February 24, 2020
TriHealth’s mission is to serve all in our community. We know that African Americans have a complicated history with the American healthcare system and that bias and distrust have led to poorer health outcomes. This week we are going to spotlight two areas where TriHealth is making a difference, below, and see these stories come to life in the video here.
The Good Samaritan Free Health Center
The Good Samaritan Free Health Center opened in January 2011 and has helped thousands of uninsured adults find a medical home where they are able to receive regular primary healthcare. Volunteers are the primary providers of care, which also includes specialties, dental, and behavioral healthcare. Their goal is to provide uninsured adults in Hamilton County, who are disproportionately at risk for chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension, the medical care they need to enjoy a higher quality of life.
The Center has grown from being open two half days a week to being open five full days and Saturday mornings, and now serves approximately 2,500 patients in nearly 11,000 visits a year. They partner with many organizations, including the Saint Vincent DePaul Charitable Pharmacy; with whom they have been able to make the critical linkage between health care and proper medication prescription and usage to improve peoples’ lives. It is because of their partnership with the Charitably Pharmacy that the Free Health Center offers a one of a kind in the country multidisciplinary diabetic program.
In 2019, more than one fourth of Good Samaritan Free Health Center patients identified as black or multiracial. Here’s the story of one African American patient, as shared by Linda Smith-Berry, Director of the Good Samaritan Free Health Center:
“Maurice became a patient of the Free Health Center two years ago. He had lost his job, where he had health insurance, and did not qualify for any form of government health care. He was feeling horrible and had been without care for quite a bit. Ultimately, we discovered that he had cancer, and were able to care for him medically, socially and emotionally […] Last month he rang the ceremonial bell announcing his finish of chemo.”
The OB-GYN Center at Good Samaritan Hospital
A Black baby born in Hamilton County today has nearly the same chance of survival as a White baby born 50 years ago, despite five decades of technological advancements (Source: Cradle Cincinnati 2019 Annual Report). The primary cause (57%) of infant death in Hamilton County from 2014-2018 was extreme pre-term birth, when a baby is born before gestation at or before 28 weeks. The OB-GYN Center at Good Samaritan Hospital is playing an active role in eliminating infant mortality in our community.
In 2013 bi3, Bethesda Inc.’s grantmaking initiative to transform health, awarded a $3.2 million, three-year grant to a first-ever collaboration among TriHealth, Every Child Succeeds, and Cincinnati Children’s to tackle infant mortality rates in Hamilton County – one of America’s highest.
The resulting program, StartStrong, developed a unique mom-centered approach that proved effective in delivering strong outcomes in an Avondale pilot.
The OB-GYN Center then received a grant from bi3 and CommonSpirit Health (formerly Catholic Health Initiatives) to expand the StartStrong model into the care they provide. Each OB-GYN Center patient is placed into a wraparound care team that provides high quality, patient centered care throughout their pregnancy, with the StartStrong program focusing on the relationship between the patient and the RN Case Manager. The care team includes:
- Provider - Doctor, Resident Doctor, Nurse Practitioner or Midwife
- RN Case Manager - Develops relationships with patients and ensure patients can come to prenatal appointments, sees them when they are at appointments, triages calls, and communicates with patients between visits
- Community Health Worker - Conducts at home visits and assists patients in connecting to resources such as Medicaid, WIC, and basic needs including food and furniture
- Medical Assistant - Assists providers with checking in patients and entering vitals
- Social Worker - Assists patients with social determinants and mental health concerns/risks
- Additional on-site supports - Lactation Consultant, Behavioral Health Consultant, Dietician, Smoking Cessation Coordinator & Financial Counselor
- Community Partners
The work to redesign this care model started last year and will continue through the end of 2021, made possible by generous funding from bi3 and the Mission and Ministry Fund through CommonSpirit Health. The goal is to improve outcomes for all patients, but the OB-GYN Center has seen the most noticeable change in the reduction of extreme pre-term birth since 2017 in the African American population. They have been able to reduce the pre-term birth number amongst their African American patients from 4% down to 3%. In 2019, over 80 % of the babies born to African American moms were delivered at 37 or more weeks and at a healthy weight.
In the video, Kourtney Black, RN Case Manager, and April Griffin, Community Health Worker, share some of their experiences working with this innovative model of care and the impact it’s having on their patients.
Special thanks this week to everyone who helped contribute to this article, including, Kourtney Black, Mary Burton, Jennifer Ford, April Griffin, Candy Hart, Michael Marcotte, MD, Robyn Reepmeyer, Linda Smith-Berry, and Janet Visco.
Overall Rating: Comments:
Just want to say Kourtney and April God Bless You Both and all those involved with the program. Excellent video!! Should be made into a commercial of some type. :)
Posted by: Bobbie Henderson on March 02, 2020
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According to the current statistics on census.gov, black and multiracial residents are 46% of the city of Cincinnati's population. I would expect to see an even larger percentage of this community to compose the population using the Free Health Center. Are there geographical areas that TriHealth outreach could help reach more indigent patients?
Posted by: Lesli Schmeltzer on February 26, 2020
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I am so proud of Kourtney and April and the work the OB/GYN Center is doing. It really takes all of us working together to create positive change in the healthcare we provide.
Posted by: Martha Olberding on February 26, 2020
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My hat is off to Kourtney and April! That was a great video and I'm happy to learn how TH is improving outcomes with Start Strong.
Posted by: Eloise Clark on February 26, 2020
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excellent video!!
Posted by: Brian Moragne on February 26, 2020
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Breaks my heart, and I am glad this program exists!
Posted by: Lola Martini on February 25, 2020
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