FALL Bon Secours Community Works. Look At Us Now. BON SECOURS BALTIMORE HEALTH SYSTEM FOUNDATION

Transcription

1 FALL 2012 Bon Secours Community Works Look At Us Now BON SECOURS BALTIMORE HEALTH SYSTEM FOUNDATION

2 Renovated Community Support Center Gets State Recognition Bon Secours Community Works recently celebrated the opening of its newly-renovated Community Support Center with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake attended the ceremony, and took the time to meet and congratulate participants, such as Shakira Foster, a single mother. When I first came here, I was not a woman, Foster told the crowd of people gathered to celebrate the renovated space. I was a girl, with a child, who knew that I needed an education, but didn t know anybody that was going to give it to me. At the Center, Foster says she was greeted with love and care, and she was pushed to do her best by staff members who treated her like family. It meant the world to me, Foster said. She is proud to say she earned her GED after successfully completing the Center s GED program. The renovations were prompted by Maryland Family Network s choice of Bon Secours as the statewide model for its next generation Family Support Hub Center. Bon Secours is the first site to be selected as a hub. It will provide coordinated services for families with young children and will serve as a model for such programming state-wide. We re building on the Family Support Center that exists there now, and we re adding additional services and staffing and we re hoping we can reach more people, more effectively, Margaret Williams, Executive Director of Maryland Family Network, said. Several months of construction has resulted in a more colorful and larger facility, to allow for an expansion of the center s child development programs as well as the ability to offer services to more families. Located in an area of Baltimore that suffers from dramatic health disparities, the Family Support Center has made a real difference in the lives of community members. For example, the center s In-Home Intervention program promotes healthy starts 2

3 Transitioning from child development services to licensed childcare enables parents to seek employment and education services off-site, an aspect of the hub model. for babies, resulting in higher rates of full-term pregnancies, healthy birth weights, and a 100-percent child immunization rate. The center provides resources for young, low-income families, including new programs such as Babyology a series of educational workshops for expectant parents and parents of children up to age 4 as well as topics such as fatherhood and teen parenting. Ms. Williams says that the additional services being added to the Bon Secours hub are going to help ensure that no families in our neighborhoods slip through the cracks, and that all children arrive at kindergarten ready to succeed. If this works, she says, we re going to spread this across the city and across the state. Sr. Pat Dowling, CBS, is president of the Board of Bon Secours Community Works 3

