Like other healthcare organizations in the United States, Catholic healthcare facilities are developing new relationships with a wide array of partners to extend their ministry and to improve efficiency, coordination, and quality of care.
In forming these partnerships, Catholic-sponsored organizations may have an advantage over others. Through Catholic Charities and other social service programs, the Catholic Church in the United States is the largest provider of human services (see Profile of a Community Partner: Building Networks with Catholic Charities, Catholic Health Association [CHA], 1996). In addition, the Church's network of almost 20,000 parishes enables healthcare organizations to reach into communities where little infrastructure exists. The current movement toward integration of community-based health and social services creates opportunities for Church-sponsored organizations to work together as never before.
In its January-February 1997 issue, Health Progress began offering a series of case studies of such partnerships, hoping they might serve as models for those creating integrated systems of care. These case studies of Catholic Charities agencies and Catholic health organizations were prepared by the Catholic Health Association as part of New Covenant: A Health Ministry for the 21st Century, an initiative cosponsored by the National Coalition on Catholic Health Care Ministry, the Catholic Health Association, and Consolidated Catholic Healthcare. The New Covenant process is designed to strengthen and promote the organized expression of the Catholic health ministry through strategies and actions at the national and regional levels.
Here are two more case studies. Health Progress will present others in future issues.
If your healthcare organization is collaborating with a Catholic Charities agency in your area, we would like to know about it. Please contact Julie Trocchio by phone at 202-296-3993.
Accord Health Network
Chicago
Contacts:
Karen Teitelbaum
Vice President, Network Development
Westchester, IL
708-947-3376
William G. D'Arcy
Division Manager, Senior Residential Services
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago
Chicago
312-655-7490
Organizational Structure
Accord Health Network is a cooperative venture in the greater Chicago area involving 10 Catholic hospitals and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Goals of Affiliation
The network offers a comprehensive continuum of healthcare services, insurance products, and management tools. In collaboration with Catholic Charities, Accord members have developed a behavioral health program; medical services delivery adjacent to federal Women, Infants, and Children program sites; and a program that provides healthcare services to residents of nursing homes, assisted living units, and independent living units. This report focuses on the latter program.
The Project
Catholic Charities operates 650 licensed nursing beds and 1,170 assisted living and independent living units in the Chicago area. About five years ago, it began to be apparent that the residents of these facilities would benefit from a closer fit with healthcare services. This is currently being accomplished in four instances:
- Tolton Manor, an independent living complex on the city's south side, has a weekly wellness clinic staffed by a physician and nurse from nearby Saint Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center.
- St. Benedict Home and St. Andrew Home, both in the northwestern suburbs, purchase medical director services from Resurrection Medical Center for their assisted living and independent living units.
- Holy Family Villa, a nursing home in the southwestern suburbs, provides a hospice program served by physicians and nurses from Little Company of Mary Hospital.
- Bethlehem Woods, a large complex in the western suburbs, has a medical director from Loyola University Health System for its assisted living and independent living units; Loyola will soon open a clinic to serve both the complex and the community.
Governance Structure
Accord Health Network is governed by a Members' Committee, composed of representatives from each member organization. A Senior Services Committee, with representatives from each member, meets regularly to discuss program collaboration as described above.
Staffing and Budget
The physicians and nurses are employees of Accord's hospital members. The project is funded through payments by the homes' residents, their insurers, or Medicare.
Effect on Community
Administrators of the homes say that residents' healthcare needs are met much more rapidly than previously.
Practical Advice
- Emphasizing wellness is a good way to overcome physicians' reluctance to visit facilities for older people.
Foundation for Senior Living
Phoenix
Contact:
Guy Mikkelsen
President
Foundation for Senior Living
Phoenix
602-285-1800
Organizational Structure
Foundation for Senior Living (FSL) is a nonprofit program of the Diocese of Phoenix. Included in the collaborative effort are Catholic Charities, area hospitals, Catholic organizations, corporate businesses, and community agencies.
Goals of Affiliation
FSL provides programs, services, education, and advocacy to enhance the quality of life for senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and their families.
The Project
FSL operates seven adult day healthcare centers, an adult foster care program, an assisted group living program for elders who are mentally ill, three Community Action Programs (CAPs), a 100-apartment retirement center, a home safety and repair program, a home healthcare and home care services program, an attendant care program, eight rural housing programs, and four senior centers. In addition FSL participates in OASIS, a national education organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for older adults. FSL also serves Hispanic elders through its Hispanic Elder Project and a community social work service that helps older people and their families access resources, discover service care options, and find needed services.
Governance Structure
FSL is governed by a board of directors, which provides counsel for the affiliate boards of directors, which operate the direct service programs.
Staffing and Budget
In the 1996-1997 period, FSL employed more than 520 people and provided over 100,000 hours of volunteer services. Funding comes from a variety of sources, including federal, state, and local funds, charitable endowments, and corporate grants. The foundation offers limited sliding fees for older people who do not qualify for governmental support.
Effect on the Community
In the past five years, the number of people served by FSL has risen from approximately 18,000 to 28,000. The foundation has recently added specialized elder mental health care programs and employee assistance programs that address eldercare issues.
Practical Advice
- Always hold mission before margin. Understand who you are in terms of mission and quality, and that will drive everything else.
- Focus on the most vulnerable and most difficult populations to serve. This will help integrate mission and margin.