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
Founded in 1985, Main Line Health® is a not-for-profit health system serving the Philadelphia region and beyond. Main Line Health consists of five hospitals, six health centers and over 150 medical practice locations. The System has more than 14,000 employees and over 2,100 employed and independent physicians and advanced practice providers.
At its core are four of the region's most respected acute care hospitals — Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital — as well as one of the nation's premier facilities for rehabilitative medicine, Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital. Main Line Health also includes Mirmont Treatment Center for drug and alcohol recovery; Main Line Health HomeCare & Hospice, providing skilled home healthcare, hospice and home infusion services; Main Line Health Centers, primary and specialty care, lab and radiology and other outpatient services located in Broomall, Collegeville, Concordville, Exton, King of Prussia and Newtown Square; and Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, a biomedical research organization.
Main Line Health's medical staff benefits from a collaborative relationship including independent physicians, community healthcare professionals and hospital-based experts from Main Line HealthCare, the employed multi-specialty physician network of Main Line Health.
Main Line Health collaborates with top experts to deliver exceptional specialty care. Through our affiliation with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, doctors and advanced practice providers care for pediatric patients at select Main Line Health locations, including the neonatal intensive care units at Main Line Health's four acute care hospitals, as well as Bryn Mawr Hospital's Inpatient Pediatric Unit and Emergency Department. Jefferson Health neurosurgeons and neurointerventionalists provide 24/7 specialized care, including neurointervention and lifesaving stroke care, and trauma surgeons provide critical care to our patients. Through our affiliation with Sheppard Pratt — a nonprofit provider of mental health services, substance use, developmental disability and other comprehensive behavioral health support — patients receive compassionate care in a welcoming environment.
For more information, visit mainlinehealth.org and connect with us on social media:
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