4 Interview with Lesia Douglas As Chief Nurse Executive and Vice President of Patient Care at Bon Secours, Lesia Douglas, RN, BSN, MBA, is an advocate for cultural trans formation. Ms. Douglas says she believes everyone s voice from those in leadership to those on the frontline should be heard. Ms. Douglas works daily to uphold the Bon Secours mission and carries her passion, motivation and experience into her new role. Q. How has your previous work experience prepared you for your new role as vice president? Today, I have over 15 years of healthcare leadership experience. I have gone to organizations and helped them culturally transform to centers of excellence. Reflecting on the successes in my career, I have found that servant leadership has been a key principle. From the start, it is important to serve the employees and provide a culture that gives a voice to all. In this, ideas and solutions will flow freely and the team will have a sense of ownership and will be invested in the success. From there, I provide and equip caregivers with the proper tools and education to help them understand why things are changing and how the change is imperative to successfully live out the Bon Secours Mission. In my new role I will be able to further such work. Q. How does this role fit in with the integration of Dr. Ross healthcare vision? When I first met Dr. Ross he said he needed a change agent. He was in need of someone who would help foster his goal of developing a center of excellence and his vision of healthcare without walls bringing quality, accessible aid to this community. I am excited about the opportunity to partner with this wonderful team at Bon Secours Baltimore Hospital and to help build an infrastructure that is based on evidence and best practices. Q. How would you describe the importance of nursing in today s healthcare model? How are nurses strengthening the bon between Bon Secours and the community? Nurses play an integral role in shaping the reputation of Bon Secours in the community. Nurses deliver care to patients as soon as they walk in the door, and how they deliver care is what shapes our reputation. Therefore, I am committed to getting our employees the tools they need to do the job, involve them in decision making, give them the education that they need, and provide a safe work environment. This results in a healthy environment in which excellent care, patient satisfaction scores and quality outcomes thrive. We strive not only to be excellent in how we communicate and care for patients, but to make a deeper, more entrenched connection on a spiritual and intellectual level. That being said, we look to such relationships to help strengthen our ties in the community. As this happens, we are able to seek out partnerships that can help us be more proactive healthcare advocates by supporting prevention and education programs, among other opportunities. Q. As you move forward in your new role, what excites you the most? The organization is hungry to change. It excites me to be surrounded by supportive, passionate people who are eager to uphold the mission while jump-starting Dr. Ross healthcare vision. With this type of support, change will be successful. In all, I am excited to make a real difference in both Bon Secours and the community. Ms. Douglas is a registered nurse (RN), earned a Master s in Business Administration (MBA) in healthcare administration from the Colorado Technical University in Colorado Springs, Colo. and holds a Bachelor of Science (BSN) in nursing from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill. She is a member of the Association of Women Healthcare Nurses (AWHONN) and the American Organization of Nurse Executives. As a volunteer, she has participated in women s health fairs and conducted public speaking events for churches and public support organizations. Ms. Douglas is credited with dramatic improvements in nursing care and practices in other Bon Secours medical systems. This includes improving patient satisfaction scores to the ninety-ninth percentile and having her employer named a top 100 hospital. PHOTO BY MICHAEL CLARK 4

5 A WORD FROM SAMUEL ROSS, MD, MS CEO, Bon Secours Baltimore Health System Some of you may remember a summit we held two years ago, in collaboration with Senator Verna Jones-Rodwell, which focused on improving the health status and access to health care services for people in the communities of West Baltimore. Many important things came out of that summit, but one of the most critical was that we needed to know more about the healthrelated needs of West Baltimore residents and the ability of West Baltimore s safety net to meet those needs. So we embarked on a West Baltimore Primary Care Access Assessment and Strategic Planning Project, to determine, among other things, what more we could do to ensure our community members had access to quality primary care. The final report from that study was completed in 2012 and I m pleased to tell you that we have identified the many disparities that exist in our community when it comes to health and health care access, pinpointed the real barriers to primary care access for residents, and listed a number of attainable recommendations for improvement. One path to improved primary care access that really excites me is the state s proposed Health Enterprise Zones (HEZ). Grant money for these health zones established by Lt. Governor Anthony Brown will fund efforts to reduce health disparities, improve health care access and health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs in underserved communities, like ours. Bon Secours has played a lead role in convening more than 17 West Baltimore partners, including neighbor hospitals, federallyqualified health centers and community organizations, to apply for HEZ funding. In an unprecedented show of esprit de corps, these partners have formed an official collaborative that believes this area can become a vital, healthy community and eventually be held as a national model for health improvement. In line with Bon Secours long-held beliefs, the West Baltimore Primary Care Access Collaborative (WBPCAC) envisions a future not too long from now where residents of our community will be empowered to take ownership of their health, and will have the expectation of living full, healthy lives. This entire process has been incredibly exciting. And I m looking forward to keeping you updated about our progress as we move ahead. Sincerely, Samuel L. Ross, MD, MS Chief Executive Officer 5

6 POSITIVE GAINS IN RADIOLOGY: New Director Impressed by Cutting-Edge Imaging Technology When Joe Gain came to tour Bon Secours Hospital, prior to accepting the position of Director of Clinical Diagnostic Services, it was his first time to the East Coast and his first time to the hospital campus. From the outside, I saw what I expected to see, says Mr. Gain, who is from St. Louis. An older building in an urban neighborhood. But inside the hospital, Mr. Gain was impressed by the state-of-theart equipment he saw and by what he heard about the Hospital s plans to further invest in high quality technology. With Joe s expertise, the Radiology Department not only has cutting edge equipment, but the staff is fully committed to creating the highest level of efficiencies and patient care. Today, the imaging equipment, he said, is not just up-to-date, it is cutting edge. The hospital boasts a 32-slice CT scan machine, an updated C-ARM x-ray machine, a new ultrasound machine, the PACs system, digital mammography, and an up-to-date MRI machine. Since coming to Baltimore, he already has helped purchase a portable digital x-ray machine and successfully 6

