The one constant of health care is its ever-evolving nature, and one of the most significant results of this is the paradigm shift of community hospitals’ approach to care. Community hospitals have transitioned from a traditional model of focusing on treating sick patients in the hospitals with minimal lengths of stay to becoming integrated delivery systems that assume clinical and business risks and play active roles in addressing health disparities within the populations they serve. An example of an organization that has successfully transformed into an integrated delivery system over the past decade is Emanate Health, the largest non-profit healthcare system with three hospitals serving over one million in the San Gabriel Valley in California.
“Our organizational strategy is guided by our mission to help people keep well in body, mind, and spirit by providing quality health care services in a safe, compassionate environment,” Emanate Health president & CEO Roger Sharma said. “To take the most effective actions, we studied the trends and needs of our communities. The actions we have taken are facilitating patients’ access to top-notch, high-quality health care services in their own neighborhoods.” Emanate Health regularly conducts community needs assessments to understand and remove barriers to maintaining good health. Recent assessments revealed barriers that included access to behavioral, primary, and specialty care as well as access to and navigating health coverage. Additionally, according to demographic trends, Emanate Health serves an aging population that will see a nearly 13% growth in the 65+-year-old group within the next few years. The senior population typically encompasses the highest utilizers of health care services, especially critical care, cardiovascular, stroke, and orthopedic services.
To target the current and future healthcare needs of its community, Emanate Health has focused on elevating the level of care and augmenting its services over the past few years. Within the last two years alone, Emanate Health has been designated a comprehensive stroke care center, recognized as the ÿrst DNV Orthopedic Center of Excellence in California, and achieved the ability to provide the entire scope of cardiovascular services – including all structural heart procedures – with the sole exception of heart transplants. To address the significant behavioral health needs in the community, Emanate Health renovated its behavioral health facilities at Emanate Health Inter-Community Hospital to increase physical capacity and implement additional substance use resources for patients.
Emanate Health will open two new facilities to serve its community’s growing needs. The Emanate Health Medical Pavilion, which will open in September 2023, will house additional primary and specialty care clinics, a state-of-the-art cancer center, radiation oncology services, infusion therapy, and ambulatory surgery. The aforementioned will improve the community’s access to primary and specialty care as well as cancer care. The new and expanded emergency department and intensive care unit, which will open at Emanate Health Queen of the Valley Hospital in the summer of 2024, will enhance critical care access for its community.
As a community health system, Emanate Health plays a critical role in addressing health disparities. Emanate Health is active in community outreach efforts and is an active partner in numerous regional collaborative groups that are focused on promoting community health and well-being. Resources offered by Emanate Health include, but are not limited to: the Get Enrollment Moving (GEM) program to help community members with health insurance and access to low-cost health and social service programs; the Emanate Health Resource Centers, which assist community members navigate and obtain health coverage and ÿnd primary care providers; the Welcome Baby initiative, which is a home visitation program by professionals that is geared towards helping parents and their babies with education and access to community resources; the Emanate Health Diabetes Program that provides free screenings.
“Emanate Health is an integral partner in elevating our communities’ health,” Sharma said. “We have shifted from the reactive model of the past to a proactive approach. By providing key services and resources to remove barriers and address needs and disparities, we can enhance our communities’ health outside of the hospital. Healthier communities lead to healthier hospitals.” Learn more at emanatehealth.org.
