MedStar Health Shows Commitment to Advancing Community Health

Throughout Maryland and the Washington, D.C., region, MedStar Health works with communities to increase health care access and provide education. Their goal is to improve the health and well-being of all residents as they serve patients, those who care for them, and communities. In Fiscal Year 22, MedStar Health contributed $470 million to programs and services promoting health to communities. These programs improve access to health care services, enhance the health of the community, advance medical or health knowledge or reduce the burden of government or other community efforts.

Howard University Hospital Community Health Improvement Plan

Howard University Hospital’s Commitment to the Community

Since the hospital’s inception, advancing health equity has been central to Howard University Hospital’s (HUH) mission. HUH sponsors numerous programs and initiatives to promote overall wellness and educate individuals on their health care needs and options to ultimately improve the overall health of the community:

Faith-Based Partnerships

By partnering with religious communities across the area, HUH is able to connect with individuals in a place they trust. These efforts are enabling HUH to improve individuals’ access to care before they are faced with a health care crisis, including much-needed mental and behavioral care.

Emphasis on Prenatal Care

Leadership at HUH has identified maternal health as a key area of focus. HUH’s diverse clinical faculty are dedicated to helping expectant mothers with lower family incomes overcome barriers in accessing maternal health care. Too often expectant mothers in the DC area struggle with prioritizing their prenatal care as they face challenges with managing employment, caring for their families, and struggling with lack of transportation. These barriers can result in greater risk for mothers and babies of birth in crisis; therefore, HUH has invested in a higher level NICU and has embraced a number of programs to improve access to prenatal care for expectant mothers, including birthing classes, nutritional education, and support wellness check adherence.

Nutrition Education

HUH recently participated with an online cooking show to educate individuals in the community on how to prepare nutritious and healthy meals on a budget. The goal is to help educate families to eat more healthfully while keeping grocery costs low. This program was launched to reach families and individuals who live in DC’s Ward 7 and Ward 8 who face sustained hardship.

 

Community Health Improvement Plan

Patient Safety Awareness Week

During Patient Safety Awareness Week, March 10-16, join us in thanking DC hospitals for the safe patient care they provide, and we thank you for entrusting DC hospitals with your care. Learn more at dcha.org.

Sibley Memorial Hospital Identifies Community Health Priorities

Sibley Memorial Hospital used the Community Health Improvement Guiding Principles proposed by the Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM) Community Benefits Advisory Council to help guide its collective commitment and efforts. They are as follows:

  • Partnering with those community leaders and community-based organizations that serve as stewards to guide and educate JHM to best serve the needs of each population.
  • Integrating the interests, assets and expertise of its health system, academic institutions and the community to reach mutually agreed-upon outcomes.
  • Developing transparent, coherent approaches to plan, implement, evaluate and disseminate sustainable health improvement programs and policy interventions.

In fiscal year 2022, in conjunction with the D.C. Healthy Community Collaborative, Sibley conducted an extensive community health needs assessment to identify the most important health issues in the community. The following health priorities were identified:

  • Mental Well-Being
  • Equitable Access to Care (and everything patients need – including coordination of that care, housing, and social support services.)
  • Community-Based Workforce Development (including retention and development of healthcare workforce.)
Learn More

Healthy Hospital Initiative Live Cooking Competition

The District of Columbia Hospital Association is hosting a friendly, live cooking competition at the DC Central Kitchen on April 6 from Noon – 2 pm for hospital chefs to highlight healthy and low-sodium recipes as part of the Healthy Hospital Initiative. A panel of judges look forward to rating your dishes on taste, nutritional value, use of a special ingredient, appearance, and creativity. Get ready to cook-off with your peers. Good luck hospital chefs!

December 2023 Utilization Report

 

Most utilization metrics saw a decrease from November to December with the exception of emergency department visits and psychiatric admissions. While ED visits present their highest volume in the past 15 months, ambulatory surgeries on the other hand saw their biggest decrease in volumes this month going from -4% below the pre-COVID baseline in November to -14% in December. Newborn admission saw a decrease in volumes this month and are now below the median and civil commitment admissions on the other hand remain above the median of 198 after the the dip in September 2023.

 

Download Report

Food as Medicine: A Whole Health Strategy Webinar Recording

 

Food as Medicine transcends traditional nutrition approaches by recognizing the inherent power of what we consume to influence and enhance our total well-being. Join Dr. Kofi Essel and the Healthy Hospital Initiative as we delve into Food as Medicine in health care settings; strategies to seamlessly incorporate Food as Medicine within complex health systems; and explore real-world examples of Food as Medicine within the DC region. Learn how communities and health care providers use the power of nutrition for transformative health initiatives.

November 2023 Utilization Report

There was a generalized decrease from October to November in most utilization metrics compared to pre-COVID baselines with the exception of Observation patients which are 3% over the baseline in November (see Fig. 1 below).

 

Psychiatric admissions are still trending above the median across all nine hospitals as depicted in Fig. 2 below. Although the variation ranges from 715 to 813 and admissions are down slightly for November, seven months in a row above the median indicates a shift under statistical process control guidelines. Civil commitment admissions continue to be a driver of this overall pattern as shown in Fig. 3.

 

Using Health-Related Social Needs Screening Tools

As hospitals in the District continue efforts to improve health equity in accordance with hospital goals and federal requirements, it is important to understand key strategies for the collection of health-related social needs (HRSNs). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services outlined key strategies to support health care facilities in developing a universal HRSN screening following feedback from organizations using the CMS screening model and recommendations from leaders in the field. The strategies are included in this document to support District hospitals in the successful implementation of universal HRSN screenings.

DCHA is Hiring a Project Coordinator

Join the amazing team at the District of Columbia Hospital Association as a project coordinator that supports member hospital improvement activities focused on health information exchange and interoperability.

© 2024. District of Columbia Hospital Association.