Michigan Rural EMS Network's MiResCu program, in partnership with UP EMS and Mike Helbock (Seattle/King County, WA), has been awarded a Rural Access to Emergency Devices grant throught HRSA's Office of Rural Health Policy.  The award provides for $150,000/year for 3 years.  The project start date is September 1, 2014.

RAED grant funds will be used to place 120 AEDS (40 per year) in communities in rural Michigan.  All AED placements will be accompanied by CPR training that meets American Heart Association guidelines.  The MiRESCU CPR training model incorporates the Seattle/King County Resuscitation Academy’s signature High-Performance CPR (HP-CPR) programMiResCu will provide technical assistance to communities receiving AEDs.  Assistance will be provided for community education, program implementation, and data reporting to the CARES cariac registry.  Project goals include:

• Placement of AEDs in 30-40 rural communities that are most appropriate and in need;
• Provision of training to healthcare providers, dispatch staff, law enforcement officers, and residents in communities identified for AED placement;
• Data  collection and submission in all communities identified for AED placement; and
• Evaluation of the use of AEDs through data submitted to the CARES registry.

MiREMS has been awarded $776,245 from the Office of Rural Health Policy since 2011.  A list of all RAED awardees can be found here: http://datawarehouse.hrsa.gov/Tools/FindGrants.aspx 

Karen Nichols became the Executive Director for the Upper Midlands Rural Health Network (UMRHN) in June 2014.  UMRHN is a 501(c)(3) founded in 2004 with a mission to improve health in Chester and Fairfield counties in South Carolina through a collaboration of a diverse group of agencies focused on access to care, health promotion, and education. 

Prior to accepting this position, Karen served for six years as the Economic Development Director for a Federally recognized Indian Tribe, the Catawba Indian Nation.  In this role, she developed strategies and programs to enable the Tribe to position itself for economic growth. She managed two Federal contracts with the Bureau of Indian Affairs totaling $400,000 which established a vocational training program and an entrepreneurship program.  She also brought in seven additional grants totaling over $1.2 million to establish programs such as financial education, teen dropout prevention, residential weatherization, land acquisition, photovoltaics, and a revolving loan program.  Before working for the Tribe, Karen spent eight years in the marketing department of the North Carolina’s largest gated tourist attraction.  In this capacity, she worked in all aspects of marketing, including website development, promotions, group sales, public relations, and customer-loyalty programs. 

Prior to moving to the Carolinas, Karen worked for six years at her alma mater, Virginia Tech.  In her first role, she worked with county economic development officers, local elected officials, manufacturers, and the professors to leverage the knowledge and research at the university for the purpose of economic growth.  Her second position was with the College of Engineering in a major-gift fundraising capacity.  Karen participated in a $50-million university-wide campaign soliciting gifts of $25,000 or more from individuals, corporations, and private foundations.  Karen earned a B.A and an MBA from Virginia Tech.

 

For this feature, we interviewed Susan Kaderle, Executive Director of MI-Connect, who recently rejoined NCHN.  MI-Connect is a collaborative resource partnership to expand access to high quality healthcare services for the at-risk residents of Northern Michigan. It has 5 members and its programs include Physician and Mid-Level Recruitment and Retention, Mental/Dental Integration, Rural Health Outreach, and Community Health Worker focus. MI-Connect is one of the recipients of the recently announced Network Development grants, so we were excited to ask a few questions about their project.

Q: Congratulations on your receipt of the Rural Health Network Development grant. The abstract says that you will be expanding the Integrated Behavioral Health and School-Based Oral Health programs. Can you tell us a little about the specifics of the project (e.g., what you have in place currently and how the programs will be expanded)?

MI-Connect was a recipient of the 2011 Rural Health Network Development grant and our area of focus was integrated behavioral health services across our Network membership. Our service area included a five county area located in the northeastern part of lower Michigan. Since 2011 we have expanded our Network to include a larger geographical area that includes northwest Michigan and a total of 13 counties. With our new funding, we will be expanding behavioral health to the west side of the state as well as continue to expand integration on the east side. School based oral health integration is the second focus for us and will be integrating among all Network partners.

