The Premier Inc. healthcare alliance and the Wye River Group on Healthcare (WRGH) have launched a Web site that will host a repository of best practices based on successful community-based health initiatives from across the nation.
Leading Healthy Communities (LHC - www.leadinghealthycommunities.com) will feature case studies drawn from both the WRGH and Premier. These examples of proven community collaboratives will enable community leaders to benchmark against one another to achieve successes within their communities.
“Many communities have successfully executed initiatives that address issues of access, quality, cost, disparities and a host of other issues,” said Richard A. Norling, president and CEO at Premier. “Leading Healthy Communities will allow community and not-for-profit program leaders around the country, as well as novice representatives of a community, to find information and solutions on how to improve their own areas.”
WRGH studies come from a published report titled, “Communities Shaping a Vision for America’s 21st Century Health and Healthcare” (see www.wrgh.org). Premier studies were created from award winning programs recognized by Premier’s Monroe E. Trout Premier Cares Award, providing $2.75 million in funding to 90 community organizations nationwide since 1992. The award recognizes six not-for-profit organizations each year that have found creative ways to improve the health of medically underserved communities.
"Leading Healthy Communities is a unique resource that brings together, in one place, some of the nation's best practices in healthcare,” said Jon Comola, CEO of the Wye River Group on Healthcare and the Foundation for American Health Care Leadership. “As the breadth and depth of information continues to grow, the site will truly offer communities a one-stop source of reliable information on how to improve the health of their communities."
LHC features a community action guide, offering easy access to templates, surveys and assessment tools, as well as links to funding and professional expertise, to help make collaborative efforts successful.
The Web site also features a Kids Action section, where kids can easily find out how to become leaders and make a difference in the health of their communities. Kids Action provides a step-by-step guide for children and young adults to get involved in positively impacting the health of people in their community. In addition to explaining how to get started, organize others to join, and devise a plan, the guide provides online resources and connections to outside experts.
WRGH and Premier are currently seeking strategic partners to help spread awareness of the site and success of these local initiatives, as well as feedback from those who visit the site.
“In our continuous efforts to assist communities in achieving positive results, we are always looking for organizations to add their stories to LHC, and we value any feedback or suggestions that visitors might have regarding the Web site and its usefulness,” Comola said.
About Wye River Group on Healthcare and the Foundation for American Health Care Leadership
Wye River Group on Healthcare (WRGH) and its affiliate Foundation for American Health Care Leadership (FAHCL) are not-for-profit 501C3 forums for collaboration and open exchange of ideas to promote constructive healthcare system change. Both organizations identify and advance ideas with broad application to healthcare policy and the marketplace, through multiple educational outlets. Accountability, standard setting and a strong safety net is needed in a true system of healthcare. We believe that the best way to achieve these objectives is through public-private collaboration. We look for what is working and build on the many community-based partnerships throughout our country. For more information, visit www.wrgh.org.
About Premier, 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient
Serving 1,700 hospitals and more than 47,000 other healthcare sites, Premier is the largest healthcare alliance in the United States dedicated to improving patient outcomes while safely reducing the cost of care. Owned by not-for-profit hospitals, Premier operates the nation's largest healthcare purchasing network, the most comprehensive repository of hospital clinical and financial information and one of the largest policy-holder owned, hospital professional liability risk-retention groups in healthcare. Headquartered in San Diego, Premier has offices in Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia, and Washington. For more information, visit www.premierinc.com.