Grande Ronde Hospital | FY2017 | Community Benefit Report

Our mental health objective for the 2017 fiscal year was twofold: To improve the availability and ease of obtaining mental health services and to build community partnerships that allow us to work together more effectively to improve the status of mental health in our county. To that end, we supported the 2016 Annual Drug Free Run hosted by the Union County Safe Communities Coalition (UCSCC). The event drew 75 participants and raised more than $9,000 that was leveraged into multiple community partner efforts. Helping our youth Working with the UCSCC, the Union County Community Access for Recourse Effective- ness (CARE) program, La Grande Parks and Recreation, and Veteran’s Memorial Pool, proceeds from the Drug Free Run provided Spring Break Camp—a healthy, positive activity for 19 at-risk students. An additional 75 youth were treated to a free swim day during spring break, as well. Run proceeds also allowed staff from Head Start, our local office of the Oregon Department of Human Services and others to attend training on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), a program specifically developed to help build resiliency in children. Proceeds also sent staff from the Grande Ronde Recovery program to a “Train the Trainer” session on the newest curriculum and best practices around mari- juana use and abuse. Continuing our commitment to promote a drug-free lifestyle, GRH increased a commit- ment we have had for many years with the La Grande Middle School (LGMS) Drug- Free Youth (D-FY) program to underwrite drug-screening costs. In Fiscal Year 2017, we explored an expanded partnership with the La Grande Rotary Club. We increased our annual support for this important program, setting aside additional monies for drug screening to reach more Union County students for those schools with a potential interest in developing their own D-FY program. Managing chronic conditions Efforts toward increasing awareness of chronic illness management included a push in our clinics to increase annual wellness visits for Medicaid patients. Our provider panels worked to identify at-risk patients due for wellness visits and encourage those patients to schedule and attend these visits. We increased wellness visits for that at-risk patient demographic by more than 50 percent. Linking patients with care We also worked harder than ever to help our patients manage care at home. We added three Community Health Workers (CHW) to our staff whose primary role is to improve health care outcomes for our most vulnerable and at-risk patients. Our CHWs help connect patients with various community partners and resources to obtain transportation, non-emergent housing, legal aid and employment assistance or connect themwith other social services for clothing, utilities and more. Sometimes these efforts are as simple as pairing patients with primary care providers or helping them complete necessary paperwork before provider visits. Our CHWs also work with them to obtain health care coverage or, if needed, apply for GRH financial assistance to help pay medical bills. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, we never refuse treatment based upon ability to pay. For more information, please visit the Financial Services page under “Patients and Visitors” at grh.org . Supporters and participants gather at the Mount Emily Recreation Area for the August 2016 Drug Free Run, hosted by the Union County Safe Communities Coalition. The event raised more than Community collaboration at its best $9,000 for community health needs. GRH and partners connect our community with needed services