. e utilization of health services by the newly enrolled is higher than anticipat- ed, which has created some instability for local health plans and stressed access to healthcare. Providence Health & Services is making significant investments in expanding access to primary care, including both an expansion of medical home capabilities and adding low-cost options for low-acu- ity visits. e intent is to reduce the cost of care by avoiding costly emergency department use. e new access options we are expanding include express care, a Web-based telehealth visit program with nurse practitioners, a partnership with Walgreens to provide easy walk-in access in convenient locations, and expanded immediate care and ur- gent care in our more traditional primary care sites. In addition, our organization is working to transform care through models that are patient-centered and more affordable. Examples in- clude our redesign of pregnancy care, which has resulted in a 15 per- cent reduction of costs and very high patient satisfaction, and our heart surgery care package, which has improved outcomes and lowered cost." Pennsylvania Steven D. Shapiro, MD, Chief Medical and Scien- tific Officer, UPMC "e most pressing health concern in our market is the need for accessible, affordable, high-quality care — the same issue facing the rest of the country and, indeed, the world. UPMC is uniquely positioned to meet this need. By combining a broad provider network, an insurance division and our affiliation with one of the top research universities, we have the right expertise, in- formation and incentives to truly provide 'value-based' care. To give you a few examples of how this integration plays out, we've re- cently merged our physician and hospital groups so their patient care efforts are even more coordinated; we're developing a robust analytics initiative to better understand how to provide the best outcomes at the lowest cost; and we continue to invest hundreds of millions of dollars every year into groundbreaking medical research at the Uni- versity of Pittsburgh so better science will inform our care." Rhode Island Crista Durand, President, Newport Hospital Rhode Island is fighting a national battle against opioid addiction — a battle that has no bound- aries and threatens every family, every neigh- borhood, every race, the rich and the poor. e growing drug problem is among several acute behavioral health issues — including al- coholism and depression — greatly impacting Rhode Islanders. Our communities are disproportionately impacted by illicit drug use, with Rhode Island ranked as the worst in the nation per capita. e gravity of this problem is evident in emergency departments across the state inundated with overdose cases. Opioid addiction killed 239 people in Rhode Island in 2014, prompting the governor to sign an executive order last summer to create a task force charged with rec- ommending ways to curb overdose deaths. Lifespan, Rhode Island's largest health system, of which Newport Hospital is a partner, sits on that task force. Furthermore, the number of residents who struggle with prob- lem-drinking far exceeds the national average, and few get treatment. e state's mental health problems are also significant — from mem- bers of our adult population living with a major mental illness to those among our youth population facing depression. In a state without a public hospital, Rhode Island hospitals — pre- dominantly nonprofit entities — must work cooperatively with primary care providers, health centers and government agencies to meet the needs of the individuals and communities we serve. New- port Hospital treats patients through our inpatient behavioral health unit and partial hospitalization program. Our outpatient behavioral