Annual Report (1995): Connections

36 Pages·2015·5.97 MB·English

Lehigh Valley Health Network
LVHN Scholarly Works
LVHN Annual & Statistical Reports
1995
Annual Report (1995): Connections
Lehigh Valley Health Network
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LEHIGH VALLEY HOSPITAL •••
HEALTH SCIENCES LIBRARY
1200 S. CEDAR CREST BLVD.
POST OFFICE BOX 689
ALLENTOWN, PA. 18105
A
FFORDABL.E HEAL.TH INSURANCE OPTIONS ••• EMPL.OYEE WEL.L.NESS PROGRAMS •••
EARL.Y PRENATAL. CARE FOR L.OW- INCOME WOMEN••• INTERVENTION TO KEEP TEENS FROM SMOKING •••
THROUGHOUT THE LEHIGH VAL.L.EY, CONNECTIONS ARE BEING FORGED -
BETWEEN LEHIGH VAL.L.EY HOSPITAL. AND HEAL.TH NETWORK AND ITS COMMUNITY, EMPL.OYEES, PHYSICIANS
AND AREA EMPL.OYERS. As WE EMBRACE A NEW HEAL.TH CARE MODEL.,FOCUSING
INCREASINGL.Y ONPREVENTION AND HEAL.TH PROMOTION, THERE IS RECOGNITION THAT EVERY INDIVIDUAL.,
1
EMPL.OYER, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION AND HEAL.TH CARE PROVIDER MUST BE PART
OF THE PROCESS. EACH MUST WORK, ONE WITH THE OTHER, TO REDUCE HEAL.TH CARE EXPENDITURES,
UTIL.IZE COMMUNITY- BASED RESOURCES, ENHANCE KNOWL.EDGE AND IMPROVE
PHYSICAL., EMOTIONAL. AND SPIRITUAL. WEL.L.- BEING. THROUGH SUCH PARTNERSHIPS, QUAL.ITY OF L.IFE
WIL.L. BE IMPROVED AND OPTIMAL. HEAL.TH STATUS ACHIEVED. THE LEHIGH VAL.L.EY
WIL.L. BE A HEAL.THIER PL.ACE TO L.IVE, WORK, GO TO SCHOOL., RAISE A FAMIL.Y AND GROW OL.D•
•
-'-
.
The health care needs ofour community continue
to change. From the increasing need for outpatient
and preventive health services to demands for
streamlined costs in amanaged care environment,
changing community needs have meant that health
careproviders must deliver care in new ways.
Central to delivering care in new waysisthe need
to expand our resources beyond our walls to
enhance notjust the health, but the overallquality
oflifein our community. • This point was
illustrated at arecent forum of national health care
leaders who asked people alloverthe country to
define health care.Participants did not mention
medicine or medical technology in their definitions.
What they did mention were issueslike teen
pregnancy rates, homelessness and family life.The
results of this forum sent aclear message that
health careisincreasinglytiedto the socialconditions
ofthe communities we serve,and in order to serve
the needsofthesecommunities, health careproviders
must become more involved in social issues. •
In 1995, Lehigh ValleyHospital and Health
Network continued to make significant progress in
leading this change in health care and extending
ourservicesbeyondourwallsandintoourcommunity.
We broadened our already extensive community
outreach programs and recently established a
department ofcommunity health and health studies
to focusour effort on measurably improving the
health ofour community. • We alsocontinued to
improvehowweprovide carewithin ourwalls.We ateaching hospital and adopting new collaborative
areredesigning processes to create patient-centered tools such asteleconferencing; and with our
care- reducing the time our care providers spend community byreaching out to identify and servea
on administrative duties, and increasing the time broad spectrum of needs. .• As the definition of
they spend with patients. This process,which has health careand the needsofourcommunity change,
relied on the input ofphysicians, employees and our ability to provide effective care isincreasingly
patients, includes changing our facilitiesand finding linked with everypart ofour society,from business
newwaysto provide the care our community and government to social service agencies, schools,
needs.As aresult,our 17th &Chew siteisemerging clergy and each individual citizen. We arealso
asan ambulatory and preventive care hub for our linkedwith other health careproviders,asillustrated
community, and our Cedar Crest &1-78 site byour integrated delivery system, PennCAREsM•
continues to develop asaleading acute care center It isthrough these connections that Lehigh Valley 3
and regional resource. • In addition, we've Hospital and Health Network isable to lead the
continued to take steps to remain in the forefront change in health care. • These connections are
ofmedical advances asaleading teaching hospital, the theme ofthis year'sannual report, andweinvite
strengthening our affiliation with Penn State you to read the pages that follow.We invite you to
University'sHershey Medical Center where wehave askquestions, to get involved with our health care
over300 physicians on the faculty.This affiliation organization, and ensure that our direction reflects
helps create avibrant atmosphere of constant your needs. • We alsothank you, aswell asour
learning, and givesus askilled, professional staff physicians and employees, for the support that has
with accessto leading-edge technologies and new made our successpossible.We will continue to
ideas.• Underlying allofour accomplishments look to the future, and work diligently to meet the
in 1995 arethe connections we have created. We health care needs oftoday and tomorrow.
have connected with business bylooking forways
to contain costs and improve the health of their
employees;with our employees by asking for and
acting on their input on how best to carefor our
patients;with physiciansbystrengthening ourroleas