Q: This grant follows a Rural Health Outreach grant that focused on recruitment and retention. Did that grant provide you with a solid foundation of providers on which to base this new initiative?

The Rural Health Outreach grant funding for the recruitment and retention of primary care providers ended in 2012. The project became fully sustainable through financial support from additional partnerships throughout rural Michigan. This successful project provided the foundation to explore potential areas of collaboration which lead to a 2011 Network Development grant with an integrated behavioral health focus and also lead to another Rural Health Outreach grant in 2012 with a Community Health Worker focused program.

Q: What brought you back to NCHN and what do you look for from NCHN and other members to best support your work?

MI-Connect recently re-joined NCHN, we originally became involved in 2011, we needed to take time to focus on our programs and now feel that our Network is a very appropriate addition to NCHN, I look forward to participating in the many services that are offered.

 

The Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative (RWHC) is pleased to announce that it, along with four member hospital partners, has received a Development Award through the Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program. “A Collaborative Response to Reduce Binge Drinking in Rural Wisconsin Communities” was one of nine projects awarded funding during this, the 9th annual cycle.

RWHC and the academic partners from the Medical College of Wisconsin will work with Gundersen Boscobel Area Hospital & Clinics (Boscobel), Moundview Memorial Hospital & Clinics (Friendship), The Monroe Clinic (Monroe), and Southwest Health Center (Platteville) to develop and implement a program aimed at reducing binge drinking in rural Wisconsin Communities. This project is funded (in part or in whole) by the Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program, a component of the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin endowment at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

One example of how the program will function is through a screening process for patients as they visit a hospital and/or clinic setting.  The patient will answer a set of questions from the AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) screening tool.  Those answers will then be scored by clinic staff, and if the result is a score that identifies risky drinking behavior, the patient is offered the opportunity to meet with a Health Educator to learn more about binge drinking, and what local resources may be available to assist in changing existing drinking behaviors.  In the event the Health Educator is not available, the patient can have a virtual meeting with the Health Educator at one of the other participating hospitals through the use of a tele-health modality. 

Wisconsin ranks highest in the nation in the percentage of adults who binge drink.  Binge drinking is often classified as “five or more drinks for a male, and four or more drinks for a female on one occasion”.  It is hoped that the through the work of this grant project, adults of legal drinking age in the participating communities will learn more about how binge drinking can lead to chronic health problems, and change their behaviors accordingly.   

The 9th Request for Proposals (RFP) generated responses from over 200 community and Medical College of Wisconsin partners submitting 62 Letters of Intent intended to impact residents throughout Wisconsin communities. Of those, 30 projects were invited to submit a full proposal. Twenty-seven (27) submitted and met technical eligibility requirements and underwent competitive review by a National Merit Panel and the MCW Consortium on Public and Community Health. Eight projects received Development Awards, and one project received an Impact Award. For more information, please contact Dave Johnson; 608-643-2343 or djohnson@rwhc.com

Northeast Oregon Network (NEON) is a successful recipient of a grant funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration, in which Lisa Ladendorff, NEON’s Executive Director, will evaluate and direct the community based project.

The Wallowa County Patient Activation Project is designed to address specific community health concerns (speculated with NEON’s local Community Health Assessment Data from 2011) by utilizing Continuous Quality Improvement disciplines and interventions by Behaviorists in a primary care setting to reach the following goals:

• Increase patient self-efficacy as a result of lifestyle behavior changes through the use of patient activation interventions provided by Behaviorists in the primary care setting.
• Improve patient health outcomes by reducing the impact of social determinants of health on Wallowa County citizens though the use of health literacy assessments and educational campaigns, integration with community nutrition programming, and public health and social services programming.
• Create long term sustainability in the system by reducing overall cost of care and reinvesting savings in prevention, health education and patient activation interventions.

