‘25 by 2025’ is goal of summit for St. Clair County health rankings
Two Hospitals – Community Wellness – Healthier Together
It is truly amazing the potential of a community when its common interests are prioritized over parochial interests that can overshadow or impede those interests, goals and aspirations. When this occurs, it should be recognized and celebrated.
A collaborative event of such a nature is taking place on Thursday, March 28, at Faith Family Church, 704 N. Green Mount Road, Shiloh. It is not only the collaboration of two separate and independent hospitals, it involves the partnership of public and private organizations and the recognition that community wellness involves more than simply the delivery of quality healthcare.
Even the choice of moderator, speakers and breakout sessions demonstrate an effort to integrate elements often overlooked when addressing healthcare. One keynote speaker, Pastor Rob Dyer, was chosen to present the vision, the needs, the opportunities and the faith and compassion the effort requires. The second keynote speaker, Evan Krauss, was chosen to present the alignment, collaboration, partnerships and mutual trust necessary to have the desired collaborative impact.
Finally, the moderator, Dr. Desarie Holmes, a mental health specialist with a PhD in the philosophy of clinical psychology, provides recognition not only of the critical relationships between the psychological and physical well-being of a person, but insight into the impediments and means necessary to establish the trust needed to motivate patients (a primary stakeholder in healthcare) to play a more active and positive role in their own well-being.
The impetus for this effort arises, in part, from the 2016 ranking of St. Clair County by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. It was not pretty. St. Clair County was ranked 93rd out of 102 counties. The mantra adopted by the collaborative putting on the St. Clair County Health Summit 2019 is “25 by 2025.” In other words, the goal is for St. Clair County to move up from 93rd to 25th in six years.
The model for the approach undertaken is beyond the scope of this article, but relates, in part, to a successful collaboration between two hospitals in Springfield, numerous medical studies, recommendations of the Center for Disease Control and anecdotal information gathered by numerous healthcare providers. Addressing how to prevent and treat chronic disease in an efficient and economical manner is essential to a sustainable healthcare system.
The disparities in the distribution and access to healthcare are critical factors. The access to reliable information by all stakeholders, the trust between the stakeholders and the cooperation between the stakeholders play key roles in the prevention and management of chronic disease. Finally, the model employed by Health Summit 2019 recognizes the need for multisector interventions for preventing and controlling chronic diseases and their determinants.
Health Summit 2019 focuses on engaging the community as an invaluable and necessary partner in the wellness of the community. The multiple sectors specifically recognized for breakout sessions involve the following work groups: Chronic Disease Prevention, Community Safety, Education, Maternal & Child Welfare, Mental Health, and Substances Abuse.
These work groups track with the Community Wellness Initiative of the Center for Racial Harmony which has identified 11 attributes to Community Wellness & Physical Health:
* Physical Health
* Spiritual Wellness
* Educational Wellness
* Emotional Health
* Safe & Sustainable Environment
* Intellectual/Cultural Exposure
* Mental Health
* Collaboration of Organizations/Groups
* Social Well-Being
* Vocational Skills
* Financial Integrity
BJC Memorial Hospital and HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital deserve the thanks of a grateful community for taking the initiative to help foster the multisector approach to healthcare. Hopefully, the St. Clair County Health Summit 2019 will be a meaningful step towards the improvement of our collective health through the development of improved proactive communication and cooperation between all health stakeholders (including patients), and the development of a framework for the improvement of an appropriate multisector collaborative with shared tools and sustainable interventions. Multiple sectors of the community must be active participants for this effort to succeed.
Twenty-Five by 2025 is possible, but only if the community collaborative includes health care providers, community-based organizations, government, health care payers, community members, housing, education, faith-based organizations and business sharing a mutual interest in reducing the burden of chronic diseases and improving community health.
Imagine fully informed, empowered and engaged patients. Then imagine a healthcare community with active, trained volunteers whose talents have been identified, inventoried, delegated and used effectively in a truly collaborative effort with hospitals and professional healthcare providers. That is the goal of the Healthier Together movement.
Only when our community Listens (to the community’s needs), Cares (enough to become involved in a collaborative effort) and Shares (its talents, resources and efforts) can it build the collaborative culture necessary to provide a collective impact on the wellness of our community. The collective impact is dependent on your positive response and encouragement of the collaboration and cooperation of all the community health stakeholders listed above and systemic changes integral to community wellness. You can be a part of the Healthier Together movement. Online registration for Health Summit 2019 is accepted at www.htsummit.org. For additional information, email info@htsummit.org.