becauseJorge was afraid to handle ababy.Now he
does everything for Kasserine and takes care ofher
when I'm working. - "There were somany times
that I would get upset or frightened orworried.
My outreach worker was alwayssosupportive. She
helped us through allthe paperwork glitches and
kept me focused. She taught me how important it
was to eatwell and take care of myself And look
forward to the future. - Now that Kasserine is
born, someone still comes everyweek to check on 5
her.There havebeen tough times, ofcourse, but I
wouldn't change athing. Next semester,I'm planning
to start college,and someday I hope to work in the
medical field.I'd like to make adifference like the
people from the Perinatal Partnership have made a
difference in mylife. - They have helped our
family somuch. And they continue to reach out.
They alwaystell me to callifI need anything and
I know they mean it.They care about Kasserine
andJorge and me.They really care about what
happens to us."

CITIES IN SCHOOL: TURNING KIDS AROUND
Everyyear,nearly 600,000 kids nationwide drop
COALITION FOR A SMOKE-FREE VALLEY:
outofschool. In the Lehigh Valley,the Allentown
REVERSING THE STATISTICS
SchoolDistrict and Lehigh ValleyHealth Network
Tobacco useresults in $65 million in health care
areworking to keep at-risk students in school
expenditures eachyear.In the Lehigh Valley,28
through participation in the national Cities in
percent ofninth graders report that they areregular
Schoolprogram. In 1994, 50 high school students
smokers; most saythey started around age 12.By
participated in the initiative,byattending classesat
working with schools, community agencies and
Lehigh ValleyHospital and spending one day a
health providers, Lehigh ValleyHospital- asa
week shadowing aprofes-
member and primary funder of the Coalition for a
sional mentor. The result:
Smoke-Free Valley- isstriving to change the way
almost 90percent of the
young people view tobacco.The effort alsoextends
students improved in math
to the business community. The coalition has
and reading, and atten-
successfullyhelped secure smoke-free policies in
dance increased 71percent.
many public placesincluding 450 localbusinesses.
SPIRIT OF WOMEN:
FUNCTIONAL PLAN: TRANSFORMING TODAY'S
FOSTERING COMMUNITY
HOSPITAL FACILITIES 7
ACTIVISM
In meeting changing health care needs, Lehigh
In 1995, more than 600
ValleyHospital and Health Network isredesigning
people attended the Spirit
physical facilities and work processes. Community
of Women conference,
groups and neighbors arehelping guide the
sponsored byLehigh Valley
process.The new functional plan will enable the
Hospital and Health
hospital to continue serving the region, creating
Network and acoalition of
new efficiencies and improving patient care.Acute
area organizations, colleges,
inpatient carewill be consolidated at the Cedar
community service agencies and businesses. While
Crest site. Future plans there include an addition
the conference was designed to explorewomen's
for inpatient maternity, gynecology, neonatology,
changingfamily,work and health rolesin the 1990s,
psychiatry servicesand a21st century approach to
ithasevolvedinto something bigger.An offshoot
diagnostic and testing services.The 17th Street
ofthe conference isabreast cancer early detection
sitewill become ahub for outpatient, diagnostic
campaign in conn~cti()r:with the Lehigh Valley
and primary care services,afocus of the health
Junior League. Reportedly one in eight women will
care system ofthe future.
sufferfrom breast cancer. Early detection offers
the best chance for survival.
Lehigh ValleyHospitals David Zimmerman, ofHealth Promotion and
Disease Prevention, helpsan area teen say notocigarettes.