The Wallowa County Patient Activation Project is truly a collaborative effort of multiple organizations from Northeast Oregon.  All of the consortium partners have worked together in a variety of partnerships over the last eight years, and have already implemented several joint projects.  Community Partners involved in this project include:

• Winding Waters Clinic, a tier 3 Patient Centered Primary Care Home also certified a Rural Health Clinic,  serving as the main intervention site and providing the Lead Clinician, QI Team Coordinator and data analyst staffing;
• The Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness, a Community Mental Health Agency, providing the behaviorist staffing and the behavioral health QI Team Member;
• Wallowa Memorial Hospital, a health district operated Critical Access Hospital, serving as a QI Team members, STEPPS trainer, and data collection for total cost of care measures;
• The Wallowa County Public Health Department, a local public health department, providing QI Team Membership and health literacy assessment;
• Building Healthy Families, a local prevention agency, providing social service QI Team membership and also working on health literacy issues;
• And Northeast Oregon Community Connections, a local action agency, providing social service QI Team membership and support for community nutritional program changes. 

Please contact NEON if you would like more details about this project in Wallowa County.

Lisa Ladendorff, LCSW
Executive  Director
Northeast Oregon Network
1802 Fourth Street, Suite A
541-624-5101 phone
541-624-5105 fax
www.neonoregon.org

For this feature, we interviewed Pat Schou, Executive Director of Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network (ICAHN). Last month, she received the 2013 Calico Leadership Award at the National Conference of State Flex Programs. The Calico Leadership Award is presented annually by the Technical Assistance and Services Center (TASC), a program of the National Rural Health Resource Center, to an outstanding rural health leader. We caught up with Pat to congratulate her and find out more about what's going on at ICAHN.

Q: In July 2013, you were recognized as the recipient of the 2013 Calico Leadership Award. When did you start working with ICAHN and what methods have brought you the greatest success in working with your member hospitals?

PS:I actually was the first employee of ICAHN as the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) had transferred both the Flex and SHIP grant programs to the new ICAHN organization.  I managed Flex and SHIP so it made sense for me then to work for ICAHN in 2003.  There was no executive director when ICAHN was established as I assisted its development in my role as Flex coordinator with IDPH.  After several months of operation, the ICAHN Board, comprised of nine CEOs, decided to hire an executive director to handle the duties and management of the organization.  I had to interview and was fortunate to be selected as the first executive director of this new network.   There were 18 critical access hospital members when ICAHN began in 2003 and signed the original Articles of Corporation.  So…I started work for ICAHN in June 2003. 

I believe my success with growing the network can be attributed my personal relationship with the hospital CEOs and their staff members since I assisted each of the hospitals convert to CAH status.  I have maintained a close relationship with hospital CEOs and staffs for all 51 and now 52 CAHs.  Second, I believe my knowledge of the CAH program and hospital operations helped build my credibility as a leader.  Third, I believe a network leader must be accessible and be good at follow up.   

Q: ICAHN is a hospital network. How many member hospitals do you have? How are services coordinated?

PS: 52 members.  ICAHN has a staff of 16 employees and consultants who provide services and/or support to the members. 

Q: As stated in the award release, “ICAHN supports all CAHs in the state of Illinois to improve quality, finances, operations and health system development.” What kind of programs does ICAHN offer?

PS:  ICAHN administers both the SHIP and Flex program for the Illinois Department of Public Health Center for Rural Health.  In that role, ICAHN is responsible for writing the state application, managing the grant expenses and developing and implementing the many program activities.  These individual activities help and support critical access hospitals by providing grant project funding to the hospitals for community engagement services, education and training, hospital operational improvement through financial management programs or ICAHN or partner organizations will provide services such as HCAHPS, quality improvement training or community health assessment programs to the hospitals.

