RHC: Holy Cross Hospital

Contact: Sister Sally Maloney
Telephone: (716)-828-2750

With the growing emphasis on managed care and the need to keep people healthy, the Catholic Health System is integrally involved in many health and wellness programs and support services used daily by thousands of residents in Western New York on a daily basis.

Safe Passage Program

The Catholic Health System operates the first hospital-based program in Western New York to deal with domestic violence, the Safe Passage Program entered its fourth year of service in 1998. Since its inception, more than 1200 women and children have used the program’s services.

Domestic violence significantly affects women’s physical and emotional health; yet historically, this problem has not been identified or treated as a health care issue.

Research indicates that, other than from law enforcement, women will most likely seek help from their health care provider or facility. In addition, 22-35 percent of women receiving assistance in the emergency department exhibit symptoms of domestic violence and fewer than 5 percent are identified.

Once the magnitude of this problem was identified, the Safe Passage Program was established in order to be more responsive to the health care needs of women. Since the program’s inception in 1994, its services have expanded to include elder abuse, which affects over 2 million older people annually yet is highly underdetected.

The purpose of the Safe Passage Program is to help end family violence in order to improve the quality of life of those affected and to help define, for the hospital and the community, family violence as a health care issue.

In order to meet the goals of the program, several priority areas were established including; 24-hour advocacy, medical care provided by health care providers trained in family violence intervention, 24-hour spiritual support, outpatient mental health, employee assistance, and educational programs for health care providers and the community.

In addition, a two-family house in the community was renovated into a fully furnished transitional living home for victims of family violence. Women and their children are permitted to remain at the facility for up to 18 months. It is the first transitional living home in Erie County.

Parish Outreach

The Catholic Health System is able to extend its outreach efforts through a unique Parish Nurse Program that works to reach people who may be without access to basic health care services or specialized care for long term illnesses. Working with local parishes and various church leaders, the Parish Nurse Program develops appropriate health and wellness programs to meet each parish’s specific needs. These programs can include caregiver seminars, health fairs, blood pressure screenings, and health education programs. These contacts also give us valuable information about the health status of our community.

HealthConnection

At the heart of the Catholic Health System’s outreach efforts is the HealthConnection help line. This system-wide health information and referral service network provides the Western New York community with access to free health information and referrals to physicians or appropriate community service agencies.

. Through this program, people also obtain information about community health education and wellness programs, workshops and health screening services that promote healthier lifestyles and give people information to better manage or prevent certain health conditions. In 1998, HealthConnection assisted over 16,000 callers.

HealthConnection also is greatly involved in community education and outreach efforts through numerous health and wellness programs, health fairs and screening programs conducted each year. In 1998, nearly 400 education programs, workshops, health fairs and screening programs were held, attracting more than 20,000 people from the surrounding community.

Job Training

The Catholic Health System, in collaboration with the Erie County Department of Social Services, participates in unique community-work experience programs such as Project SOAR (Success, Opportunity, Action, and Retraining). During the past eight years, more than 300 single mothers on public assistance have received education, job training and child care assistance, allowing them to become employed in the health professions. Participants are provided with hands-on training for future employment as nurse attendants or medical clerks. Now, approximately 84% of the participants secure employment and relinquish their public assistance following completion of the program. Many of the participants remain employed at Catholic Health System facilities.

Women’s Uninsured Initiative

In planning for future needs during 1998, the Catholic Health System led an initiative to begin exploring the development of a subsidized low cost insurance program for women in Western New York who represent the working poor. The concept of this initiative spans the entire health care network within the region and New York State. In cooperation with the Western New York Health Care Association and Dr. Russell Bessette, Director of the Transfer Technology Center, the concept was presented to the CEO’s of Western New York hospitals and was received very optimistically. The concept was also proposed to Governor Pataki as a model to be expanded, and it appears that he is supportive of the concept.

Support for this initiative would be a partnership with other local hospitals, physicians, businesses and consumers. To date, over $40,000 has been raised for this initiative. This unique model of innovation has the potential of becoming a model for New York State to address the uninsured crisis.