Community Partners
United Regional strives to provide excellence in health care, not only while the patient is hospitalized, but also after the patient has been discharged to his/her home or transitioned to another facility. Coordination is critical to ensure the patient has the services, equipment and other necessities for appropriate care.
Brought on by these considerations, an initial meeting of six people in 2012 has expanded to a network of approximately 80 community partners.
The ever-growing network includes representatives from regional nursing homes, home health agencies, hospice, hospitals, and the like. Each month, a speaker is invited to share with the group any updates on resources or programs available in the community – substance abuse, mental health, healthy eating, and disease specific education are a few of the topics recently discussed.
United Regional employees and other health care organizations work together to accomplish goals such as:
- Identifying high-risk patients and creating smooth transitions in care
- Increasing health care providers’ knowledge of patient and organizational needs, as well as resources available
- Decreasing 30-day readmissions
- Improving patient perception of care
Currently, the group is honing in on the physician’s experience as well, bringing doctors to the table for all to share their needs and ideas for even more success. The group is also creating an alignment with the Community Health Improvement Plan initiatives, to touch on the health issues specific to our community.
This is yet another example of, and a testament to, United Regional making a positive difference in the lives of others – and providing excellence in health care for the communities we serve.