Catholic Health East : Best Practices

RHC: St. Joseph of the Pines, Pinehurst, NC

Contact: Judith Fitzgerald

Title: Coordinator for Case Management Services

E-mail:
Fax: 910.692.3643
Phone: 910.692.7277

Description of the Best Practice:

HIV/AIDS Case Management works with clients on an ongoing basis to assist them with needs as they arise. Case managers help coordinate medical services for clients, in addition to assisting them with psychological, social, financial, spiritual, mental, and emotional needs.

Implementation & Time Frame

Duke & St. Joseph Home Care is one of the few home health agencies in North Carolina that provides HIV/AIDS case management services. Strongly supported by the North Carolina HIV Care Consortia, the University of North Carolina Hospital, and Duke Hospital, Duke & St. Joseph Home Care presently provides services to more than 140 clients in 7 North Carolina counties. Five case managers assigned to work with these clients consistently meet the every day challenge of coordinating services with little to no community resources available.

Financial Profile

The program costs more to operate than the revenue it generates. This results in a need for case managers to make the most of existing resources while seeking alternative funding sources and/or avenues of service for their clients. Relationships with county agencies, medical associations and organizations, and advocacy groups have assisted case managers by expanding

Outcome

The program has been successful in building partnerships with community agencies, becoming indispensable to the HIV Care Consortia and major hospitals, educating the community, and providing services in rural and urban areas. By providing services to an otherwise under served population, the HIV/AIDS Case Management Program is able to enhance the quality of the lives of our clients. By building collaborative relationships with community service agencies and organizations, our case managers are able to encourage the development of coordinated services for people with HIV/AIDS while increasing awareness of the need for these services. Case managers often are able to secure medical and social services on behalf of their clients with greater success than if those clients were forced to represent themselves.

Best Practice Narrative is limited to a one page summary.
Supporting data is limited to one page.