IHP and BCHS receive Kellogg Foundation
grant
The Calhoun County Pathways to Health initiative, created
by Integrated Health Partners (IHP) and Battle Creek
Health System in 2006 has received a $98,000 grant from
W.K. Kellogg Foundation. This three-year funding supports
the continued change of health care delivery in Calhoun
County.
The grant dollars will continue to help physician practices
to learn from national experts on how to create a patient-centered
health care system. The practices will participate in
a yearlong learning collaborative that will help them
redesigning their approaches to providing health care.
"This team-based approach encourages patients to
be actively involved in their care," says Dr. Mary
Ellen Benzik, medical director of IHP. "In addition
to individual physician practices, caregivers across
the health care continuum will be able to improve the
patient-focused process from one health care provider
or setting to another."
The crisis in chronic diseases impacts all of our lives.
In Calhoun County, 10% of adults are diabetic, with an
additional 40% pre-diabetic. In addition, more than 70%
of residents in Calhoun County are overweight or obese.
This leads to significant complications, as well as premature
death. Our racial and ethnic minority populations are
impacted to a greater degree leading to significant health
care disparities in our community. In addition to impacting
our quality of life, these health statistics increase
the cost of care, decrease the ability for successful
employment, and impact the well being of our community.
"These challenging health issues are further complicated
by a broken health care delivery system," adds Ruth
Clark, executive director of IHP. "The Calhoun
County Pathways to Health initiative is a multi-stakeholder
endeavor to transform the delivery of health care in
our community. This change in health care will lead to
improved health, decreased cost and hospitalizations,
and decreased complications from chronic diseases such
as diabetes and heart disease."
Integrated Health Partners, a joint venture between
Calhoun County Physicians Organization, Inc. and Battle
Creek Health System, has been working to improve health
care quality since 1995. Calhoun County Pathways to Health
works to engage patients and health care providers to
find solutions to local health care challenges. This
initiative has received national awards and recognition
for its innovative community collaborative solution to
the complex issues of health care in our country.
"What they're doing in Calhoun County is truly
inspirational," says Dr. Tom Simmer, senior vice
president and chief medical officer of Blue Cross Blue
Shield of Michigan. "They have ambitiously created
a program that does more than improve primary care practice,
it truly transforms it."
If you would like more information on the Calhoun County
Pathways to Health initiative, please contact Ruth Clark
or Mary Ellen Benzik, MD, at Integrated Health Partners,
(269) 660-3850.
W.K. Kellogg Foundation was established in 1930. The
organization supports children, families, and communities
as they strengthen and create conditions that propel
vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals
and as contributors to the larger community and society.
For further information, please visit the Foundation's
website at www.wkkf.org.
Battle Creek Health System, sponsored by two parent
organizations--Trinity Health (the fourth largest Catholic
health system in the U.S. with 21 hospitals, 9 nursing
homes, 19 senior house facilities, 8 home health care
agencies, and 4 hospices in Michigan alone) and BCHS
Community Partners, is accredited by the Joint Commission
on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Battle
Creek Health System, a member of the Mercy Cancer Network,
is a recipient of the 2008 HealthGrades Orthopaedic Surgery
Excellence Award(tm) and 2009 Five Star rated for joint
replacement surgery and total knee replacement. HealthGrades
is a leading health care information company that provides
objective 'report card' ratings nationwide. BCHS provides
excellent health care for the community and promotes
wellness for the whole person with access and compassion
for all. For the latest medical information, visit the
BCHS web site at www.bchealth.com or call the BCHS Marketing
Department at (269) 966-8132.
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