Community Health Improvement

In fiscal year 2005, over $1,494,000 was provided in community benefit. Community education was provided through free community lectures, various support groups, and the quarterly health magazine Communicare. Over 30 presentations were made through the Speakers Bureau. Collectively, through the Mobile Health Unit, community events, Senior Partners programming and local health fairs, more than 3,196 free or reduced fee health screenings were given, including:

• 259 physical assessments/preventive screenings for Gainesville-Hall County evening school students and their children;
• 111 prostate screenings at the Good News Clinics, Health Department and Neighborhood Healthcare Center in Oakwood;
• 150 blood pressure checks, glucose screenings and breast exams at the “Hands Across the Border” event at the Georgia Mountains Center;
• And the provision of 46 licensed nurse volunteers from NGHS who covered 16 first aid venues during the Special Olympics in October 2004.

Other highlights of community benefit programs and activities include:

Healthy Hall Community Partnership
Healthy Hall is an organization of community volunteers and leaders who are concerned about improving health and quality of life in Hall County. This 25-member committee guides the community assessment process in Hall County and is composed of a wide range of community representatives. Lynda Askew, former VP of Community Impact for United Way, chairs this committee. Northeast Georgia Health System provides staff support to this project and also funds the community assessment which is conducted approximately once every five years. (Most recent assessment was conducted in 2003).

In FY05, Healthy Hall partnered with United Way of Hall County and the Hall County Commission for Children and Families to sponsor a community meeting to set Community Development Priorities. Over 75 community members attended and youth development was identified as a leading issue. Results of this discussion were incorporated into the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce leadership summit held in March.

The leadership summit was the beginning of the Vision 2030 project, a year-long community project sponsored by the Chamber which will involve hundreds of citizens in planning Gainesviile-Hall County’s future direction over the next 25 years. Two NGHS employees are very involved in this project: Anita Scott of Human Resources is one of the co-chairs and Vice President of Corporate Development LeTrell Simpson serves on the steering committee.

Also in FY05, a new report, prepared by the Georgia Tech’s Economic Development Institute, became available on the Healthy Hall website at www.healthyhall.com. At the request of the United Way, Healthy Hall, and Hall County Commission for Children and Families, Georgia Tech’s Economic Development Institute (EDI) identified key community issues that were recommended to be addressed through Hall County’s future planning efforts. They also developed fact sheets to provide further understanding of each issue. These fact sheets are based on a Georgia Tech Economic Development Institute (EDI) review of the Healthy Hall community assessment, Family Connection Partnership’s (FCP) Kids Count Data, and Georgia Tech’s 2004 series of reports relating to its strategic assessment of the Development Potential of SR 365 in Hall County Georgia.

Also in FY05, the Healthy Hall Community Partnership acted as consultants to provide feedback on a presentation from Bill Stiles of Stiles Healthcare Strategy, who has been working with a project called the Hall County HealthShare Project. (see more on HealthShare below).

Hall County HealthShare Project
Funded with support from NGHS, the HealthShare Project seeks to improve community health by:

• researching and telling the story of how community organizations are attempting to meet the healthcare needs of the poor, underinsured and uninsured;

• educating the community and business leaders on issues related to indigent care;
• educating consumers about how to access healthcare services in the most effective and productive ways possible;
• promoting access to insurance and coverage through employers and also through alternative sources like Health Access, Good News Clinics, MedLink and the Health Department;
• securing additional funding from government and philanthropic sources to support indigent care.

Health Access Initiative and Good News Clinic Support
The Medical Center Foundation is in the second year of raising $1,216,000 over a three-year period for two important community health improvement projects: Hall County Medical Society’s Health Access Initiative (HAI) and the Good News Clinic.

HAI is a project of the Hall County Medical Society that seeks to improve access to medical care for uninsured adults who live in Hall County and meet specific income qualifications. Since October 2003, 1,129 patients have been referred to HAI and over $2,580,000 in services has been provided. The Medical Center Foundation approved “start-up” seed money for the first two years of HAI, with support totaling $216,000.

