Catholic Health East
Best Practice Narrative RHC: Pittsburgh Mercy Health System
1400 Locust Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
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Category:
Healthier Communities Contact: Carol Lennon
Title: Manager, Health Communities
E-mail: Clennon@mercy.pmhs.org
Fax: (412) 232-7180
Phone: (412) 232-7899
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Description of the Best Practice: Health Communities
Institute
The Mercy Healthy Communities Institute exists to serve as a catalyst for
engaging residents of the community, physicians, other healthcare providers,
public officials, social service and community organizations in taking action
toward improving the quality of life in the community. The Institute is a
stream of various initiatives focused and targeted on specific communities
within the greater Pittsburgh region. Implementation
The Healthy Communities Institute's focus lies within four targeted communities
in the Greater Pittsburgh area. They are: Hill District, Uptown, Central
Northside and Southside Slopes. These communities were selected based on the
following factors:
- Community collaboration occurs best in a well-defined, limited geography
- The above communities represent portions of the primary service area of
Mercy Health System.
- Mercy Health System has established relationships and services in the
targeted communities.
- The communities represent areas of comparatively greater need within
Allegheny County.
Each community is unique and requires unique approaches. Mercy's role is to
function as a facilitator, coordinator and, in some instances, implementor in
helping our targeted community identify resources to respond to identified
community needs. Mercy conducted needs assessments within each of the targeted
communities in late 1995. All four targeted communities identified as hey
issues within their neighborhoods social issues such as crime, inadequate
housing and lack of employment opportunities. Mercy is responding to these
issue by active participation in community meetings, and identification of
resources to meet emergent needs. Examples include a recent collaboration with
Catholic Charities to offer a Certified Nursing Assistant Training Program with
guaranteed employment at Mercy for those who successfully complete the program.
A second example includes a partnership with ACTION Housing to build five new
townhouses in the doorstep community of Mercy Hospital on land donated by
Mercy. The latter is the first new housing initiative within the community in
decades. The functions of the Institute include Community Planning,
Advocacy, School Outreach, Community Outreach, Wellness and Prevention
Services, Community Collaboration and Education/Development.
Time Frame
The Healthy Communities Institute was established in 1996 following the
completion and analysis of the needs assessment conducted in 1995. The
Institute continues to play a major role in Mercy's strategic initiatives
allowing an additional focus for various Mercy programs in a non-traditional
and new care delivery model.
Financial Profile
Operational responsibility for program-specific outreach remains with the
programs within the Mercy System but are usually coordinated with other System
programs through the Institute structure. Two critical factors in the success
of the Institute have been its ability to stimulate teamwork among Mercy staff,
and its ability to be an enabling structure rather than a bureaucratic
structure. Funding for the Institute is integrated with various programs and
services and is composed of internal funding and external sources and grants.
Each stream of effort is evaluated with its own cost/benefit analysis.
Outcome
Outcomes are identified and measured at the initiative level within the
Institute and in conjunction with the cost/benefit analysis. Recently, the
Institute adopted a method to measure the effectiveness of its programs based
on a model developed by the United Way of Amerca Task Force on Impact. We are
currently identifying key programs within the Institute and developing outcomes
for each program based on this model. This is an exciting addition in our quest
to better serve our communities in an efficient, effective, and productive
manner.
Best Practice Narrative is limited to a one page summary.
Supporting data is limited to one page.
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