7 advocated for a new digital x-ray room for the Emergency Department. And there is money in the budget to continue the equipment upgrades. FIGHTING FOR HER PATIENTS: Mammography Technologist Barbara Berkman You drive by here and you wouldn t have a clue that this kind of technology is in here, Mr. Gain says. But this hospital is very invested in the community. Whether you can pay or not, Bon Secours wants to make sure patients have the very best technology available to them. Mr. Gain is excited about how all the new technology will help Bon Secours patients and contribute Barbara Berkman stands just a little over 5-feet tall. But her small stature belies a giant spirit of courage and compassion. ladies. If they don t get their screenings done here, they just won t get them done. We re like family to them. to Dr. Samuel Ross new vision for the health system. If you are coming to our hospital, you are going to be touched by imaging somehow, he says. So it is important that Bon Secours has the latest imaging technology, up-to-date and ever-evolving. We re growing as a hospital. We are investing in our patients and our community. As lead mammography technologist, Mrs. Berkman knows what her patients need. So when a main piece of machinery broke in 2011 putting the entire mammography program in jeopardy Mrs. Berkman took it upon herself to lobby anyone who would listen, in order to ensure the hospital would continue to provide such a valuable service to women. I thought to myself, We ve got to do something, Mrs. Berkman, who has been a Bon Secours employee for 12 years, says. I know these continued on page 8 7 Mrs. Berkman started a communications crusade, setting up meetings with key health system leaders, including Dr. Samuel Ross. I had nothing to lose, Mrs. Berkman says. But our patients had everything to gain. At the meetings, she came armed with statistics about the large number of screenings done each year at Bon Secours, the distance PHOTOS BY MONICA LOPOSSAY

8 FIGHTING FOR HER PATIENTS: Mammography Technologist Barbara Berkman continued from page 7 many patients travel to get to the hospital for mammograms and anecdotes from worried patients. When patients would call to schedule a screening, and we said we were no longer providing mammography service, they were upset, Mrs. Berkman says. A lot of the patients walk here, or they take [public transportation]. They re older and they don t like change. They feel welcome here. Mrs. Berkman s persistence paid off. Last September, Dr. Ross called Mrs. Berkman at home to personally tell her that the health system had rallied together to find funding for a new mammography machine. The service, he told her, would be up and running again in just a few months. It was wonderful, says Mrs. Berkman, who was chosen to receive the Kindly Care Employee of the Month award in December, for her efforts. I knew it was the right thing to do. Deep down everybody knew it was the right thing. It s part of our mission to serve the community, to provide good help to those in need. In February, Bon Secours hospital re-launched its mammography screening program, this time with a machine that Mrs. Berkman had a hand in selecting, because of its patient-friendliness. The mammography department is accredited through the American College of Radiology. Mrs. Berkman sent letters to patients, sharing the good news and crediting all the people (and prayer) that helped secure the new machine. They re so excited that we re back in operation, she says, pointing to a note one patient sent her that read: I m so glad you re back up. This place is like home to me. They re all spreading the word. Mrs. Berkman is relieved her patients needs are again being met. And she is reassured that she makes the right the decision each morning, commuting an hour from her home on the Eastern Shore passing several other hospitals to get to Bon Secours. I just like it here, she says. The people here care about each other and they care about the patients, too. That s why our patients like to come here, because of the good feeling they get when they re here. I had nothing to lose, Mrs. Berkman says. But our patients had everything to gain. PHOTOS BY MONICA LOPOSSAY 8

