LANSING, Mich., June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The Michigan Health & Hospital Association announced the winners last week of four of its annual awards. Recipients of the Ludwig Community Benefit Award, the Patient Safety & Quality Leadership Award, the Meritorious Service Award and the Special Recognition Award were presented at the 2004 MHA Annual Corporate Membership Meeting.
The Ludwig Community Benefit Award is named in honor of former MHA President Patric E. Ludwig and is presented to health care organizations that demonstrate community benefit by collaborating with other local organizations to improve the health and well-being of their communities through health care, economic or social initiatives. Three recipients were chosen to receive this year’s award.
Genesys Health System’s Health Access program was conceived in 2001 when local health care providers were all faced with serious challenges in providing the uninsured with adequate care to maintain health and manage chronic illness. In Genesee County, approximately 12 percent of the residents were uninsured. To address the problem, Genesys convened the safety net providers in the community to work together to develop an infrastructure for identifying those in need and helping them gain access to care. Within a 15- month period, care managers made nearly 9,100 contacts on behalf of more than 3,300 patients for services such as primary care, securing medical equipment and supplies, appointments with specialists, prescription medication assistance, disease education, and referrals to community resources.
While some might believe a heart program may be better suited for adults, studies indicate that healthy behaviors established at an early age may help individuals prevent the development of heart disease later in life. In Lansing, Ingham Regional Medical Center’s PATCH (Preventive Approach To Cardiac Health) Goes to School program is a school-based cardiac wellness program aimed at increasing health knowledge and providing the necessary tools for children to grow up to be healthy adults. The program is presented to third- through fifth-grade students in a five-part workshop series that covers how the heart works, healthy life choices, heart-healthy nutrition, heart- healthy exercise, and the importance of staying tobacco free. Over the past two years, the program has been presented to nearly 40 elementary schools and more than 4,000 children.
The mission of St. John Health in Warren is to improve the health of individuals in the communities it serves, with special attention to the poor and vulnerable. There are currently 180,000 uninsured residents in the city of Detroit, including those with jobs but no health insurance who earn less than 250 percent of poverty level. Under the Access to Care program, two community health centers were established to confront the problems faced by the uninsured. The centers’ volunteers and paid staff provide free or discounted primary care services, both medical and dental; lab work; X-rays; mammograms; pap smears; and pharmaceuticals. The two health centers had a combined total of approximately 14,400 patient visits over the last three years, and the number of visits increased about 46 percent in the last two years.
The Patient Safety & Quality Leadership Award is new this year and was developed to recognize an individual who demonstrates patient safety and quality improvement leadership that transcended the bounds of their own organization. The first winner of this award is Paul Conlon, PharmD, JD, vice president of clinical quality and safety for Trinity Health Services, Novi. Conlon is also a clinical assistant professor of pharmacy at the University of Michigan. According to colleagues, Conlon holds the conviction that providing safe and high-quality care for patients is a high-priority and noncompetitive issue. That conviction drives his passion to provide leadership and collaborate with others in his organization and health care stakeholders across the state and country. In response to the Institute of Medicine’s report, To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health Care System, Conlon served as the first co-chair of the MHA’s Patient Safety Committee, and he continues to be an active participant today. He is also involved with national patient safety organizations and Michigan Health & Safety Coalition initiatives. According to Trinity Health CEO Judy Pelham, “Paul Conlon exemplifies the tireless commitment to improving patient safety and quality that this new award symbolizes.”
The MHA Meritorious Service Award, the association’s highest honor, was presented to Henry Veenstra, who has been the CEO of Zeeland Community Hospital for 30 years. He has also been an active participant in the MHA, having served on its corporate board for six years and having chaired that board in the 1989-1990 program year. He furthered the improvement of health care in Michigan as a member of the Hospital Council of West Central Michigan. He also advanced health care in Michigan and in the Midwest through his membership on the American Hospital Association’s Regional Policy Board from 1990 through 1992. Veenstra joined the board of the MHA Insurance Company in 1991, where he continues to serve today.
Two individuals who are champions of health care within Michigan government received the MHA Special Recognition Award -- Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm and Speaker of the House Rick Johnson. Since taking office as the 47th governor of Michigan in January 2003, Granholm has trimmed the largest amount ever from state spending, while still making education, children, jobs, and health care top priorities. In particular, she has been a strong supporter of keeping Medicaid funding intact by opposing cuts that would collapse an already fragile and underfunded program. Johnson (R-LeRoy) is a strong supporter of implementing a higher cigarette tax, which would generate millions of dollars for smoking cessation and chronic disease programs, as well as help the state offer health care coverage to low-income residents through Medicaid. Gov. Granholm and Speaker Johnson have both realized the importance of Medicaid funding and the value that hospitals bring to their communities.
“We are very proud of all of our award winners. Health affects every part of our lives and these award winners have addressed some of the most crucial challenges and concerns in providing cost-effective, quality health care to every Michigan citizen,” said MHA President Spencer Johnson.
The Michigan Health & Hospital Association, based in Lansing, is a state association representing and supporting hospitals, health systems and other health care providers through education, advocacy and communication.
Michigan Health & Hospital Association
CONTACT: Sherry Mirasola of Michigan Health & Hospital Association,+1-517-323-3443
Web site: http://www.mha.org/
