Butler Health System (BHS) was recently recognized by the Rural Health
Information Hub, an online communication regarding important rural issues,
for work successfully demonstrated on a grant received from the Health
Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Federal Office of Rural Health
Policy (FORHP). This outreach program grant, also called the Regional
Alliance Chronic Disease Coordination and Management (RACDCM) Program
follows patients as they transition through various stages of care during
their recovery of chronic diseases. The program also focuses on connecting
patients to community resources that continue to aid in the management
of their specified chronic disease.
“We’re hoping to enable patients to improve their self-care,
get to their physician appointments, have healthy food, and be able to
really utilize the resources to help better manage their own care as a
chronic disease patient and improve their outcomes,” says Cindy
Esser, BSN, MHA, MBA, Director of Emerging Technologies at Butler Health
System. Cindy Esser submitted a grant proposal to the Rural Health Care
Outreach Program in early 2018.
The patients enrolled in the program are provided access to a number of
resources that includes, life style coaches, social workers, and other
appropriate support groups to aid in the successful management and treatment
of chronic diseases. Most patients enrolled are over the age of 45 and
have at ease two chronic diseases. BHS offers a variety of seminars on
healthy eating and self-care, taught by dietician Patti Kuniak, RD, LDN.
In recent months, due to COVID-19, these classes have gone virtual with
online telehealth options. The Rural Monitor took notice to how efficiently
and smoothly BHS was able to transition during this global pandemic and
applauded the Health System for their outstanding work. Erin Stewart,
HRSA Program Officer, RN, BSN credited this to the hospital’s prior
telehealth experience gained through a previous HRSA Outreach Program
Grant from 2015-2018. It took coordination between multiple teams and
departments across the health system to make the transition and due to
services already in place, the transition moved very quickly.
To read more about the grant and BHS’s transition during the pandemic go to
https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/rural-monitor/butler-memorial-hospital/. If you would like to learn more about Lifestyle Coaching visit
https://www.butlerhealthsystem.org/Events.aspx.