Augusta Health was recently recognized with two health equity awards for its unwavering commitment to reducing disparities in care. The independent community care health system was one of two U.S. healthcare organizations honored by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) with the Health Equity Award and one of three hospitals and health systems nationwide to receive the highly esteemed American Hospital Association’s (AHA) 2024 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care (EOC) Award. These distinctions recognize the hospital’s success in improving community care access for vulnerable patients living in rural Virginia.
Among its most successful initiatives, Augusta’s Neighborhood Clinics program brings a mobile care unit directly to those residents facing health disparities and access barriers. They deliver essential primary care services via 14 easily accessible sites (including churches, community centers, and other public spaces). These services have also included vaccine clinics and health screenings for patients at risk of specific conditions like cancer and diabetes.
“A driver of this program was the belief that our mission as a community health system had broadened through the COVID-19 pandemic to become more inclusive, collaborative, and responsive to addressing local health disparities,” said Chief Physician Executive/Chief Medical Officer Clint Merritt, MD, in Augusta Health’s press release.
“Our system quickly realized we needed to adapt to address insufficient patient access to primary care. A key step was identifying access barriers and health disparities by asking questions of our community members through listening sessions. In response, Augusta Health launched the first Neighborhood Clinics and designed programming specific to those vulnerable neighborhoods.”
Augusta VP/CIO Mike Canfield agrees that reaching out to residents and listening to their concerns has been the key to establishing the right programs and services for the right people at the right time. Ongoing conversations with vulnerable populations have been essential to reach those who may be hesitant to seek help.
“Inclusivity is all about establishing trust with patients who may be reluctant to seek out care if they don’t feel safe,” he said. “For example, we have a vibrant LGBTQ+ community here. We want them to know that Augusta Health is here to support them, and to support the health of all people.”
Augusta Health has undertaken a holistic approach to serving patients, working with social service partners to address issues like housing and food insecurity. When its community needs assessment revealed nutrition as one of the top needs, leaders began collaborating with Alleghany Mountain Institute to establish the AMI Farm at Augusta Health. The farm provides fresh, organic produce to the hospital system and its programs to promote healthy eating and food preparation.
“What you eat is closely tied to your well-being,” said Canfield. “We invest in the farm as a resource to our community, and hold classes on healthy meal prep at our commercial kitchen, less than 100 feet from the farm area. Giving access to fresh vegetables and information on how to cook them is providing a path to lifelong wellness.”
Sustainability has been very important to Augusta Health — both in their health programs and in the technology they use to collect and display metrics. Assistant CIO Leigh Williams said that the hospital’s MEDITECH EHR supports their mission by capturing population health data on chronic diseases like heart disease and hypertension, and measuring the impacts of their initiatives to improve outcomes.
“The data we’ve extracted from our EHR guides all of the decisions we make as an organization,” she said. “Our system supports our independence, our efforts to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations, and the unique offerings we have for patients. Digital transformation goes hand-in-hand with the transformation of the way we provide care, and the decisions that we make to help improve people’s lives.
“Being more efficient through technology is giving us the ability to innovate, to try new programs and measure their effectiveness, and to spend more time connecting with our community.”
Learn more about what MEDITECH customers are doing to advance health equity in this recent blog.