9 GREETINGS FROM BROTHER ART CALIMAN, CFX Istarted here at Bon Secours two decades ago, just as the thennew Outpatient Building on the corner of Baltimore and Pulaski Streets was being dedicated. So the recent ribbon- cutting for the renovated Community Support Center made me think about all that has been accomplished over the last twenty years. And it brings to mind a story. One winter, during one of my early years here, the city was paralyzed for more than a week by a crippling snowstorm. Many of our renal dialysis patients had no way to get to the hospital. I was moved by how quickly our staff and volunteers worked to create an impromptu transportation network, to bring employees to work, and usher more than 100 dialysis patients in for treatment. Everyone pitched in, like a family would in a time of need. But I was even more struck by another scene: In the lobby of the hospital, a half-dozen or more men from the neighborhood gathered, asking to speak to someone in charge. I came down to meet them, preparing to hear a list of stormrelated needs. Instead, I discovered the group was there to find out what the hospital needed. They asked to bus trays and shovel the parking lot. They volunteered to do whatever we needed. That was just one example to me of the connectedness of Bon Secours and its community. Today, that kind of ad hoc symbiosis which has been going on since the Sisters began their outreach here in 1881 has evolved into more formal efforts, such as Community Works. We have had significant successes in building an array of community outreach and community development programs. As we continue to grow and evolve, the challenge that lies ahead is to integrate our extensive outreach initiatives with our traditional health ministry, so that we can create a new model of health care delivery in a more holistic way for the people of west Baltimore. I see us becoming a new and totally different kind of health center. I believe Dr. Ross has the vision and the visionary leadership we need to make that a reality. And your gift to the Bon Secours Baltimore Health System Foundation will help us get there. Thank you, as always, for your support. Brother Art Caliman, CFX President, Board of Directors BON SECOURS BALTIMORE HEALTH SYSTEM FOUNDATION Board of Directors Ackneil M. Muldrow, II Chair Parker, Muldrow & Associates, LLC Bro. Art Caliman, CFX President Bon Secours Baltimore Health System, Inc. Michael Dockman AMA Partners Craig English PSA Financial Sr. Nancy Glynn, C.B.S. Sisters of Bon Secours Richard Jones Bon Secours Baltimore Health System, Inc. David McGinnis Whiting-Turner Denika Palmer Merrill Lynch Samuel L. Ross, MD, MS Bon Secours Baltimore Health System, Inc. Philip F. Toohey UBS Christiane Walker Bon Secours Baltimore Health System Foundation 9

10 The 2012 Bon Secours ON THE GREEN GOLF OUTING was excellent! The event, which took place on September 24 at Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City, supports Bon Secours Baltimore s Community Works, a division of the BSBHS that strives to improve the health of Baltimore residents through safe and affordable housing, community services, and neighborhood revitalization efforts. This year, 48 sponsors and more than 70 golfers came to hit the links for a good cause. Together, they helped to raise $280,000. We hope you ll join us for a round next year! Next year s event is scheduled for September 23, Visit to see photos of the event sponsors ARAMARK Title Sponsor ABS Platinum Sponsor Epic Platinum Sponsor Compass Group Platinum Sponsor VALIC Ace Sponsor Warner Companies Dinner Sponsor KPMG Double Eagle Sponsor Benefitfocus Double Eagle Sponsor JDA ehealth Double Eagle Sponsor Deloitte Double Eagle Sponsor Auxilio Double Eagle Sponsor Bank of America Eagle Sponsor Sands Capital Eagle Sponsor Hancock Daniel Johnson & Nagle Eagle Sponsor Crowell & Moring Eagle Sponsor Hirschler Fleischer Eagle Sponsor Nexsen Pruet Eagle Sponsor PNC Eagle Sponsor ACIUS Eagle Sponsor Towers Watson Eagle Sponsor Cardinal Health EaglSponsore Diamond Healthcare Eagle Sponsor Ponder Investment Company Eagle Sponsor Lenovo Beverage Cart Sponsor Medline Beverage Cart Sponsor Broadway Services Birdie Sponsor Owens & Minor Birdie Sponsor Thompson Seigel & Walmsley Birdie Sponsor Intel Birdie Sponsor Total Healthcare Birdie Sponsor Iron Mountain Birdie Sponsor ClearView Consulting Birdie Sponsor OnPointe Consulting Birdie Sponsor MedAssets Birdie Sponsor Barrow Hanley MeWhinney & Strauss Event Program Sponsor Mercy Vascular Center Par Sponsor American Radiology Par Sponsor Vitalize Par Sponsor Mahogany, Inc. Par Sponsor Ellin & Tucker Par Sponsor Absolute Software Par Sponsor Quantros Par Sponsor Drinker Biddle & Reath Par Sponsor Whetstone Co. Contributor Gallagher Evelius and Jones Contributor Universal Background Screening Contributor Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease, LLP Contributor Brown Capital Management Contributor 10