Q: At present, are you working on new initiatives or working on sustaining your existing programs? If you are considering a new program/s, what are these and how do you anticipate that they will impact your members?

PS: ICAHN is now an approved HCAHPS vendor and plan to add a coding service.  ICAHN also is working on care transition programs for both inpatient and outpatient areas and expanding our IT services to our hospitals.  We will are adding an existing education consortium as a LLC and creating a rural health clinic organization.

Q: What are the key elements in your success as a network? As you cover the state, what tools are invaluable to you in reaching all of your member hospitals?

PS: ICAHN has a very active list serve program for its member hospital staffs.  There are now more than 45 different list serves and hundreds of emails pass through these list serves daily sharing new ideas and problem solutions to peer hospitals.  In addition, we have quarterly meetings/round tables for our various hospital departments and services and involve the membership in planning those meetings as well as identifying educational programs and new services.  It is critically important to engage your members at all levels so they feel like it is their organization – network staff provides the support so together, members and staff are successful.

For this feature, we interviewed Cassalyn David, Network Director with Santa Cruz County Adolescent Wellness Network. Cassalyn was recognized as the 2013 New and Emerging Network Leader of the Year. Since joining NCHN, she has participated in the 2012 - 2013 Leadership Learning Community, presented at the 2013 NCHN Conference, and will be serving on the Program Development Committee and Evidence-Based Outcomes Task Force. Read on to find out more about Cassalyn and what's going on over at SCCAWN.

Q: You recently took over leadership of Santa Cruz County Adolescent Wellness Network and were recognized as the New and Emerging Network Leader of the Year in April 2013, less than a year after taking on your role as Adolescent Wellness Network Director with SCCAWN. You bring with you a broad range of experience. What characteristics and lessons have helped you the most in your role?

CD: I had great experiences working for Habitat for Humanity as an AmeriCorps family services coordinator. The affiliate was rapidly expanding from one home a year to a development of 18 homes, so I learned how to develop programs and policies. I wanted a better understanding of the root causes of poverty and how to address broader health issues, so I went back to school. In my graduate public health program, the students were required to plan and facilitate all of our own classes, which prepared me to manage the fun and fast-paced network meeting schedule. I should have something clever to say about how dealing with grizzly bears and backpackers as a park ranger prepared me for network directing. It taught me to always be prepared and a good communicator because like grizzlies, nobody likes surprises.

Q: How did your network come into being and what is its purpose? What are the unique needs your community/s have that led to the development of your network and its programs?

CD: SCCAWN began in 2007 when service providers wanted to address disparities in adolescent health literacy. The group decided youth in our rural border community need more than improved access to health information, so it expanded its scope to work for an integrated system of health, education, and social services. In 2010, SCCAWN received a HRSA Rural Health Network Planning Grant, and in 2011 the Network Development Grant. In response to high rates of teen pregnancy in the county, SCCAWN helped members secure a state teen pregnancy prevention grant to reduce risk behaviors with a program tailored to local demographics and culture.

Q: What programs does SCCAWN offer and what kind of results have you witnessed in your service area?

CD: The network documents and responds to local adolescent wellness needs that individual organizations can’t address on their own. In response to a survey of teachers and service providers, we provide trainings on complex issues such as bullying and referring at-risk youth to counseling. We host forums that bring together diverse groups of organizations on topics such as integrating behavioral health into SCCAWN programs and involving youth in program leadership. We are supporting the development of school-based or linked health care by bringing together education and health providers and connecting them to state and national resources. SCCAWN surveyed all county schools using the Centers for Disease Control's School Health Profiles tool. With this report, administrators, students, and parents see where our schools stand compared to state and nationwide averages and best practices. We are helping them use this information to support improved school health and wellness policies. Member organizations and others in the community are using our data, ideas, and the connections we’ve created to solve problems in innovative ways. We are communicating and acting in less isolated and more collective ways.

