MAKING A DIFFERENCE : Hospital Without Walls: Moving Health Care into the Community

Preventative care is critical to keeping health care costs down. But financial, cultural and language barriers often discourage the very people who need such services from getting attention before they end up in costly emergency rooms. To remedy this situation, Queen of Angels-Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in February, 1993, formed and financed a coalition with nearby churches and organizations. The result is the Greater Hollywood Health Partnership, which brings medical services to people at churches, senior centers and day-care operations. Volunteers from each organization form a “Health Cabinet” to assess what services are needed and plan events to reach their group’s membership. Today the network has 21 congregational and agency members and serves more than 30,000 adults, children and seniors in Hollywood. The partnership has been so successful that the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Public Health Programs this spring declared it a model for delivering health education and preventive services. In addition, the partnership is working with county officials and churches in other parts of Los Angeles including South-Central to create a similar program.

Who Goes to the Hospital

Of 108,091 hospital visits in 1993:

Hispanic: 54%

White: 26%*

Asian: 11%

African-American: 9%

*at least 50% of this population estimated to be Armenian

How They Pay

Medi-Cal: 50%

Medicare: 38%

Private insurers: 6%

Other: 6%

Source: Queen of Angels-Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center

WAYS THE PARTNERSHIP HELPS

Health educators offer Armenian-language nutrition workshops after worship services on what constitutes a balanced diet and how to read food labels.

Bilingual nurses and staff visit churches and their day-care programs to provide health information in Spanish as well as checkups for the children and their parents.

Free flu shots are made available to seniors who come to hot lunch or social programs.

Physicians attend church health fairs to do examinations and make referrals for specialized care.

Nurses provide home health care visits for congregation’s sick, frail or housebound members.

ADDED BENEFITS

Creates a permanent structure for linking local health care needs with a care provider and for monitoring shifts in medical needs at a community level

Promotes cooperation and contact between diverse ethnic and religious groups

Educates community about availability and appropriate use of local routine and emergency health services

PARTNERS IN HEALTH

Queen of Angels-Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center

1. Angelus Temple

2. Bethany Lutheran Church

3. Chang Chuyn Presbyterian Church

4. Church of the Blessed Sacrament

5. First Lutheran Church

6. First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood

7. Full Grace Baptist Church

8. Hollywood Beverly Christian Church

9. Hollywood Korean Church

10. Hollywood Lutheran Church

11. Hollywood Senior Multipurpose Center

12. Hollywood United Methodist Church

13. Hope Lutheran Church

14. Immaculate Heart of Mary Church

15. Immanuel Presbyterian Church

16. Light of the Christian Church

17. Mother of Good Counsel

18. Mount Hollywood Congregational Church

20. Precious Blood Church

21. South Hollywood Presbyterian Church

22. St. John’s Armenian Cathedral

TO GET INVOLVED

To find out about volunteering or to learn more about forming a partnership with the Greater Hollywood Health Partnership, call (213) 913-4978. To offer donations or other support, call (213) 913-4908.