Press release from The Rita & Alex Hillman Foundation:
The Rita & Alex Hillman Foundation has announced the 2016 recipients of the Hillman Innovations in Care Program, a multi-year initiative funding leading edge, nursing-driven programs that address the healthcare needs of vulnerable populations. The winning projects – a telehospice program serving rural western North Carolina, and an advanced illness care program supporting the communities served by African-American churches in Alameda County, CA – were selected from a diverse field of over 160 applicants. The Foundation’s Advisory Committee praised the grant recipients for their creative approaches to addressing some of healthcare’s most intractable challenges, and for their efforts to meet the triple aim goals of improving health, reducing costs, and improving the patient and caregiver experience.
“This year’s grant recipients are potential game changers,” said Ahrin Mishan, Executive Director of the Hillman Foundation. “Each person-centered, community-focused program is uniquely positioned to make a national impact on the care of underserved populations with advanced illnesses.”
The grantees, who will each receive a $600,000 three-year grant, are:
Four Seasons Compassion for Life, Flat Rock, North Carolina (Principal Investigator: Michelle Webb, MSN, RN, CHPCA) The grant will leverage Four Season’s federally funded telepalliative care model to develop a program providing remote, in-home hospice services to people in western North Carolina. Four Seasons serves a number of rural, low-income counties in a geography and climate that does not allow for consistent, coordinated health care and poses numerous challenges for nurses charged with regular hospice care home visits.
Hillman funds will be used to improve patient and family satisfaction and health outcomes by implementing a care management portal to be used in conjunction with the telehospice program. Specially trained nurses will seek to efficiently and cost effectively provide hospice care by remotely addressing symptom and pain management, medication adherence, advance care planning, and spiritual and psychosocial needs. Visits will be conducted using TapCloud, a HIPAA-compliant app, and a web-based video conferencing service. Patients or their caregivers (including long-distance caregivers) will enter information on symptoms and medication use via patient portal software, and nurses, together with the hospice team, will use this information, along with online vital sign measurement, to monitor progress, adjust treatments, and determine when in-person visits are needed.
“Telehospice is a promising care delivery innovation that can enhance communication among caregivers and the care team, and improve the hospice experience for those most in need,” said Bobbie Berkowitz, RN, PhD, FAAN, Dean of the Columbia University School of Nursing and chair of the Foundation’s Advisory Committee. “With over 35 years of award-winning experience in hospice care, Four Seasons is well equipped to implement and lead this effort.”
University of California, Davis – Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing (Principal Investigators: Janice Bell, RN, MN, MPH, PhD, UC Davis and Rev. Cynthia Carter-Perrilliat, MPA, Alameda County Care Alliance) … [omitted here]
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.