Q: From your perspective, what is SCCAWN’s biggest accomplishment to date?

CD: SCCAWN's most successful activities produce deliverables of lasting value to the community. In researching and developing our own youth involvement program, we produced a toolkit and hosted a forum to support youth leadership in sixteen other organizations. The toolkit represents a resource of lasting value to the community, and the forum brought in state and national experts on youth empowerment. Through this initiative we are acting as the catalyst for authentic youth leadership, not just in our organization but throughout the county.

Q: Your network is comprised of 5 members. How do they work together to promote adolescent wellness? What role does SCCAWN play in that process?

CD: Our members say that SCCAWN provides the cohesiveness and momentum needed to address broad health issues. When it comes to taking on social determinants of health they face barriers like the fragmented nature of health, education, and social systems. Our role is to help members understand each other’s needs and resources. For example, schools are learning what role they can play in students’ health and well-being, and the rest of the community is stepping up, combining resources, and supporting them.

Q: What are your short-term (e.g., 6 mo. – 1 year) and long-term (e.g., 5 year) goals for the network?

CD: The most exciting thing on our horizon is the launch of youth involvement in the network. This fall we will begin a leadership development program where participants learn about issues that affect adolescent wellness, provide input and leadership on SCCAWN programs and decisions, and advocate for policy changes benefitting youth well-being. This leads us into our long-term goals of creating a healthier, more inclusive environment for youth to grow up in. 

Q: What are your network’s biggest challenges?

CD: We exist because there are limited time and resources to address big health issues, so our biggest challenges are also what unite us. It’s very satisfying because we are creating a more integrated, efficient system of health, education, and social services with every connection we make and every goal we accomplish.

 

For this feature, we interviewed Dave Johnson, Director of Member Relations and Business Development with Rural Wisconsin Hospital Cooperative (RWHC). RWHC is a NCHN Network Member and Member Business Partner and is well-established as a strong, successful network. Dave Johnson is currently serving his second year on the NCHN Board of Directors and has participated on numerous committees. He is an active member and a great resource. Read on for information from Dave about RWHC's work and methods, as well as the importance of member engagement, network adaptation, and other valuable network initiatives.

Q: RWHC has a powerful vision: “Rural Wisconsin communities will be the healthiest in America.” There has been a strong emphasis on evidence-based outcomes recently. When RWHC plans for the vision, what is your starting point for that and what general baselines and outcomes are you using to measure it?

DJ: The co-op has had a long standing commitment to working with and through our member hospitals to improve the health of their respective communities.  This commitment has been evidenced by several grant projects that focus on improving services (clinical outcomes, patient safety, and patient satisfaction) delivered to people across the State.  Often times, these grants will develop into a new shared service line for RWHC, and those services help to sustain the work of the co-op, so that we can continue to serve our members in their work improving population health.  As we continue to try and move the needle forward on the triple aim of healthcare in Wisconsin (better health, better care, and lower costs) much of the work of the co-op is currently focused on quality, and improving outcomes for our members and their patients.  Population health continues to become more of a buzzword around Wisconsin, and is becoming more prevalent as we look for future service development.  Efficiency and cost reduction have always played an integral role in the mission of this organization, and that is only becoming more and more important as we move forward in the new and ever changing healthcare landscape. 

Q: What are some of the tangible outcomes of RWHC’s work?

DJ: At the simplest level, our charge is twofold; advocate for rural healthcare, and develop and deliver high quality shared services, at an affordable price.  The co-op has been very fortunate to have many outstanding member hospitals that are committed to the organization and support the mission, values, and vision.   That commitment has helped us to develop a myriad of deliverables to our members, as well as non-member clients.  Some examples include; education (clinical & managerial), quality indicators reporting, patient satisfaction surveys, financial consulting and benchmarking services, a shared EHR platform and staffing support, PACS, shared clinical staffing, and numerous joint projects with our members and other strategic partnerships, including the Wisconsin Hospital Association, the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health, and the National Rural Health Association. 

Q: RWHC has been around since 1979, making it certainly one of the oldest NCHN network members. Can you talk a little about its beginning and its growth into an organization that provides many valuable services to rural Wisconsiners/ites? Throughout the process, how has the vision evolved?

DJ: The co-op started as a shared service organization in July of 1979, with six members.  Shared staffing services were at the top of the “to do” list, and that lead to other discoveries on how the members could “share” resources to improve services locally, while maximizing the resources they had available at the time.  Legislative issues and potential regulatory changes in Madison and Washington  D.C. quickly added the advocacy component of the work we do, and things grew from there.  I’m sure the vision has evolved over the years, as external and internal factors have no doubt influenced the direction we get from our members, but there has always been a commitment to the common cause “together, we are better”.  That commitment and belief system is still very much in place today, and is really the glue that helps hold all of the moving pieces together. 

Q: As a network that has maintained and successfully grown and adapted to the changing legislative environment, what lessons can you share with other networks?

DJ: This is probably a question best suited for Tim (our Executive Director, and first employee of RWHC, Tim Size), but continuing to find ways to work in collaboration with others, whether they are RWHC members, strategic partners, or some other group or person that has a vested interest in rural healthcare, is paramount to the success of any network.  Tim told me shortly after I started here to “go where the energy exists” around a certain topic.  That could be early adopters of a new service line, or partners for a grant project, but realize that the energy will shift from time to time, and that is okay.  Identifying who has that certain spark or fire regarding a specific topic or issue, gathering those groups together, and assisting them along the way has been a successful approach for us.  Given the current challenges facing rural health care as we move through the process of “reform”, having your members engaged is more important than ever. 

Q: RWHC offers quite a few services and they range from HIT and technical consulting to education and include services that can benefit other health networks. Can you talk a little more about which services are available to help other network leaders?

DJ: Much of what happens at RWHC is the result of collaboration, so we are always willing to assist other like-minded entities (networks, co-ops, etc) by sharing information or lessons learned whenever we can.   Sharing, building relationships, working together with others from around the Country benefits all of us in the long run….not to mention the people we work for and their patients, as well.  Over the years, we have developed services that are geared towards the smaller, rural hospital.  Educational offerings, credentialing services, quality indicators reporting, and patient satisfaction surveys are our most commonly used services, and they are all easily adaptable to work with and for other networks.  Some of them are potential “turn-key” offerings, while others are housed here at RWHC, but can be delivered through partnerships with other networks. 

Q: RWHC is a strong advocate for rural health. What are RWHC’s biggest initiatives at the moment and what kind of barriers are you most focused on?

DJ: Without a doubt, working to make sure that rural Americans have access to high quality health care.  RWHC is committed to helping policymakers understand that what may be a right fit for urban, could have significant detrimental impact to rural providers…..and ultimately jeopardize access to care for millions of Americans. 

Q: You are just entering your second year on the NCHN Board of Directors and are involved in other ways, such as serving on the Program Development Committee and completing the second year of NCHN’s Leadership Learning Community. From your perspective, what are NCHN’s most valuable resources and what direction would you like to see the association move toward in the future? What can NCHN provide more or less of?

DJ: NCHN provides something to networks and network leaders that nothing else can; a place to share, collaborate, and network with others who are in the same boat, facing the same challenges, and looking for the same solutions to provide to their constituencies.  That “energy” if you will, is driving the work of NCHN to create services that will benefit network leaders as they continue along their respective paths.  Education, coaching, group purchasing, advocacy, collaborative opportunities; all of these exist to help networks grow and meet the needs of their members.  It is really a quite exciting time, and I’m looking forward to what the future holds for this organization.

Q: As you look toward the future, what do you think is the biggest challenge facing health networks?

DJ: I think the greatest challenge that is facing health networks is the same as it has always been: remaining relevant.  It is a tall order to fill, but each network has the opportunity to provide something to their membership that is not readily available anywhere else.  That something, that niche, will grow and change and evolve over time, and the network must be able to identify how it will meet the needs of the members in the future.  What value do you create for your membership, and how can you consistently deliver on that premise?  By understanding the unique needs of your members, collaborating whenever possible, hard work…and no doubt a little luck every now and then, the concept of the health network will be alive and well through this process of reform, and for many years to come. 

 

Jon Smith is Executive Director of The Hospital Cooperative in Pocatello, Idaho. His network, The Hospital Cooperative, has been a member of NCHN since 2002. Jon currently serves as Vice President of the NCHN Board of Directors and served previous terms as Treasurer. He has been very involved in NCHN through his Board service, as well as participation on various committees. This week, we caught up with Jon to uncover the best kept secrets at THC and to find out exactly how he manages to stay so involved with NCHN while also serving as Executive Director of a successful health network. 

 

Q: The Hospital Cooperative was founded in 2000 and has been a NCHN Member since 2002. In 2012, THC won the NCHN Network of the Year award for its use of technology, adaptability, and innovation. THC has also been recognized locally. What keeps your network sustainable and progressive?
A: We have only one focus, helping our member hospitals provide better care tomorrow to their patients than today.  What this means is that as they change as organizations and the needs they have or their patients have change, we are able to refocus and view these changes as a new challenge and opportunity.  This allows The Hospital Cooperative be always be relevant and valuable to them and provides the network with chances to be creative and think outside of the box.

Q: In addition, you have been very involved with NCHN, serving your 3^rd year as a Board officer, participating in Committees, and attending NCHN events. We sometimes hear that members lack the time to get the most out of their membership. How do you make time to contribute substantially to NCHN while managing your network, which clearly demands a large portion of your time?
A:  NCHN has been invaluable to my progress as a leader and subsequently to the progress of The Hospital Cooperative. Very few people understand the dynamics that we all work with as part of NCHN in managing networks, managing multiple masters with multiple personalities (including my own!) and multiple needs, NCHN provides us the connection to discuss with others that do understand the language we speak and challenges that we are facing. This has helped me to grow as a thinker, manager of programs and people, and as a leader. I have learned so much from all of the other members of NCHN that I feel that it is my duty to give back where I can. My Board members also support my involvement as they now that it helps the network and they understand the value they all receive from professional partnerships

Q: How did your network come into being and what is its purpose? What are the unique needs of the communities you serve and how did those needs lead to the development of your network and its programs?
A: For many years, the regional hospital CEO's met to discuss trends and frankly, "those things that kept them up at night" about health care. It was always very informal, but they saw the awesome work that was being done in Northern Utah at the time by Tim Cox and decided that being "wildly independent" did not mean that you can't work together sometimes to create better care for people and help or community-based hospitals survive. They were successful in obtaining a HRSA Network Development Grant in 1999 and formalized the Public Hospital Cooperative of Southeast Idaho in 2000 as a 501c3 entity. Originally, the network was focused on county-owned hospitals need for education and group contracting and while the name of the organization has changed to The Hospital Cooperative to better describe our varied membership (CAH and PPS members in Idaho and Wyoming that are both county-owned and privately owned for profit) and we have added member hospitals, these two original areas of focus are still at the forefront. Additionally, networking, the provisional of technical assistance, development of technology, and programs that are owned and operated by the membership have been added as needed by our members and their patients.

Q: What programs does THC offer and what kind of results have you witnessed in your service area?
A: Here is a brief summary of some of our programs: mobile MRI service, various group contracts for members to access that allow for financial and operational improvement, peer networking, leadership and other education, telehealth network services, health information exchange (in development currently), PHO and broker services for health insurance, technical assistance, community-based programs focused on improving care and awareness.

Q: From your perspective, what is THC's biggest accomplishment to date?
A: I believe that the continued support and dedication of our member hospitals to the direction of The Hospital Cooperative is our biggest accomplishment to date. With so many things changing in health care and networks opening and closing either due to grant funds running out or the commitment of the membership, this is what I am the most proud of. We have created some great programs over the years, but if you asked each of the hospitals they would all say that they truly value The Hospital Cooperative and are better off because of our efforts.

 

Q: What are your short-term (e.g., 6 mo. – 1 year) and long-term (e.g., 5 year) goals for the network?
A: We have a variety of goals for The Hospital Cooperative just like everyone else. Short-term include: gaining more knowledge about the ACA, beginning child/adolescent psychiatry using telehealth, evaluating opportunities presented by Idaho developing a state health insurance exchange, and providing needed education in billing, coding, and clinical documentation for our membership. Long-term goals include: completion of our health information exchange connecting all of our members together, development of a mobile echo program modeled after our current mobile MRI program, and development of greater staff depth for the network.

 

A: The network that I go back to is the Nevada Rural Hospital Partners (NRHP).  They have had great leadership under Robin Keith previously and now Joan Hall both of whom created great consistency in very different ways, but it is really the staff that have worked for these two wonderful ladies have made them a model for what we have done over the years (whether they know it or not!).  I would also say that I rely upon most of the other networks around the country for support and knowledge, we have some really smart people out there, so I just try to pay attention.  Steve Stoddard (Southwest Idaho Community Health Network) and Carol Wilson (North Idaho Rural Health Consortium) have been rocks for me over the last 10 years and collectively we have been able to really help one another here in Idaho.  Thanks guys!

For this feature, we interviewed Chris Hopkins, NCHN President and Vice President of Strategy and Business Development with Montana Health Network in Miles City, Montana. In 2010, Montana Health Network was recognized as the Outstanding Health Network of the Year. In addition to his role as VP of Strategy and Business Development within his network, Chris is an active NCHN member, serving as an officer on the NCHN Board, as well as participating in numerous NCHN activities and committees. From 2012 - 2013, Chris served as the Chair of the 2013 Conference Planning Committee. Read on for more about his work with MHN, and his thoughts on NCHN.

Q: Last month, NCHN wrapped up its 19^th annual conference in New Orleans. You served as Chair of the Conference Planning Committee. A lot of work always goes into planning the conference, and you oversaw all aspects of it. From your perspective, how did it go? What were some of the best sessions and learning opportunities?

I thought the conference went really well. I thought the committee and Rebecca and Christy did an excellent job in pulling everything together.  New Orleans was a fun venue, in some ways too fun,  as there were plenty of things to do outside of the conference.  However it is really about what the members want and how they thought it went. We will be looking closely at the evaluations to see what went well and where we can improve. The opportunity to talk with other network leaders is always my favorite part. I personally enjoyed all the sessions. I attended up to the closing and have made many contacts since returning home.

Q: You have served on the NCHN Board as Vice President from 2012 through 2013 and you now serve as President. As incoming president, what would you most like to see NCHN achieve? What programs or services do you want to see strengthened or created?

Q: Which aspects of your NCHN membership are most valuable to you as you work with your network and your members?

The ability to reach out to other networks with similar services has always had great value. Top that off with seeing the exciting things that other networks are doing during NCHN revitalizes me for the next year. 

Q: In what areas would you encourage newer members to participate, in order to make the most of their NCHN membership?

With me, I just got involved in a few committees and it just sort of grew from there. It’s through committee work that you really get to know your peers a lot better.  

Q: MHN has been a NCHN member since 1995 and was recognized as the Outstanding Health Network of 2010. You have seen NCHN grow and change over the years. Your organization, Montana Health Network, was founded in 1987 and has 48 members. That’s a pretty large network and provides a broad range of services. Can you discuss its founding purpose and its evolution process (i.e., how the services began and eventually evolved)?