Catholic Health East : Best Practices
Catholic Health East
Best Practice Narrative

RHC: Mercycare Corporation

 Category:
Developing Healthier Communitie

Contact: Sister Gail Waring, RSM
Telephone: (518) 525-1640
Description of the Best Practice
In 1996, staff from Mercycare/St. Peter’s Hospital and Seton Health System worked with the Albany County Department of Health to frame an initiative that would involve a tri-county community health assessment and planning process to identify and address community health needs in the Capital District. The process was modeled on other successful community intervention projects that included quantitative community behavior surveys, focus groups, an inventory of community resources and a series of community health forums. Formally established in 1997, the Healthy Capital District Initiative (HCDI) represents an ongoing partnership effort to develop a strategic action work plan designed to improve the health of the residents of the Albany, Schenectady and Rensselaer Counties. The initiative includes the capital district’s major health providers and insurers, the three local medical societies and the three local governments. In-kind service and funding has been provided through annual seed money from the participating sponsors. Grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, (through the Turning Point Initiative) the Kellogg Foundation, the NYS Department of Health and the Community Foundation for the Capital Region has supported the planning process. The SUNY School of Public Health and the Council of Community Services have been actively involved in the initiative as consultants. The HCDI Initiative was undertaken in the spirit of Communities Working Together For A Healthier New York, an initiative to use community forums to identify high-priority health concerns.

Implementation

Research activities and community input via a Secondary Data Health Profile, a Primary Data Telephone survey, newspaper insert and Community Forums enabled the community to identify four Initial Focus Areas:

    • Access to Primary and Preventive Care
    • Healthy Births
    • Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke
    • Youth Violence

Community Leadership Teams have begun to map community assets in each focus area and to identify the mission, vision, goals and measurable outcomes for each focus area. A number of public and private grants, including Colorectal Screening and Prostate Education, Covering Kids, a Child Health Plus outreach initiative and Community Oriented Primary Care have been secured and two grants are pending: Act For Youth and Communities In Charge: Financing and Delivering Health Care to the Uninsured.

Time Frame
HCDI is ongoing; each community focus area has time frames associated with grants and specific project timelines.

Financial Profile
Each of the 28 sponsors contributes an annual assessment of $2500 to fund the operations of the Steering Committee of HCDI and Sponsor meetings. In-kind contributions are donated by members of the sponsoring organizations through Steering Committee service.

Outcome

HCDI outcomes to date are:

    • Secured the sponsorship of 28 organizations and $50,000 seed funding
    • Developed mission, vision and goals and objectives.
    • Awarded $50,000 grant from the NYS Department of Health
    • Awarded $50,000 grant from the Community Foundation for the Capital Region
    • Awarded $60,000 Turning Point planning grant
    • Published a comprehensive Community Health Profile that summarizes common health indicators
    • Conducted a telephone survey to 900 residents to collect information about personal health concerns, perceptions, knowledge, risks and behaviors
    • Distributed 150,000 copies of a health profile through the three major newspapers
    • Received mail-in surveys from the community regarding the health profile
    • Invited 380 organizations to a Community Forum to obtain factual and opinions-based input
    • Identified, through the processes above, the four community focus areas
    • Initiated three Community Leadership Teams to address Healthy Births, Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke and Youth Violence focus areas.
    • Submitted planning grant application to Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Communities In Charge: Financing and Delivering Care to the Uninsured to address the growing number of uninsured in the three counties. Community Leadership Team to be initiated in December, 1999.

Addendum:

Mercycare is submitting HCDI as an innovative program from our organization regarding services for poor persons. Access to primary and preventive care for poor persons, especially the uninsured was identified as a major focus area by the community. The RWJ planning grant will enable us to:

  • Strengthen, expand and organize the existing HCDI partnerships to be effectively positioned as the community coalition for Communities In Charge: Financing and Delivering Care to the Uninsured.
  • Define and quantify the numbers, demographic characteristics, circumstances and health care needs of the uninsured and underinsured populations in Albany, Rensselaer, and Schenectady counties.
  • Assess the uninsured and under-insured’s access to existing programs and resources.
  • Identify, assess and prioritize the feasibility of potential solutions.
  • Initiate the "business plan" design of a service delivery and finance system that maximizes the effectiveness of existing programs and proposes new solutions to address unmet needs.

At the conclusion of the Planning Grant, HCDI intends to apply for Phase II of CIC which is a three year implementation grant.