PFC moves beyond hospital with outreach
Wide range of programs builds reputation
Griffin Hospital’s patient-driven care model has given birth to dozens of programs, many of which reach well beyond the hospital’s walls.
The Derby, CT, 160-bed hospital is a driving force in a communitywide wellness effort called Healthy Valley 2000. Much of its patient-driven care model ties back to programs in the 2000 initiative.
Griffin’s strategic plan, adopted in September 1995, has as its premise that health is not just the absence of disease, but rather is a state in which the body, mind, and spirit are integrated, aligned and whole. The plan aims to enhance the health of the community by incorporating into all of the hospital’s services those elements that are necessary conditions for enhancing health and well-being, while reforming the organization’s traditional role as a medical care provider.
The Griffin hospital system now has 30 initiatives under way. The following is a description of several of its major initiatives:
• Pastoral Care Department.
An unusual institutional commitment for a non-profit, non-sectarian, community hospital, Griffin has two full-time chaplains who serve patients, their families, and Griffin’s employees.
• Valley Parish Nurse Program.
In 13 parishes, this program now serves 20% of the community’s population. Parish nurses function as health educators, gateways to the health and human services network, and counselors to parishioners.
• Mature Advantage Program.
More than 8,900 community residents 55 years old and older participate in this free program that includes discounts, social activities, educational programs, and health screenings. The program also coordinates Lifeline, which provides a communications link for 218 at-risk persons.
• Community Corporate Cup.
This is a six-year-old program that promotes companywide commitment to health, fitness, and wellness activities. Griffin is not only a sponsor but has been the trophy winner the past two years.
• Valley Volunteer Action Center.
This program recruits and matches volunteers to meet the needs of non-profit agencies. The center organized the Week of Caring in September 1995 when 192 volunteers renovated the Valley Battered Women’s Shelter. In 1996, the center spearheaded an effort that renovated the community’s homeless shelter. Griffin’s director of volunteer services helped develop the center and continues as an advisor.
• Health Lifestyle Program.
Griffin introduced the area’s first heart disease reversal program, based on the research of Dr. Dean Ornish. More than 300 persons have used the program, which was the only Connecticut program approved by Oxford Health Plan for reimbursement. Suburban Health Plan, the Griffin system’s HMO, also covers the program, and Griffin provides scholarships to any patient not covered by insurance who is unable to afford the program.
• Microworld Consortium.
Griffin is one of 13 health care organization from across the country in a project working with The New England Hospital Assembly and Innovation Associates to identify key issues of community-based integrated care as well as the best approaches for addressing those issues. The aim is to create a computerized model to create strategies and manipulate the success factors to gauge the impact on the community and facilitate the transition to capitation.
• Clinical Stress Management Program.
Griffin introduced in 1994 a stress management program modeled after the nationally acclaimed program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts. The program is one of 10 in the nation that address whole-person health needs using educational and behavioral interventions, such as mindfulness-meditation to help individuals cope with stress, pain and illness in their lives. Griffin has committed space within its facility to be solely used as a meditation center and provides a meditation period daily for employees.
• School-based Health Center.
This is a partnership of education, public health, and social service agencies, with Griffin Hospital as the lead agency and sponsor in developing a model school-based health center at Ansonia High School. Emphasis is on social and mental health needs as well as primary care needs of school students in high minority, low income schools. The center opened in May 1996 and serves about 800 high school and middle-school students.
• Griffin Hospital Primary Health Care Center.
Griffin has expanded its medical clinic to a full service primary health care center, more than doubling its capacity and providing five-day-a-week service. The center has a sliding fee scale ensuring access by all community residents.
• Community Focused Primary Care Residency Program.
Griffin has committed to redesign its internal medicine residency teaching program from internally focused to one that emphasizes community-based primary care. Additionally, Griffin offers preventive medicine training in collaboration with The Center for Community Responsive Care of Boston.
This collaboration will result in the first preventive medicine/internal medicine, four-year residency program in the country. The program will be community and prevention focused, to address health needs identified by the Healthy Valley 2000 initiative.
• Health, Wellness, Fitness Center.
Griffin is planning a health, wellness, and fitness center to open within the next two years that merges fitness with a medical model/track, focusing on prevention and improving individual health status.
• Complementary Medicine Initiative.
Griffin has sponsored a first of its kind statewide meeting of alternative and complementary medicine practitioners. Thirty-four chiropractors, acupuncturists, homeopathic and naturopathic physicians and Oriental medicine practitioners attended and are now working to develop criteria for addition to the HMO panel and payment for patient services.
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