The presentation recordings are available for viewing and downloading from the 2024 Opioid Response Symposium, held virtually on August 5-7.
DCHA believes that to achieve health equity we must understand the challenges, aspirations, barriers, and realities of the community. To share the example of innovative approaches to equity and shine a light on leaders across the District of Columbia, DCHA created the Vincent C. Gray Health Equity Award. DCHA recognizes the importance of health equity and is working with its member hospitals to ensure that disparities in health care quality and access are eliminated. The award is to honor and recognize individuals and organizations who are making health equity a reality in their community and leveraging engagement to improve health outcomes for those most impacted by health disparities. The award will go to an individual or organization that can demonstrate they have contributed to reducing disparities in health care quality. Nominations are due October 7, 2024. Awardees will be honored at DCHA’s Health Care & Innovation Summit on October 30.
Award Criteria:
The Care Center is part of United Medical Center and is a nationally recognized, outpatient infectious diseases treatment facility. The Care Center provides diagnostic and clinical services for infections and infectious diseases. The community can find The Care Center in the medical office building adjacent to United Medical Center’s emergency department.
When it opened in 2011, The Care Center provided treatment for people diagnosed with hepatitis and HIV, and now offers care and treatment for skin and soft tissue infections, bone and joint infections, pneumonia, tuberculosis and other infections.
The Care Center built a reputation for its patient services and the sophisticated, compassionate and holistic treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS, offering health education, psychological counseling, patient navigation and referral services, support groups, and medical case management. The Care Center’s work and the efforts of Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick, MD were featured in the 2012 International AIDS Society conference held in Washington, D.C. Dr. Fitzpatrick was also included in the PBS documentary Endgame: AIDS in Black America.
News articles have highlighted The Care Center’s work and services have appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post and the UK Guardian.
In 2013, The Care Center collaborated with the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Greater than AIDS campaign. That partnership brought singer Alicia Keys to UMC where she met with women living with HIV and learned about their stories of survival.
In an ongoing effort to improve upon our quality health care and treatment options, The Care Center has secured grant funding from Gilead Sciences, Inc., D.C. Department of Health, and National Institutes of Health which partially support clinical care and research activities.
Highlights: A generalized increase is noted across all focus utilization metrics this month compared to January 2020 baseline. Acute care admissions moved from -13% under the baseline last month to -10% in May (Fig. 1) with all except one hospital showing a slight increase in volumes as shown in Table 2 of the report. Emergency department visits and psychiatric admissions both show a slight increase in volumes this month going from -23% to -22% and -21% to -19% below baseline respectively. Observation admissions and ambulatory surgeries continue to remain over 2020 baseline as portrayed in Fig. 1 below.
Reduced variation in observation admissions has been seen over the past few months. In addition, volumes show a recovery compared to the height of the COVID-19 pandemic after the emergency was declared in March 2020 as depicted in Fig. 2 below. Comparing March 2023 to March 2020 volumes there is a noted recovery even though some variation is observed as depicted in Fig. 2. Conversely, psychiatric admissions continue to fluctuate around the post-COVID median and have returned to pre-COVID volumes with the biggest drop observed from March to April 2020 following the emergency declaration as shown in Fig. 3 below.
Enhancing Patient Communication & Care Quality
This complimentary webinar will teach attendees how to communicate confidently and professionally about uncomfortable and traumatic health situations that will help cultivate trusting relationships. Learn ideas on how to uniquely provide information and answer questions about traumatic birth experiences. Attendees will also learn how to normalize, validate, and refer clients to maternal mental health support services.
The Washington Business Journal introduced this year’s class of 25 Women Who Mean Business honorees, and our very own fearless leader Jacqueline D. Bowens was selected as an honoree. Now in its 21st year, this annual celebration of the region’s top female executives is one of our most prestigious awards and receives hundreds of nominations. This year’s class includes some of the region’s top names who are leading people, places, dollars and deals and aims to reflect the diverse industries, regions and backgrounds in Greater Washington. The Washington Business Journal will celebrate this year’s class on October 30 at the Ritz-Carlton in D.C. A special section with profiles and portraits of this year’s honorees will appear in print and online on November 1. Congratulations Jackie!
The GW Healing Clinic has strived to help expand access to health care for the vulnerable residents of Washington, D.C., regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. Student volunteers provide comprehensive primary care and social services to underserved patients. Every Tuesday evening, a team of dedicated medical students, physician assistant students, public health students, and volunteer attending physicians staff the exam rooms and lab and provide health education for patients. Just before and right after clinic hours, the students participate in structured peer-to-peer educational sessions with the aim of teaching each other about the etiology, pathogenesis, treatment, and psychosocial factors of the diagnoses that are common among our patient population.
