Centering
Healthcare Institute has been honored by the Premier
healthcare alliance with the 18th Annual Monroe E. Trout
Premier Cares Award for its CenteringPregnancy Group Prenatal Care
program, which provides an innovative prenatal group care model now
present in more than 300 sites across America. Centering Healthcare
Institute last night received the Cares Award and $70,000 for the work
it has done to provide care to mothers and babies nationwide.
“The efforts of these great organizations are making an impact and
Premier is thrilled to highlight the amazing work being done”
Sponsored by Premier and its member hospitals, the Cares Award
recognizes exemplary efforts by not-for-profit community organizations
to improve the health of populations in need. Representatives of the
Centering Healthcare Institute (CHI) received the Cares Award during
Premier’s annual Governance Education Conference, January 25-27 in
Phoenix.
Since 2001, Centering Healthcare Institute (www.centeringhealthcare.org)
has had the mission “to change the paradigm of health services to a
group care model in order to improve the overall health outcomes of
mothers and babies across the life cycle.” CHI's executive director,
Sharon Rising, developed CenteringPregnancy® to bring women out of the
exam room into a group setting where they receive basic prenatal
checkups, build community with other women, and gain knowledge and
skills in pregnancy, childbirth and parenting. Overall, women in this
group care experience a 33 percent lower rate of preterm birth,
demonstrating a dramatic impact on health outcomes.
“The efforts of these great organizations are making an impact and
Premier is thrilled to highlight the amazing work being done,” said
Susan DeVore, Premier’s president and CEO. “Simply, they are
transforming the way healthcare is delivered in our communities.”
A panel of hospital professionals, as well as health and business
industry leaders, selects the winner and five finalists, which all
receive cash awards for use in further improving their programs. Winning
Cares Award programs are used to spotlight these community-based
healthcare initiatives and to assist in replicating best practice
programs through the Cares
Award Web site.
Following are award finalists, each of which received $24,000 for use in
further improving their program:
"The NiteStar Program" of St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New
York, N.Y. (www.nitestar.org)
NiteStar is a unique and original performing arts peer model,
multi-component school and community health program, built on the belief
that a significant impact on adolescent health is possible only if youth
are provided with accurate, sensitive, and engaging information and
skills about health issues. NiteStar uses age appropriate/culturally
sensitive theatrical methods to empower youth with skills to lead
healthier lives. The program also helps parents and professionals to
better understand and communicate more effectively with young people.
The involvement and investment of parents, teachers and local resources
help to create a better community for their children. NiteStar builds
skills, attitudes and resources for young people that can reduce
pregnancy, HIV/STD and sexual victimization among youth in neighborhoods
and communities with some of the highest risks. Over the past 21 years,
NiteStar has served more than 500,000 students, parents and school staff.
Boston's Community Medical Group (www.bcmgweb.org)
Founded in 1988, Boston’s Community Medical Group (BCMG) provides
comprehensive care to more than 400 patients with severe physical
disabilities living within one hour of Boston. Conditions include
congenital anomalies, nervous system tumors, neuromuscular disorders,
spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, cerebral palsy, etc. All
participants use wheelchairs for mobility and rely on personal care
attendants or alternatives for assistance with activities of daily
living. BCMG’s mission is to provide high quality, comprehensive primary
care in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible by
reducing barriers to care and establishing a highly personalized
partnership with patients. Cost savings abound from preventing adverse
medical events. BCMG costs rank far below traditional Medicaid
fee-for-service plans that would typically cover these patients.
Every Child Succeeds of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical
Center, Cincinnati (www.everychildsucceeds.org)
Every Child Succeeds (ECS) is a home visitation program helping at-risk
families ensure an optimal start for their young children. ECS provides
home visits for first-time mothers who are young, low-income, single
and/or receiving inadequate prenatal care – factors that tend to put
their children at higher risk for delayed development, inadequate
ongoing medical care, abuse, neglect and poor academic achievement. Home
visits start during a mother’s pregnancy and continue through the
child’s third birthday, allowing for long-term relationship building and
support for all major developmental stages of the child. Since 1999, ECS
has served more than 15,000 families in Greater Cincinnati through more
than 300,000 home visits.
Center for Life - CenteringPregnancy®
Program, Washington, DC (www.provhosp.org/centerflife.htm)
In June 2007, the Center for Life at Providence Hospital began using the
CenteringPregnancy® model of healthcare delivery,
which identifies low-risk maternity patients between 16 and 20 weeks of
pregnancy with estimated due dates within four weeks of each other,
inviting them to participate in a group session format. Pregnant women
from vulnerable backgrounds are able to access healthcare, education and
support, which increase healthy birth outcomes. Over the past two years,
467 women participated in the program. Only 5 percent of babies were
born prematurely compared to the U.S. preterm delivery rate of 12.7
percent and Washington, DC, rate of 15.9 percent. Four percent of the
babies were low birth weight (LBW) compared to the DC LBW rate of 11.1
percent.
Good NEWS for a Better LIFE of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital
Azle and Good NEWS, Azle, Texas (www.texashealth.org/betterlife)
Good NEWS for a Better LIFE was created in 2006 as a product of two
programs serving the well (senior volunteer caregivers providing social
support services such as telephone calls, visits, shopping assistance,
minor home repair, yard work, chore services and transportation to
hundreds of other senior citizens) and the frail (those seniors who need
health education, screenings, exercise and healthcare). Texas Health
Harris Methodist Hospital Azle and Good NEWS work together to promote
healthy lifestyles and injury prevention while creating vital lifelines
into senior’s homes, enabling them to thrive rather than endure the
hardships of isolation. Since 2007, only three people have been
discharged from Good NEWS to a nursing home, with six current
participants over the age of 90 living at home independently.