11 WAYS TO GIVE HOW YOU CANHELP IN 2012 Family and Women Services Bon Secours Family Support Center provides important resources for young, low-income families with children up to age four. The Women s Resource Center is a place of support, counseling and service referrals for women facing homelessness and basic needs crisis. These services give women a stable foundation on which to build strong families and be economically self-sufficient. Combined, these programs seek $870,000 annually. Economic Development and Financial Education Bon Secours manages numerous programs to tackle the education and employment disparities of community residents. The Career Development program provides many services including GED preparation, mentoring and equipment support services, which enable participants to gain employment or advance a career goal. Our Money Place is a vital and unique program providing financial literacy, individual financial counseling, and free or low-cost tax preparation to families seeking economic self- sufficiency. These programs seek $265,000 annually. Services for Seniors Recognizing the need for safe, affordable housing, Bon Secours has built six senior resident buildings in West Baltimore providing 530 units of affordable housing for low- income seniors and people with disabilities, thus enabling these seniors to age in place. In addition, Bon Secours provides wrap-around services through service coordinators that arrange for health and wellness appointments, health and nutrition classes and accessibility to prescription drugs and transportation arrangements. The cost to provide these services is $220,017 annually. Teleheart The Teleheart program treats individuals living with chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart failure. These patients, the majority of whom are low income seniors, meet with a clinical nurse manager who provides in-patient counseling and conducts follow-up home visits. Teleheart also provides free classes on health topics and has a proven record of reducing Emergency Room visits, length of in-patient stays and hospital readmission rates. Funding of $110,000 annually allows this foundational program to continue. Sister Theophane Fund The Sister Theophane Fund provides a patient-centered safety net of financial support to those in need of medical care, prescription drugs and medical supplies, or those facing a basic needs crisis. The fund extends this same assistance to employees of Bon Secours when in need. This vital emergency fund seeks to raise $100,000 annually. Your Gift of: $10 helps provide a hot, nutritious meal to women experiencing homelessness $30 helps enable one student to receive a full week of GED prep classes $50 helps cover transportation costs so that seniors can attend a group event $100 helps provide transportation for GED parents and children for one month $175 helps cover development child-care for one child for one week $500 helps in-school youth build entrepreneurial skills and business acumen $750 helps cover the entire cost for GED classes for 25 participants for one week 11

12 BON SECOURS BALTIMORE HEALTH SYSTEM FOUNDATION 2000 West Baltimore Street Baltimore, MD Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Baltimore, MD Permit No. 74 THE MISSION OF BON SECOURS BALTIMORE HEALTH SYSTEM is to bring compassion to health care and to be Good Help to Those in Need. As a system of caregivers, we commit ourselves to help bring people and communities to health and wholeness as part of the healing ministry of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church. A PUBLICATION OF Bon Secours Baltimore Health System Foundation 2000 West Baltimore Street Baltimore, MD For more information, please contact Chris Walker at or christiane_walker@bshsi.org