Community Outreach

CSI is pleased to be involved with cost-effective and impactful community outreach.  To find out more, read about the "Most Innovative Use of Technology in a Healthcare Provider Organization JWCH.

OPPORTUNITY

A dire need for health insurance and access to primary healthcare services is a problem plaguing 53 percent of the population of Skid Row (Central Los Angeles). Preventable diseases and substance abuse problems afflict 20,000 members of this underserved population. Over 6,300 were diagnosed with advanced HIV and over 7,000 were found to have sexually transmitted diseases (chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and Hepatitis C). 8,000 residents were admitted to drug treatment facilities within the Service Planning Area 4 (SPA 4) coverage area. Service Planning Areas are geographic communities serviced by various community organizations within Los Angeles.

20 organizations that comprise the Coordinated Prevention Network (CPN) recognized a need to provide primary healthcare to residents in order to reduce the overwhelming occurrence of preventable diseases. The CPN sought to identify the most efficient and effective way to reach a population -- the majority of which is homeless that is not easily accessible.

One CPN organization, the JWCH Institute, contacted Computerized Screening, Inc. to obtain six Health Stations, integrated health-screening and maintenance kiosks with proprietary technology that includes a drug encyclopedia, telemedicine capabilities and educational video clips about preventable diseases, drug interactions and substance abuse. The Health Stations also include a comprehensive health risk appraisal that computes an individuals level of risk for certain chronic diseases such as, diabetes and hypertension. 

OBJECTIVES

• Efficiently coordinate programs amongst the 20 healthcare providers that comprise the Coordinated Prevention Network.
  q Show cost savings from decreased ER visits by providing easy access to primary care rather than depending on ER care when an event occurs.
• Decrease the damaging health results of the homeless population by reducing the incidence of HIV, Tuberculosis, STDs and substance abuse, in accordance with the goals of the CPN. 
• Minimize disease outcomes and enhance the quality of healthcare within Skid Row by increasing access to healthcare services and educational opportunities. 
• Successfully use the Health Station to reach and engage the underserved target population in order to educate them on preventive health measures available at no cost.
•  Demonstrate the effectiveness of implementing a community outreach program.

IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS

• CSI rapidly delivered six customized Health Stations to pre-determined locations, so that low-income and high-risk individuals would have easy access to preventive health screening tools that can lower the risk of life-threatening diseases. 
• To ensure that users would follow up with physicians and schedule appointments for ongoing healthcare, the Health Stations utilize telemedicine capabilities. Users can immediately schedule appointments with JWCHs medical clinic or other service providers within the network. This can be done directly from the Health Station, based upon test results or information sought, and significantly increases the likelihood of users practicing ongoing preventive health maintenance.
• These particular Health Stations were customized to include intake and exit surveys to create a profile of the client in order to better serve the target population and reduce the prevalence of HIV and its co-morbidities.  All information gathered or reported is anonymous.
• The Health Station is equipped with a resource directory to allow customers to search for needed services in their area.

RESULTS

• After a three-month period, the CPN was able to observe the trends and developments of the population, therefore making program officials more able to provide the most needed services. From March 2003 to May 2003, the CPN was able to see that 30 percent of the target population is completely uninsured. Also the Health Station surveys exhibited that 55 percent of the target population had a monthly income of $500 or less.
• After only two months, 56 percent of Health Station users said that they planned on using the Health Station in the future to continually monitor their health.
• 57 percent of users would recommend the Health Station to a friend, 38 percent found the information clear and easy to understand the first time around, 44 percent said that the Health Station was easy to use and 64 percent of users found that assistance was immediately available to answer any questions regarding the use of the Health Station. 
• The Health Stations usage among the population increased after the translation of the customized pages into Spanish, thus overcoming the language barrier between the Health Stations and certain users.
• From March 2003 to May 2003, 376 people used the Health Stations to monitor their health.

LESSONS LEARNED

• Government agencies seeking to improve quality-of-life for underserved populations can now efficiently and cost-effectively enhance services by implementing preventive healthcare programs that reduce the cost and burden on emergency rooms from underserved populations. JWCH has taken the initiative to provide the underserved population with alternative healthcare access points, eliminating the use of hospital emergency rooms as primary care facilities. The burden of inappropriate emergency room use by underserved populations has, in the past, caused hospitals to close emergency room doors. 
• Proactive health monitoring can significantly reduce the number of new cases of HIV, STDs, Hepatitis C and tuberculosis by equipping the at-risk population with tools to prevent adverse healthcare outcomes and giving the population control over their individual health.
• Individuals already diagnosed with diseases can greatly reduce the rate of health deterioration by consistently having access to tools which provide critical healthcare resources and assess their disease progress.
• Proper health maintenance is no longer a luxury item. The tools and technology exist to offer quality healthcare to members of all socio-economic classes. The Health Station is a free tool that is proven accurate, easily accessible and available 24 hours a day/7 days a week. Users of different classes, backgrounds and geographic locations have successfully averted healthcare emergencies by being proactive about their health via their usage of the Health Station.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS

A 27-year-old company, Computerized Screening, Inc. (CSI) pioneered the preventive health screening technology arena and established the standard in accurate blood pressure measurement technology. Through various alliances throughout the United States, the CSI Health Station has emerged as a key component in various preventive healthcare outreach programs, all of which have been successful in reducing preventable diseases and emergency healthcare situations.

The JWCH Institute has led the way with AIDS prevention programs, by identifying new innovative ways to reach a population that is underserved and difficult to reach. The Health Stations have proven an effective tool. Jill Rotenberg, Program Manager, JWCH Institute, Inc has said, The Health Stations are user-friendly, easily accessible tools that provide vital links to healthcare resources and education in community-based settings that are familiar and comfortable amongst our target populations.

In addition to various resources, the Health Station offers telemedicine capabilities that allow users to store and track their vital signs. Healthcare providers can then access these results from any personal computer or Health Station and remotely determine the care that a user needs to receive.

The CSI Health Station is one of the most effective vehicles for Direct-to-Consumer marketing. It captures consumers while in the healthcare mindset, delivers highly effective, interactive and customized advertisements and accurately and efficiently measures return-on-investment. Health Station purchasers can monitor the effectiveness of programs by measuring their return on investment, as the Health Station provides real-time accurate metrics. The system monitors the number of users, the type of information they access, provides the appropriate information to reduce long-term effects of diseases, as well as the initial onset of the diseases themselves. Any patient identified information conforms to all HIPAA regulations.  Service providers can then measure the reduced cost of emergency medical care and divide that number by the cost of the Health Station.