Funding helps expand services, provide home for CMC’s Community Connections program
Humana Donates $200,000 to Community Medical Centers
<0> Humana Corporate CommunicationsMarina Renneke, 480-515-6435 </0>
Patients with frequent visits to the Community Regional Medical Center now have more access through the Community Connections program thanks to a $200,000 grant from health and well-being company (NYSE: HUM).
The past year, Community Regional Medical Center, one of three acute-care hospitals that are part of the Community Medical Centers system, had approximately 122,700 emergency visits from nearly 69,000 patients. Of these patients, close to 950 had nine or more visits, accounting for more than 16,450 visits. That means 1.3 percent of patients accounted for 13.4 percent of the visits.
Community Regional Medical Center implemented the Community Connections program in September 2009 to address the complex psychosocial issues of patients, which included homelessness, substance abuse, mental illness, and the lack of access to a primary care provider. The goal of the program is to provide intensive case management and outreach to reduce frequency of visits to the emergency room, reduce inpatient length of stay and readmissions, and assist patients in improving their health and quality of life.
With the funding from Humana, the program was able to combine a critical component of health care delivery specifically servicing patients with diabetes. A Community Connections medical social worker and community outreach specialist work in collaboration with a nurse practitioner to provide outreach, psychosocial assessments, depression/anxiety screening, and monitoring and support. The program uses a team-based, comprehensive, and coordinated care approach in efforts of addressing the needs of the patient that guide them in improving their lives and managing their chronic disease.
The Community Connections program also utilized this opportunity to increase office space using an existing building across from the Emergency Department to house staff offices and a conference room for intra-agency meetings. The office space also affords the program a place to meet with patients discharged from the hospital to complete assessments, develop care plans, and provide referrals and resources to the community.
“The Emergency Department is not equipped to address patients’ chronic concerns,” said Caine Christensen, Community Connections Project Manager. “Patients benefit significantly from more appropriate resources in the community such as a primary care physician, substance treatment, and social services. The assistance from Humana has strengthened the staffing resources and quality of services that Community Regional is committed to providing to our community.”
“Humana is committed to helping people achieve lifelong well-being,” said Virginia Judd, Executive Director for the Humana Foundation. “We are delighted to support the important work accomplished by Community Medical Centers as they continue to improve the health and well-being of the Fresno community.”
In addition, the Humana funding could allow the program to add four staff members to serve an additional 15 patients each year.
“Treating chronic disease is a team effort and requires coordination of care and patient education,” said Mark El-Tawil, Western Division Leader for Humana’s Senior Products. “Humana is proud to provide Community Medical Centers with the resources they need to treat and improve the quality of life of additional patients.”
For more information on Community Medical Centers and the Community Connections program, visit .
Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, is a leading health care company that offers a wide range of insurance products and health and wellness services that incorporate an integrated approach to lifelong well-being. By leveraging the strengths of its core businesses, Humana believes it can better explore opportunities for existing and emerging adjacencies in health care that can further enhance wellness opportunities for the millions of people across the nation with whom the company has relationships.
More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company’s web site at , including copies of: