Community

The Year in Review: Celebrities and Cycling, Fairy Tales and Fun

  • The Diamond Angels’ 14th Annual Fairy Tale Ball brought the magic of “Beauty and the Beast” to life for 600 attendees and raised $350,000 for patients, families, programs, services and facilities at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital

    • Brian Jackson (left), president of Envision Physician Services, presents the Joe DiMaggio American Icon award to former New York Yankee Derek Jeter.

  • Miami Marlins CEO and former New York Yankee Derek Jeter received the 5th Annual Joe DiMaggio American Icon award, a salute to his philanthropy and his embodiment of the values that guided Joe DiMaggio during his lifetime. Jeter is the fifth recipient of the award that previously honored former President Bill Clinton, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Miami Heat President Pat Riley, and Gloria and Emilio Estefan
  • The 9th Annual ANF Tour de Broward broke fundraising records once more by bringing in $551,223 from more than 8,000 cyclists, runners, walkers and volunteers who turned out on February 26, 2018 for the largest “TDB” in history

    • Members of Memorial Healthcare System’s Board of Commissioners and Executive Staff, along with local community leaders, present the check for the 9th Annual ANF Tour de Broward, which raised $551,223.

    Jeff and Cindy Conine, with Greg Marsh (right), at the 24th Annual Conine All-Star Golf Classic

  • The 24th annual Conine All-Star Golf Classic raised more than $260,000 for Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital’s Conine Clubhouse, the hospital’s home away from home for families whose children are patients here
  • The 2018 Spirit of Healing awards, honoring individuals whose service to Memorial and selfless dedication have helped make South Florida a better place to live, were presented to longtime Memorial volunteer “Santa Ed” Braxl; Allan Greissman, MD; Tony Krayer, Memorial’s former Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer; Chantal Leconte, RN, FACHE, retired Administrator and Chief Executive Officer, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital; and Scott Oxenhandler, MD

  • Judith and Robert Cornfeld provided a significant gift that will help fund a new CT scanner and other initiatives at Memorial Regional Hospital. The hospital renamed its Emergency Department in the Cornfelds’ honor, and they cut the ribbon on their 60th wedding anniversary in March. The Foundations also named the Cornfelds recipients of the 2018 Wasie Philanthropic Leadership Award – recognizing not just their gifts to Memorial but their many years of outstanding friendship to their community

Donors Help Turn Dreams into Reality

Memorial and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundations work in partnership with donors who help Memorial Healthcare System achieve its mission of healing bodies, minds and spirits. This year was another outstanding one for the Foundations as donors supported a wide range of programs to benefit the health and well-being of patients, families and all South Florida residents.

Generosity At Work

What programs do the Foundations and their donors help fund, and how do they help patients and families? Here are just a few.

Thanks to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation Donors…

  • Pediatric patients needing relief from pain and anxiety can turn to something besides a sedative: virtual reality goggles that allow patients to happily embark on fun and calming adventures while receiving treatment
  • Patients of all ages are benefiting from Memorial’s Music Therapy Program, which uses music to promote healing, relieve stress, lower heart rates and blood pressure, and ease depression

Thanks to Memorial Foundation Donors…

  • Cancer patients can sign up at Memorial Fitness Centers for the Cancer Recovery Program, which provides exercise plans, nutrition counseling, relaxation techniques and social support to help them reach their wellness goals
  • ICU and medical/surgical patients at Memorial Regional Hospital are enjoying greater mobility with PACE carts. Carrying medical equipment like IVs, catheters and feeding pumps, the wheeled carts help patients become ambulatory with greater efficiency, comfort and safety
“All of us at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation and Memorial Foundation have something that’s irreplaceable: the friendship of incredible community partners, generous in their support of our mission and selfless in their dedication to helping others. Our donors make it possible for Memorial to care for patients and families, both at the bedside and out in the community. They help Memorial make a difference and save lives, every day.”
Kevin Janser

Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer

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Memorial is a Beacon of Hope to Community in Time of Need

Before, during and after Hurricane Irma, Memorial Healthcare System stepped up to offer its support to the community in more ways than one.

The system boarded more than 300 pregnant women for the duration of the hurricane, along with oxygen-dependent children and others with special needs. As many as 18,000 free meals were provided the first day of the hurricane to boarders, employees and members of the local police force. Doctors and nurses who were off shift helped prepare brown-bag lunches.

After the hurricane, the emergency room staff at Memorial Regional Hospital was treating more than 100 patients when the nursing home across the street was evacuated. This brought an additional 145 patients to the hospital, many of them extremely dehydrated. The system’s emergency preparedness plan for mass casualty was immediately activated throughout its six hospitals, and many lives were saved. Staying true to its patient- and family-centered care approach, Memorial created a family reunification center and opened a phone line to reunify families.

“We often go above and beyond the scope of healthcare services we provide. It took a lot of logistics across the system to provide that level of support,” said Kerting Baldwin, Ed.D, APR, Administrative Director, Corporate Communications, Memorial Healthcare System.

Memorial Hospital West was at capacity when it lost water pressure as a result of the hurricane. The system responded right away by working with community partners to pump water into the hospital and maintain operations until water pressure was restored.

“Once again, Memorial stood tall for our community, bringing hope to many,” Dr. Baldwin said. “This was teamwork at its best to keep the system running as it responded to crises.”

Hospitals Mark 25th Anniversaries with Three New Community Fitness Zones

Memorial Hospital West Celebrates 25 Years of Excellence

South Broward Community Health Services Improves Lives

South Broward Community Health Services (SBCHS) has continued to make a measurable impact on population health – offering ongoing, coordinated healthcare to a wide range of patient populations, with the goal of improving their health and well-being over time. Today, 63 percent of those served carry some form of commercial insurance.

Populations We Serve

“South Broward Community Health Services has transformed itself from a program that cared solely for the indigent at three community health centers to one that serves as a complete, wraparound primary care network at eight locations throughout the county, plus mobile health centers that reach multiple neighborhoods. We are helping to effectively manage the long-term health of all the populations we serve.”
Melida Akiti

Vice President, South Broward Community Health Services

Steps to Managing Population Health

  • Provide care coordination
  • Offer claims and beneficiary management
  • Use technology like telehealth to boost patient engagement
  • Leverage community engagement by connecting patients with area agencies
  • Measure and report results, identify areas of opportunity

Whenever South Broward Community Health Services provides primary care to a new patient, our long-term goal is to establish him or her in a medical home that offers a lifetime of reliable healthcare services.

A medical home is a crucial tool for addressing and managing the four major illnesses that affect the patient populations we serve:

  • Diabetes
  • Hypertension
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • Congestive heat failure

A Pathway to Better Health

Using the medical home model, South Broward Community Health Services can easily proceed to addressing patients’ chronic conditions and position them for improved future health.

“If a patient comes to SBCHS for treatment of a sore throat, and the pre-visit chart review reveals that the patient is diabetic, we’ll provide care for the throat – and our Health Coach will immediately move to address the diabetes, arranging for lab tests and education on insulin management, and coordinating follow-up doctor appointments.”
Jennifer Goldman, DO

Medical Director, South Broward Community Health Services

Addressing the Drivers

To provide effective, ongoing preventive care to patients, South Broward Community Health Services asks questions to address the five drivers of population health:

  • Patients’ physical environment (has a 10 percent impact on their health)
  • Genes/biology (10 percent)
  • Clinical care (10 percent)
  • Individual health behaviors (30 percent)
  • Social and economic factors (40 percent)

Impressive Results

With the care coordination approach, wraparound preventive services and nearly 25,000 patients now established in a medical home, this fiscal year South Broward Community Health Services:

  • Maintained a 30-day hospital readmission rate at a low 11.8 percent, versus the Medicaid/Medicare readmission rate of 13 percent
  • Sustained an impressive 19.7 percent 30-day emergency room re-visit rate, which compares favorably with the national emergency-room benchmark of 23 percent
  • Scored above the 75th percentile in major health measurements – including diabetes control, body mass index, hypertension and cancer screening – as per HEDIS, a widely used set of healthcare performance benchmarks

Community Relations: Creating an All-Around Healthy Community

Giving back to our community has always been a core value at Memorial Healthcare System. The system continues nurturing positive and cooperative relationships with key institutions that provide services to the community.

This year, Memorial supported more than 400 community partners through sponsorships worth more than $700,000. Among these partners are nonprofit organizations that provide social services, including Children’s Services Council of Broward County, ChildNet, Children’s Harbor, 2-1-1 Broward and Women in Distress, as well as disease-specific organizations that create awareness and provide education for disease management. Memorial’s community activity consisted of 435 engagements with a total of 309,000 participants, in addition to social media exposure. Memorial was also one of the top fundraisers for the American Heart Association’s Broward Heart Walk. Funds were also raised for March of Dimes’ March for Babies and the American Diabetes Association’s Step Out Walk, among others.

American Heart Association's Broward Heart Walk

March of Dimes' March for Babies

“Memorial Healthcare System is embedded into the fabric of the community to improve not only health, but quality of life as to stay true to our mission to heal the body, mind and spirit of those we touch,” said Milin Espino, Administrative Director, Community Relations. “Our services go beyond the walls of our facilities and touch families from every economic and cultural background.”

Now in its ninth year, the 2018 Tour de Broward featured a variety of events for the entire family and raised more than $551,000 to benefit Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. In April, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital became the first marquis sponsor of the Our Kids World Family Fun Festival in Palm Beach County, a two-day family event with approximately 10,000 participants. To commemorate the pediatric hospital’s 25th anniversary, two outdoor fitness zones were constructed, at Tree Tops and Vista View parks.

2018 Tour de Broward

Our Kids World Family Fun Festival

Fitness Zone ribbon cutting at Vista View Park

Fitness Zone ribbon cutting at Tree Tops Park

As coordinator of Partners in Education, a Broward County Public Schools program, the system has been the only partner in the program since its inception, and in 2017 won the Platinum Partner of the Year award. Through the Safe Kids Broward Coalition, for which Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital is the lead agency, Memorial is involved with many safety initiatives geared towards the most vulnerable within the community: our children. Programs include, but are not limited to, drowning prevention, car seat inspections and injury prevention. The system is also one of the top sponsors and a member of the planning committee of A Day for Children, an event featuring a variety of social resources for families.

In September, Memorial Healthcare System organized the Family Resource Fair, which brings together organizations that make resources available for the special needs community.

Community Services: Making a Difference Beyond Our Hospital Walls

Through its Community Services programs, Memorial Healthcare System is helping Broward residents live healthy and productive lives. This past fiscal year provided more evidence of the positive effects our programs have had – and, in one case, demonstrated how quickly and effectively Memorial could step up to help our community when tragedy struck.

“Memorial’s commitment to improving population health has once again showed measurable results – reaching thousands of adults, children, teens and families, and giving them the opportunities they need to make long-term contributions to their well-being.”
Tim Curtin

Administrative Director, Community Services, Memorial Healthcare System

American Hospital Association Lauds Memorial’s Healthy Youth Transitions Program

Healthy Youth Transitions – which helps youth and young adults age 15 to 22 transition out of foster care and handle adult responsibilities – won the American Hospital Association’s AHA NOVA Award for improving community health in August 2017. Funded by Memorial and by the Children’s Services Council of Broward County, Healthy Youth Transitions has served more than 1,000 participants since its inception in 2008 – helping them earn college degrees, find work, start saving for their first homes, and become responsible, productive young adults.

Community Youth Services Touches Lives

Community Youth Services continued its nearly 20 years of helping at-risk youth with a record-breaking number of young people and families served. The program, which helps youth coping with crime, pregnancy, substance abuse and other family issues, has been working side-by-side with participants since 1999, guiding them to resources they need to solve problems and experience success.

This year, Community Youth Services:

  • Served 19,037 participants, an increase over the previous fiscal year and the largest number of people served in one year to date
  • Provided nearly 11,000 expectant moms with maternal child health services
  • Offered 6,783 participants behavioral health services
  • Provided family strengthening counseling to nearly 1,000 people
  • Hosted 432 participants at after-school and summer camps

HITS Hits the Mark

The Health Intervention with Targeted Services (HITS) program continued to make important progress in establishing underserved Broward residents in a medical home. By identifying patients in need and providing them with consistent, convenient access to care, HITS makes a significant contribution to the overall health of the community. It encourages participants with chronic conditions to take part in disease management programs, promoting patient engagement for lifetimes of better health.

By the close of the fiscal year, HITS had:

  • Registered 1,789 participants in the program
  • Obtained approval/pending approval for 383 participants to receive Medicaid coverage
  • Enrolled (or began enrolling) 569 patients in a medical home for primary care

Senior Programs Reach Thousands

  • Memorial Senior Partners – This social and wellness senior healthcare program, designed for adults age 50 and older, offered exercise and dance classes, lectures and special events, health screening and more to 4,344 participants this year
  • ALLIES (Adults Living Life Independently, Educated and Safe) – This program, which aims to keep seniors age 80 and up at home and living independently, offered education on quality-of-life issues like home safety, financial management, activities of daily living, fraud prevention, and more to nearly 200 seniors from throughout Broward
  • Memorial CARES – This program for adults caring for a loved one with a chronic or progressive illness provided 339 participants with connections to resources and support

Programs like Memorial Senior Partners and ALLIES provide seniors with social activities such as bingo and dance classes.

HERO Employee Volunteers

Healthcare Employees Reaching Out matches Memorial employees with volunteer opportunities in the community. This year, with a target of signing up 21 percent of Memorial’s workforce, HERO registered 2,756 employees who contributed 4,074 volunteer hours to worthy causes in and around South Florida.

Stepping Up for Parkland

Immediately after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, Community Services sent a team of grief and crisis counselors and therapy dogs to help students, teachers, families and others affected by the tragedy.

“As soon as we heard the news, we called Broward County Schools and asked, ‘How can we help?’ By the next morning we were at the Park Trails Family Assistance Center, counseling and consoling students, families and teachers”
Marilyn Camerota

Director, Community Services

In the wake of the Parkland shooting, Community Services:

  • Provided counseling to more than 1,000 people over two weeks
  • Delivered nearly 300 hours of service
  • Worked with South Broward Community Services to deploy Memorial’s Mobile Health Vans, providing survivors, families and first responders with stress tests and other healthcare
  • Provided follow-up therapy to more than 200 people, and signed up 58 for ongoing crisis counseling
  • Began training 20 Community Services staff in trauma-focused skills
  • Made plans for continued counseling throughout summer 2018 and beyond

LivWell Program Offers Kayla A Second Chance At Life

For a long time, Kayla battled severe depression and anxiety. She had been in and out of the hospital with anxiety attacks and other health issues when a Memorial Healthcare System social worker referred her to LivWell, a health program that addresses and impacts the medical, social and environmental determinants of health.

“I had lost everything and was basically alone,” said Kayla, a single mother who had just given birth to her son when she joined the program. “I had nobody to talk to and I was going through many ups and downs, dealing with a lot of unresolved issues.”

Launched a year ago by Memorial’s Community Services department, the goal of the LivWell program is to improve the overall health status of the community by meeting the needs of patients with certain health conditions and helping them manage their health through a high-quality, coordinated, community-wide approach to care. LivWell candidates are at high risk for chronic health conditions and face racial and ethnic disparities, financial barriers and challenges accessing social services. The program targets and guides candidates who do not have sufficient knowledge about how to properly utilize health care services available to them, which often leads to a lack of coordinated health care.

LivWell connected Kayla with the services and resources she needed to overcome her struggles and turn her life around. Today, Kayla has regained control of her life and developed a new sense of self-confidence.

“They brought me back from my lowest point and made me believe in myself again,” said Kayla. “I’m very appreciative and feel they need to be recognized. Who knows where I would be if I had never gotten into their program.”

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