Connect. Inspire. Lead.
The nation’s only essential conference
June 22-25
Track: Improving Population Health
Expand each session below to see the full descriptions or download the detailed agenda.
- Using Civic Engagement to Improve Health
- Training and Supporting Community Health Workers
- Closing the Loop: Electronic Referrals to Address SDOH
Using Civic Engagement to Improve Health
Elizabeth Datner, MD
Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine
Einstein Healthcare Network
Merle Carter, MD
Vice Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine
Einstein Healthcare Network
Health-related social needs are rooted the structural determinants of health—the socioeconomic, political, and environmental context at regional and national levels. To create change, more than 500 hospitals promoted voting through Vot-ERs, Patient Voting, Med Out The Vote, VoteHealth2020, and similar hospital-based voter access resources.
This session presents the rationale behind hospitals as centers of civic engagement and how voting improves health outcomes through self-advocacy. Speakers will highlight their experience of hospital-based voter registration efforts and share Vot-ERs resources.
Training and Supporting Community Health Workers
Stacy Ignoffo, MSW
Director of Community Health Innovations
Sinai Urban Health Institute
Vidya Ayyr, MPH
Director of Community Social Impact
Parkland Health & Hospital System
Community health workers (CHWs) are on the front lines of care, serving as critical liaisons between patients and health care providers. They assist with access to care, health literacy, and delivery of services that address the social determinants of health, bridging gaps among communities, individuals, and providers through grassroots outreach and education.
In this session, learn about an innovative CHW program at Sinai Urban Health Institute, in Chicago, to address patient needs related to COVID-19. This innovative partnership integrates CHWs into pandemic response to link patients to community resources, help patients understand discharge paperwork and instructions, and set up virtual health appointments.
Participants also will review a Parkland Health & Hospital System framework for developing a successful CHW training program, combining clinical and nonclinical education. Developing such a program requires system investment, a coordinated approach to internal stakeholder engagement, and CHW involvement.
Closing the Loop: Electronic Referrals to Address SDOH
Susan Fuehrer, MBA
President, Institute for H.O.P.E.
The MetroHealth System
James Misak, MD
Medical Director
The MetroHealth System
In 2019, the Institute for H.O.P.E. at The MetroHealth System, in Cleveland, implemented a social determinants of health (SDOH) screening and referral strategy to identify and mitigate barriers to optimal health for underserved people. This session will examine predominant, urgent social needs and the importance and process of building partnerships between health care and social service organizations. Additionally, the presenters will discuss implementation, outcomes, and ongoing evaluation of the SDOH screening and partnerships, as well as next steps.
About Our Tracks
Sessions will focus on solutions to current public policy and financial issues unique to essential hospitals. Past topics have included Medicaid supplemental payments, waiver initiatives, telehealth policy, graduate medical education, and state-level 340B Drug Pricing Program policies.
Sessions will showcase new and promising programs that demonstrate groundbreaking initiatives in caring for vulnerable populations and ensuring equitable access to high-value care. Sessions may focus on innovative programs that integrate clinical practice into the health system’s overarching mission and goals, quality improvement, managing operations during a pandemic or other public health threat, and patient-centered care.
Sessions will target the hard and soft skills necessary to lead complex and evolving hospitals and health systems dedicated to serving their communities. Sessions may focus on lessons learned from leadership experiences and the importance of strategic partnerships, combating structural racism, culture change, reducing employee burnout, and climate resilience.
Sessions will offer expertise on improving the health outcomes for a group of individuals by engaging internal and external stakeholders to serve community needs. Sessions may focus on leveraging policies and procedures at the hospital, local, state, and federal levels to support community well-being; innovative financing models; cross-sector partnerships; and aligning community benefit investment with population health efforts. Programs and practices that address social determinants of health and ultimately aim to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care will be highlighted.
Questions?
Contact us at events@essentialhospitals.org
America’s Essential Hospitals
401 Ninth St. NW, Suite 900,
Washington, DC 20004
202.585.0100
