NEW PARTNERSHIP ENABLES PHYSICIANS TO PRESCRIBE RESOURCES SUCH AS HEATING AND FOOD FOR PATIENTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 23, 2013
For more information, contact:
Health Leads: Kelly Osmundson, 415-901-0111, kosmundson@fenton.com
NuHealth: Shelley Lotenberg, 516-572-6055, shelley@numc.edu
Hofstra University: Neena Samuel, 516-463-6816, Neena.Samuel@hofstra.edu
Project DOCC: Maggie Hoffman, 516-652-1136, maggiehoffman4@gmail.com
NEW PARTNERSHIP ENABLES PHYSICIANS TO PRESCRIBE RESOURCES SUCH AS HEATING AND FOOD FOR PATIENTS
Advocates for Community Health in Nassau County, Long Island launches partnership with Health Leads; program will improve health for low-income families of children with special needs
EAST MEADOW, NY — Today, Advocates for Community Health (ACH) announced the launch of a new partnership with Health Leads at a ribbon-cutting ceremony with local health care leaders. The partnership enables health care providers to prescribe basic resources like food and heat just as they do medication, and signals an exciting shift in the future direction of healthcare.
ACH, collaboration between the Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC)/NuHealth, Project DOCC–Delivery of Chronic Care, and the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) at Hofstra University, is dedicated to improving the health of underserved Long Island families, particularly those whose children have developmental disabilities and serious chronic conditions.
“We look forward to working with Health Leads, Hofstra and Project DOCC to ensure that patients’ basic resource needs are integrated into health care delivery. This partnership will enable us to focus on improving patient health and reducing costs, all while better serving our vulnerable populations who face critical challenges affecting their health and wellbeing,” stated Arthur A. Gianelli, president and CEO of the NuHealth System, which manages NUMC.
The Health Leads desk at NUMC will be the first program of its kind to address the challenges facing families of children with special needs, and the first time the program is serving a suburban area.
Clinical staff often does not have time or training to help patients with non-medical needs, although meeting those needs can keep patients and families from getting sick, and help them stay healthy. Lack of adequate housing or food can exacerbate health problems; lack of transportation prevents patients from keeping appointments; lack of adult literacy and English language programs keep parents from understanding health information and medical instructions; and, most important for children with special needs, lack of early intervention programs prevent children from realizing their full educational potential.
“This initiative represents the future of healthcare, not just in New York but across America,” said Nirav R. Shah, M.D., M.P.H., commissioner of the New York State Department of Health. “Every hospital and clinic should have a solution for dealing with non-medical needs that affect whether patients can get and stay healthy — whether it is a family that needs transportation to get to their appointments, or needs utilities assistance to run their prescribed medical equipment at home.”
Low-income families have long found Long Island to be a daunting region in which to find employment that pays a living wage, affordable housing and reliable childcare. Many suburban families are often unable to work their way out of poverty, and many lack the skills to advocate for their family’s health needs. For families of children with special health care needs, the challenges are compounded.
“For parents of children with special health care needs, this is a long-awaited and hoped for step toward recognizing the additional challenges our families experience as we strive toward giving our children better continuity of care and quality of life,” said Maggie Hoffman, President of Project DOCC.
After physicians or other health care providers prescribe a basic resource, highly trained Health Leads advocates from Hofstra University will “fill” the prescriptions and earn college credit for their service. Advocates work with patients to connect them with resources in the community such as food banks, utility assistance, legal assistance, childcare and early intervention programs for children. Advocates will also provide training to parents so they can better advocate for their children’s needs.
“We are enormously proud to be part of this initiative,” said Dr. Herman A. Berliner, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Hofstra University. “Not only are we helping to serve the needs of this vulnerable population, but we are also providing valuable experiential learning to our student participants.”
Started in Boston in 1996, Health Leads has partnerships in 17 hospitals and clinics in six cities, including four in New York City. Health Leads’ vision is to transform the health care system so that addressing all patients’ basic resource becomes a standard part of quality care.
“We are so pleased to be working with partners who are leading the way in Nassau County. By recognizing that factors outside the doctor’s office play a critical role in achieving good health, we can help families in Long Island get and stay healthy,” said Carmita Padilla, Executive Director of Health Leads New York.
About Health Leads
Health Leads envisions a healthcare system that addresses all patients’ basic resource needs as a standard part of quality care. Health Leads’ mission is to catalyze this healthcare system by connecting patients with the basic resources they need to be healthy, and in doing so, build leaders with the conviction and ability to champion quality care for all patients. Health Leads works in 17 pediatric and prenatal clinics, newborn nurseries, emergency rooms, and community health centers in six cities across the U.S. Additional information about Health Leads is available online at www.healthleadsusa.org.
About Advocates for Community Health
Advocates for Community Health (ACH) is a strategic community collaborative formed by Project DOCC, the Center for Civic Engagement at Hofstra University, and Nassau University Medical Center, NuHealth to take full advantage of the health and medical care Long Island has to offer. Our mission is to serve under-resourced Long Island children and their parents, particularly families of children with special health care needs, by connecting these families with local community resources that enhance health and wellbeing. We teach families how to get these resources for themselves and empower families to advocate for others. Information about individual members of the ACH collaborative is available at www.NUMC.edu, www.hofstra.edu, and www.projectdocc.org.
ABOUT NUHEALTH
NuHealth is a Long Island health care organization delivering essential medical care and disease and lifestyle management to everyone at every stage of life. Also known as Nassau Health Care Corporation, NuHealth is a public benefit corporation managing the operations of Nassau Medical Center, A. Holly Patterson Extended Care and a network of Family Health Centers that bring primary and specialty care out into the community. By emphasizing wellness, cultural sensitivity and collaborative efforts with the North Shore-LIJ Health System, NuHealth is working to make good care more affordable and easier to access.
For more information about NuHealth or its Centers of Care, visit www.nuhealth.net.
