Erlanger Health System Foundations

WE COMPASSIONATELY CARE FOR PEOPLE BY ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY TO DRIVE PHILANTHROPIC AND VOLUNTEER SUPPORT.

ERLANGER HEALTH SYSTEM FOUNDATION UTILIZES CHARITABLE GIFTS FROM DONORS TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF THE ERLANGER HEALTH SYSTEM AND CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL AT ERLANGER TO COMPASSIONATELY CARE FOR PEOPLE. SEVERAL OF ERLANGER'S PROGRAMS BENEFITED FROM THIS GENEROSITY IN FY2022.A MAJOR DONOR FUNDED A NEW SIMULATION CENTER THAT OPENED IN JANUARY 2022. THE SIMULATION CENTER IS AVAILABLE FOR USE BY ALL DISCIPLINES OF THE HEALTHCARE TEAM, TRAINING GENERAL AND SPECIALIZED PRACTITIONERS TO EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE, DIAGNOSE AND TREAT PATIENTS IN SIMULATED, LIFELIKE CLINICAL SETTINGS. THE LAB HOUSES THREE SIMULATION PATIENT ROOMS, A CONFERENCE ROOM FOR DEBRIEFING AND A MULTI-PURPOSE SPACE THAT CAN BE CONVERTED FROM CLASSROOM SEATING TO THREE ADDITIONAL SIMULATION SETTINGS. HAVING ACCESS TO THIS INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY NOT ONLY BENEFITS OUR CLINICIANS, BUT AS A TEACHING HOSPITAL IT PROVIDES ERLANGER AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY FOR EDUCATING STUDENTS AND RESIDENTS AS WELL. ULTIMATELY, THE SIMULATION CENTER BENEFITS OUR PATIENTS BY PROVIDING HIGH-TECH TRAINING FOR CLINICAL STAFF IN A SAFE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT. NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART MONITORS WERE PURCHASED AND INSTALLED IN CENTRAL STATIONS IN CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL PEDIATRIC INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (PICU). THE MONITORS ALLOW ERLANGER'S NURSES TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE UP-TO-DATE PATIENT MONITORING CARE. CENTRAL STATIONS DISPLAY COMPREHENSIVE PATIENT INFORMATION FROM BEDSIDE MONITORS, SUCH AS ELECTROCARDIOGRAPH, BLOOD PRESSURE, OXYGEN SATURATION, AND BODY TEMPERATURE, IN A SIMPLE AND EFFECTIVE MANNER FOR IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS WHILE INCREASING WORKFLOW PRODUCTIVITY. THIS ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY HELPS CLINICIANS MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS WITH CONFIDENCE.A NEW ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHIC (EEG) MONITORING SYSTEM WAS PURCHASED AND INSTALLED FOR CENTRAL STATIONS AT CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL. THIS DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM COLLECTS AND COMPARES BRAIN WAVE DATA WITH OTHER DATA POINTS. CLINICIANS AT ERLANGER SYNC EEG RECORDINGS WITH DATA OF VARIOUS TYPES (MOVEMENT, HEARTBEAT, EYE-TRACKING, FACIAL EXPRESSIONS, VIDEO, ETC.) TO DIAGNOSE AND COMPREHEND PARTICULAR ILLNESSES OR HEALING PROCESSES.AT ERLANGER WESTERN CAROLINA HOSPITAL DONORS PROVIDED THE RESOURCES NEEDED TO REPLACE DAMAGED MOBILE WORKSTATIONS FOR SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS. THESE MOBILE WORKSTATIONS ENABLE NURSES TO CARRY ALL THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT ON THEIR ROUNDING WITH PATIENTS.PHILANTHROPIC DONATIONS FROM INDIVIDUALS, CORPORATIONS AND FOUNDATIONS MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR ERLANGER TO PROVIDE MUCH-NEEDED SERVICES TO UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS IN OUR COMMUNITY REGARDLESS OF THEIR ABILITY TO PAY. FOR INSTANCE, CHARITABLE GIFTS FUNDED A PILOT GRANT FOR CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL SCHOOL-BASED TELEHEALTH PROGRAM WORKING WITH 38 SCHOOLS SERVING