Main Line Health recognized by The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania for championing community health
The health system created and implemented a program to address food insecurity among patients
Bryn Mawr, PA — Main Line Health received an award from The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) for the system’s efforts to address food insecurity. Main Line Health’s initiative was one of only 12 recognized by the organization through its 2023 Achievement Awards.
Main Line Health implemented a robust program to screen patients for food insecurity across its emergency departments. Nursing staff identify at-risk patients and connect them with a variety of immediate and long-term resources including a food bag and referrals to community resources such as food pantries and hunger hotlines. Nursing staff guide patients through a series of questions that were developed by a multidisciplinary team including staff from quality and equity, nursing education and care coordination.
The screening has become an integral part of the nurse workflow and has helped lead care teams to identify other social barriers to health patients may be facing. This work continues even after patients are discharged through follow-up calls. The program is now looking to expand beyond the emergency departments into areas such as perinatal care.
“Identifying and addressing social determinants of health is an important part of our efforts to deliver safe, high-quality and equitable care,” said Jack Lynch, FACHE, President and CEO of Main Line Health. “I am so proud of the multidisciplinary team that worked to create and implement this effort and hope it can serve as a model for other health systems.”
Main Line Health competed against organizations of a similar size for the Community Champions Award, which celebrates hospitals’ and health systems’ efforts to improve community health and access to care, advance health equity, and advocate for the health care community and patients. In total, there were 82 entries for this year’s Achievement Awards.
“Pennsylvania hospitals and health systems are dedicated to not just treating illnesses and injuries but being partners in improving the health of their patients and communities,” HAP President and CEO Andy Carter said. “These award-winning projects exemplify the extraordinary work of Pennsylvania’s hospital community to enhance Pennsylvanians’ health; advance health equity; and improve the quality, delivery and safety of care.”
Additional information about the awards program and detailed descriptions of the winning projects are available on HAP’s website.
About Main Line Health
Main Line Health® is a not-for-profit health system serving the greater Philadelphia region. The System comprises five hospitals, seven health centers, more than 160 outpatient and physician practice locations, over 14,500 employees and more than 2,200 employed and independent physicians and advanced practice providers.
Founded in 1985, Main Line Health includes four of the region’s most respected acute care hospitals — Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital — as well as Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, one of the nation’s premier facilities for rehabilitative medicine. The System also includes Mirmont Treatment Center, which provides treatment and support for substance use disorders; Main Line Health HomeCare & Hospice; Main Line HealthCare, its employed multispecialty physician network; Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, a leading biomedical research organization; and Main Line Health Centers offering primary and specialty care, lab, radiology and other outpatient services in Broomall, Collegeville, Concordville, Devon, Exton, King of Prussia and Newtown Square.
Main Line Health brings together physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, researchers and other healthcare professionals across a broad network of inpatient, outpatient, home-based and community-based services. Through this integrated approach, the System delivers high-quality, comprehensive care across the continuum — from primary care and preventive services to complex specialty, surgical, trauma, emergency, rehabilitative, behavioral health, home care and hospice services — with a focus on making care accessible in the communities where people live and work.
Main Line Health also collaborates with leading clinical partners to expand access to specialized care. Through its affiliation with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, pediatric care is provided at select Main Line Health locations, including neonatal intensive care units at its acute care hospitals and Bryn Mawr Hospital’s Inpatient Pediatric Unit and Emergency Department. Jefferson Health neurosurgeons and neurointerventionalists also provide 24/7 specialized care, including neurointervention and lifesaving stroke care.
Contact
Phil Ellingsworth Jr.Associate Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs
Office: 484.580.1182
EllingsworthPh@mlhs.org