MODELS FOR PRACTICE
FOCUS
AREA: MATERNAL, INFANT, AND CHILD HEALTH
Program
Name: Rural
Healthcare Cooperative Network and Panhandle Partnership for Health and Human
Services
Location:
Healthy People 2010 Objective: 1-6
Web Address: http://www.nehelp.net
The
Children’s Outreach Program was the first collaborative project of the Panhandle
Partnership for Health and Human Services (PPHHS). PPHHS is a collaborative of
organizations, agencies, and individuals dedicated to the common vision of
creating, supporting, and facilitating “a health and human service system that
is community driven and focuses on meeting diverse needs through protection,
prevention, promotion, and provision of accessible services.” Nearly 400 miles
west of
The
partnership does not provide direct services; however, each of the
collaborative projects was developed as part of a continuum of prevention
services to ensure quality care and community health.
Blueprint: Founded in 1998, the
Children’s Outreach Program is designed to promote the health of newborns and
children under the age of five. Funding is provided via $260,000 from a Federal
Outreach Grant; $164,000 of matching contributions by members of the Rural
Healthcare Cooperative Network (the collaboration of regional hospitals); and
funds from the Nebraska Child Abuse Prevention Fund, Nebraska Children and
Families Foundation, and the Nebraska Cash Fund. The program promotes the health of newborns
by providing free home visits within a few days of discharge from the hospital
as well as nursing and family development visits to children zero to five years
of age and their families. Approximately 30 health care providers from
hospitals and health centers from around the region donate their time and expertise,
while administration for the program is provided by Volunteers of America.
Making a Difference: Since 1998, the program has
provided 10,000 home visits reaching approximately 750 families per year.
Annually, between 75-82 percent of all newborns
in the Panhandle region have received at least one home visit. The success of
the PPHHS partnership is measured through active involvement and membership in
the coalition as well as through outcomes, indicators, and performance
measures.
Guided
by a 20-year vision plan, the goal of PPHHS is not to increase layers of
bureaucracy but to enhance existing services. PPHHS contracts with a
coordinator at the agency level while the agency provides all other resources
(including volunteers). For grants, projects and services are housed in host
agencies wherein the space represents an in-kind donation. Key staffing
positions are covered under grant monies.
PPHHS
completed a comprehensive community-based planning process, which included an
independent health behavior risk survey. The survey, conducted in 1999-2000 was
administered to 7,500 homes in the Panhandle. Additionally, the PPHHS planning
process included 71 participatory action groups and the hosting of special
focus groups for various special populations.
For
each disparate area identified (health care, mental health, education, etc.) by
PPHHS, a set of four to six goals was developed to focus the group’s efforts.
As with the Children’s Outreach Program, each program or service has its own
outcomes, indicators, and performance measures. With the integration of an
information system via a Community Access Program (CAP) grant, PPHHS plans to
utilize uniform baselines on a countywide basis.
Challenges and Solutions: The primary challenges to
address are reported to be issues of “turf, territory, and trust.” The
partnership continues to expand through membership and new projects funded.
PPHHS works to involve the schools in the partnership.
Financial
viability requires a strong emphasis on sustainable programs that integrate
existing resources and practices. PPHHS received a $984,000 Community Access
Program grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration in October
2001 for the purpose of developing and integrating an Internet-based
information, referral, and management system throughout the Panhandle region.
Nominal membership fees and a Maternal Child Health (MCH) Title V
Infrastructure Development Grant support the contract and office functions. The
collaborative planning process is funded through existing planning dollars in
various agencies and groups. Training conferences are cross-funded through
agency training dollars and registration fees. Programs and services are funded
through collaborative grants submitted through PPHHS and through allocation of
agency resources.
Joan Frances
Panhandle Partnership for Health and Human Services
Phone: (308) 432-2747 ext. 100 or (308) 235-4211