Founded in 1992, the Good News Clinic is a Christian ministry that provides medical care to the indigent and uninsured population at no charge. Approximately 30 physicians and 44 dentists volunteer on a rotating basis providing acute medical care, lifestyle modification education, dental care and needed medicines. Funding in the sum of $1 million over a three-year period through The Medical Center Foundation will help provide medications, medical supplies and other support. FY05 is the second year of the three-year funding.

Gainesville-Hall County SAFE KIDS Coalition
The Gainesville-Hall County SAFE KIDS Coalition, led by Northeast Georgia Health System, Inc., is part of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, the first and only national organization dedicated solely to the prevention of unintentional childhood injury, which is the nation’s number one killer of children ages 14 and under. This program provides affordable safety equipment such as car seats and bike helmets to area children in need. Working with a coalition made up of law enforcement, area schools, community volunteers and others, SAFE KIDS provides educational materials and programs that teach children and their parents how to avoid accidents and injuries.

In FY05, members of the SAFE KIDS Coalition provided over 335 programs and events that reached an estimated 20,000 children and their family members, teachers and caregivers. Through these programs, over 5,500 safety devices were distributed to families who were in need of them.

For child injuries tracked through both NGHS and Lanier Park Emergency Departments, the total number of injuries decreased 4.6% from FY04. (The Unintentional Data Injury Report for FY05 is available for more information.)

Partners in Health Mobile Unit
The goal of the Partners in Health Mobile Unit is to provide screening, prevention and referral services for at-risk families and children, the poor, elderly and others who might have trouble getting healthcare. In FY05, Partners in Health participated in 55 outreach events, completing
3,196 community screenings/education encounters.

Senior Partners Reaches Out
In addition to providing a speaker for monthly health education programs at Lakeshore Mall’s Mall Walkers meetings, a half-day workshop is held in the spring for seniors titled, “Getting Older & Better.” 200 seniors participated in the 2005 Getting Older & Better Seminar held on May 12 at the Georgia Mountains Center. The focus of this year’s seminar was stroke, with break out sessions on advances in stroke treatment and healthy eating for one to two people.

NGMC Wins Award from American Cancer Society South Atlantic Division
NGMC was honored with two awards during the American Cancer Society's South Atlantic Division 2005 Mission Delivery Awards. The first award was in recognition of NGMC's "Mission Delivery Sponsorship," which was given to Northeast Georgia Medical Center for its support and sponsorship of American Cancer Society activities and programs through in-kind and financial donations. This award honors all employees who support, through financial contributions and personal time, Relay for Life, and other ACS fundraisers. The second award was presented to Angie Caton, oncology nurse clinician and community outreach coordinator for oncology services. She was given the "Circle of Hope Award" for her tireless efforts in community outreach and education.

The Medical Center Foundation Supports Community Needs
In FY05, over $156,000 was raised through The 13th Annual Medical Center Open to support Hall County Medical Society’s Health Access Initiative. 100% of the proceeds provided start-up funds to this project, which helps provide access to healthcare services for uninsured adults who meet income criteria, who don’t qualify for other programs and cannot afford medical care.

Support of Other Community Agencies
Northeast Georgia Health System served as a major sponsor for The American Heart Association’s Heart Walk, March of Dimes’ Walk America and The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. NGHS employee donations totaled over $30,000 in FY05 for all three of these events; over 1,200 NGHS employees participated in these events with over 50 team leaders throughout the organization for each walk. NGHS also served as a Pacesetter in the United Way Campaign. Employee donations for this cause were over $70,000.

NGHS also provides multiple sponsorships and donations to other non-profit organizations such as the Alliance for Literacy Spelling Bee, which promotes family literacy, GED preparation, testing and English as a second language and Summer Scholars, a program targeting at-risk middle and high school students to provide education, promote staying in school, provide exposure to college, improve self-esteem and self-discipline and more.

Donation of Equipment and Medical Supplies to Cornerstone Ministries
NGHS donated nearly $60,000 in equipment and medical supplies to Cornerstone Ministries, who in turn donated it to two struggling hospitals in Moldova (northeast of Romania). NGHS employee Floyd Higdon facilitated the donation and was the recipient of a Humanitarian award from the State Department in Washington, DC.

For more information, call the Community Health Improvement Department at 770-533-8099.