Did you know that hospitals allocate millions of dollars each year to improve healthcare in our community? In addition to providing healthcare to thousands of patients, hospitals in the Rochester area are proactively working to address some of the largest problems in our region. That’s why it’s important to safeguard our hospitals from funding cuts and other government mandates that threaten their viability.
In order to comply with the Affordable Care Act, hospitals must conduct a community health needs assessment and adopt an implementation strategy. Every three years, the Community Health Improvement Workgroup meets to create a Community Health Improvement Plan. The workgroup includes many stakeholders in the healthcare community.
Rochester’s hospitals have a long history of collaborating together. For over 20 years, Strong Memorial Hospital, Highland Hospital, Rochester General Hospital, and Unity Hospital have worked with the Monroe County Department of Public Health and other community partners to examine the health-related challenges facing the Rochester community.
The work group analyzes data to determine the greatest need and assess the community’s capacity to address it. Two issues were selected for the 2019-2021 Community Health Improvement Plan: disparities in maternal/child health, and mental health/well-being. Each hospital was assigned specific ways to implement the plan.
A Maternal Child Health Advisory Group was created to address the disparities in Monroe County. In addition, hospitals agreed to address some of the social determinants of health, including poverty and employment, by improving working and purchasing decisions at their facilities. Finally, the work group agreed to promote initiatives such as mental health education, stigma reduction, and trauma-informed care.
Previous initiatives include preventing chronic diseases by reducing tobacco use, controlling blood pressure, reducing unplanned pregnancy, screening children for food insecurity, and decreasing deaths due to opioids. The initiatives showed significant progress. For example, all four Monroe County hospitals enacted a tobacco cessation policy that incorporated the “opt-to-quit” program and linked patients to the New York State Smokers’ Quitline. The results were incredible – as soon as the electronic referrals were implemented, enrollment increased exponentially.
These are just a few examples of the community health benefits that hospitals provide. In fact, according to a report by the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS), Rochester hospitals provided $523 million in community benefits and investments in 2018. Adhering to their charitable mission, hospitals cover the cost of care provided to people in need; subsidize care and services to low-income, elderly, and under-served communities; and continuously invest in many community health initiatives.
That’s why it’s so important to protect our hospitals from budget cuts and unfunded mandates. Next year, New York State is expected to face another budget deficit. In addition, the legislature is poised to consider harmful nurse staffing ratio legislation, which would take away local control from our hospitals. New York’s hospitals can’t bear any more budget cuts. Instead, we need to protect our hospitals, which invest in public health and provide valuable services to improve our communities.
About Pandion Healthcare: Education & Advocacy
Pandion Healthcare: Education and Advocacy is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 association whose membership is comprised of 17 hospitals and their related health systems in the nine counties of Monroe, Livingston, Ontario, Wayne, Seneca, Yates, Allegany, Steuben, and Chemung. Pandion Healthcare: Education and Advocacy works closely with the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) and the American Hospital Association (AHA), collaborating on many issues and activities.