LOWER INCOME STUDENTS IN BLEDSOE, MEIGS AND SEQUATCHIE COUNTIES IN TENNESSEE. THE GOAL OF THE PROGRAM WAS TO HELP STRUGGLING FAMILIES ACCESS MEDICAL CARE WHEN ACUTE NEEDS ARISE DUE TO LACK OF TRANSPORTATION, FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS, INABILITY TO GET OFF WORK, OR LACK OF INSURANCE. THE SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH INITIATIVE ENCOURAGED FAMILIES TO SEEK MEDICAL CARE FOR THEIR CHILDREN WITH ACUTE HEALTH NEEDS. THIS FOUR-MONTH INITIATIVE PROVIDED 119 TELEHEALTH VISITS. CLINIC SERVICES WERE OFTEN INITIATED BY THE SCHOOL NURSE VIA TELEHEALTH EQUIPMENT TO A HEALTH CARE PROVIDER AT CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF ERLANGER WITH THE ABILITY TO SEE THE PATIENT, AND PARENT (IF AVAILABLE), AND LISTEN TO HEART AND LUNG SOUNDS VIA BLUETOOTH STETHOSCOPE TO PROVIDE QUALITY HEALTHCARE SERVICES FOR THE ACUTE OR CHRONIC ILLNESS DURING SCHOOL HOURS. THIS ALLOWED THE STUDENTS TO MISS LESS SCHOOL DAYS, BY BEING TREATED EARLIER IN THEIR COURSE OF ILLNESS, AND DECREASED VISITS TO THE COMMUNITY HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT FOR NON-EMERGENT MEDICAL ISSUES. A CHARITABLE GRANT MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR ERLANGER TO PROVIDE MANY MORE LOW DOSE CT (COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY) LUNG SCREENINGS FOR UNINSURED PATIENTS IN THE COMMUNITY. THIS IS IMPORTANT WITH LUNG CANCER BEING THE SECOND MOST COMMON CANCER AND THE LEADING CAUSE OF CANCER DEATH IN THE US. IT ALSO HAS A GENERALLY POOR PROGNOSIS, WITH AN OVERALL FIVE-YEAR SURVIVAL RATE OF 20.5 PERCENT. HOWEVER, EARLY-STAGE LUNG CANCER HAS A BETTER PROGNOSIS AND IS MORE AMENABLE TO TREATMENT. ERLANGER IS EXPANDING ITS CANCER SCREENING OUTREACH TO HIGH-RISK PATIENTS IN UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS. THE GRANT MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO ASSIST UPWARDS OF 160 UNINSURED PATIENTS ANNUALLY WHO WOULD OTHERWISE BE UNABLE TO AFFORD THIS POTENTIALLY LIFE-SAVING SCAN.A NEW ULTRASOUND MACHINE WAS PROVIDED TO THE ERLANGER PREMIER COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, WHICH OPERATES AS THE LARGEST SAFETY-NET COMPREHENSIVE FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER SERVING CHATTANOOGA AND HAMILTON COUNTY RESIDENTS, REGARDLESS OF THEIR ABILITY TO PAY. THE ULTRASOUND MACHINE IS A RELIABLE TOOL IN PROVIDING PRENATAL CARE TO EXPECTANT MOTHERS WITH HIGH-RISK PREGNANCIES, AS WELL AS FEMALE PATIENTS REFERRED FOR GYNECOLOGICAL CARE FROM OUR PRIMARY CLINICS. THE ULTRASOUND MACHINE IS ALSO BEING USED BY PRIMARY CARE TO DIAGNOSE COMMON CONDITIONS SUCH AS GALLSTONES AND DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS. CHARITABLE GIFTS WERE ALSO USED TO PURCHASE A PORTABLE X-RAY MACHINE FOR USE BY THE RADIOLOGY DEPARTMENT AT CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL, WHICH HAS IMPROVED THE TIMELINESS OF CARE BY PROVIDING PHYSICIANS WITH IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO PATIENT IMAGES. IN ADDITION, WE WERE ABLE TO PURCHASE RETINAL CAMERAS FOR DIABETIC EYE SCREENING AT ERLANGER COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS WHICH SERVE UNDERREPRESENTED POPULATIONS. ERLANGER ALSO USED DONATIONS TO FUND SPEECH THERAPY SERVICES FOR 57 CHILD PATIENTS WITHOUT INSURANCE AT CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL SPEECH & AUDIOLOGY DEPARTMENT. PHILANTHROPIC INVESTMENTS CONTINUE TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IN OUR COMMUNITY BY PROVIDING MUCH-NEEDED FUNDS TO ENHANCE ERLANGER'S CLINICAL ENVIRONMENTS AND CAPABILITIES.