December 2022 HCH Newsletter
The Connection
In this newsletter:
- Director's Message
- Happy Retirement Bonnie!
- St. Luke's and CHUM Partner to Provide Housing for Homeless Duluth Seniors
- Save the Date: Learning Days LIVE in 2023!
- Congratulations to Recertified HCH!
- Do you have a Health Equity Story?
- Noteworthy
Director’s Message
Hello and Happy Holidays everyone!
I am writing today to let you know that I am retiring in January 2023. My last day with the Health Care Homes program is January 4, 2023.
I am proud of the time I have spent with the Health Care Homes Program, and I have especially enjoyed collaborating and partnering with all of you and working with the HCH team.
Although there is more work to do, I want to thank all of you for being key contributors working to improve health in Minnesota. The work you are doing to transform primary care is foundational to organizing care delivery around the patient and to providing comprehensive, whole person, integrated care. You are an integral part of meeting patients where they are and supporting them and their families to improve health. Organizing and coordinating care for patients to ensure they receive the necessary care, when and where they need it, in a manner they can understand, is invaluable!
Best wishes,
Bonnie
Happy Retirement Bonnie!
Bonnie LaPlante, Director of the Health Care Homes (HCH) program, is retiring on January 4, 2023, ending a decades long career in nursing, primary care leadership and MDH program administration. As Bonnie departs, we asked her to reflect on her career and share her thoughts on the future of primary care.
Q: Can you tell us a little about your early career? How did you get into nursing?
A: I was always interested in caring for people. I was a part-time nursing assistant at a hospital in my teen years. Then I went on to LPN training, and then RN training, and then got a BA RN degree, and finally a Master’s in Health Care Administration.
Q: What happened along the way?
A: As a LPN I worked mostly as a direct care nurse and then, as an RN, moved into unit coordinator, and supervisory and managerial roles. I also worked as a director of a home health agency and as Clinic Services Nursing Director in a multispecialty care clinic. After 16 years as a nursing director in the clinic I learned how important clinical transformation was for patients and providers, and that’s when I became aware of the HCH program. When I saw an opening, I applied and was hired as a nurse supervisor. When the previous director left the program, I was hired as director.
Q: What’s been important to you during your time as director?
A: Our team is a highlight for me. We’re small but mighty, and we’ve accomplished many important things together. Once we had stable staffing, we were able to build relationships on our team and with Health Care Homes. We exchange ideas, get recommendations, and feedback, and take actions to improve and make it better for everyone. The privilege of working in this transformative program has been very meaningful to me.
Q: What are you most proud of?
A: I’m happy about the HCH rule amendment, and I’ll be watching to see the impact of the advanced levels over time. The PCORI (Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute) study (a partnership with Health Partners Research Institute and Minnesota Community Measurement to study the effect of care coordination on patient outcomes.) has also been remarkable with most HCH clinics participating in this study. My hope is that this research will generate more work of this nature in Minnesota - maybe in the form of large learning communities or other research studies - all important to transforming healthcare and helping to share best practice across the wide spectrum of health care providers.
Q: What do you see for the future of primary care? For the HCH program?
A: Investing in advancing Primary Care (such as what is currently provided in a HCH) is key to supporting whole person care and facilitates the broader goals of improving population health and health equity.
For the program, we need more study to explore the value of HCH transformation at all certification levels. The program was built to be flexible and innovative, and many different types of primary care providers (large, small, solo, metro, rural) have been able to become certified. I think the program needs to continue to be innovative to move the needle on health outcomes and I feel like it has the right people in place to continue this work.
Q: What would you like to say to our HCH partners?
A: I’d like to say thank you. I feel so privileged to have had an opportunity to work with all of you and to serve Minnesotans. In my work, I’ve always wanted to do something meaningful, and, for me, HCH has been that.
Q: What do you look forward to in your next chapter?
A: I’m looking forward to spending time at the lake with family, grandchildren, and friends. We plan to travel this winter. I’m also planning on organizing family photos and documenting some of our family’s story. Other than that, I’m looking to stay physically active and healthy!
The entire HCH team at MDH wishes Bonnie all the best in her retirement!
St Luke’s and CHUM Partner to Provide Housing for Homeless Duluth Seniors
St. Luke’s, a HCH organization with 10 clinics at Level 3 certification, partnered with Churches United in Ministry (CHUM) to offer safe, long-term housing for homeless seniors in Duluth, Minnesota.
CHUM is Duluth’s primary food shelf and emergency shelter service. In 2021, CHUM started leasing the first floor of the two-floor Duluth Inn and was able to provide 22 apartment units for homeless seniors in downtown Duluth.
Recognizing the need for additional housing in the community, St. Luke’s joined CHUM in this project and purchased the building in September of that year. The joint-venture named the building in downtown Duluth, the St. Francis Apartments. Through the partnership, St. Luke’s owns and maintains the building while CHUM provides the programing. The number of individuals provided housing has grown nearly fourfold, from 11 residents to 40 individuals now being provided a safe, warm place to call home.
In addition to housing, the project ensures each resident of St. Francis Apartments is provided with access to resources such as food preparation and/or food subsidies, basic housing needs including bed, linen, housekeeping and laundry, and help with personal needs such as accessing health services. Special preference is given to people who are 65 and older, are veterans, or have disabilities.
CHUM Executive Director John Cole said the need for housing is great. “Having this resource is crucial to helping our most vulnerable adults get the resources they need. It’s exciting to be able to grow and make progress on this challenging issue in our community.”
As part of their HCH program, St. Luke’s screens for social determinants of health (SDOH) during clinic visits. Questions assess for needs related to food insecurity, utilities, housing, transportation, childcare, assistance and safety. When a patient screens positive for one or more of these SDOH, referrals are placed to a community partner to ensure needs are addressed and on-going assistance is provided. The St Francis Apartments are one such partnership which has, and continues to, benefit patients.
When the St. Francis Apartments opened, Nick Van Deelen, MD, St. Luke’s Co-President/CEO and Chief Medical Officer stated, “We know that having stable housing is foundational to good health. In addition to our healthcare experience, we have a lot of expertise with building management and maintenance. We bring this experience and additional financial resources to the project, while CHUM brings a wealth of experience in helping connect people with housing and providing supportive services. This is a great way we can work together to create a healthier Duluth.”
Note: The St. Francis Apartment project involved additional collaboration with and support of the City of Duluth, the Duluth Housing & Redevelopment Authority, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Greater MN Housing Fund, One Roof Community Housing, St. Louis County and many others.
About: St. Luke’s is a regional healthcare system serving approximately 500,000 residents of northeastern Minnesota, northwestern Wisconsin and the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It includes a St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth, Lake View Hospital in Two Harbors, two ambulatory surgery centers, and more than 40 primary care and specialty clinics throughout the region, plus eCare Express Clinics.
The HCH program thanks St. Luke’s for sharing their experiences and insight.
Save the Date: Learning Days LIVE in 2023!
Health Care Homes is excited to announce that Learning Days is returning live and in person at River’s Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud, MN. Mark your calendars for May 18, 2023. The day will begin at 9:00 am and end at 3:30 pm and will feature two keynotes, breakout sessions, and a special workshop led by Health Care Homes Practice Improvement Specialists.
Do you have a story to tell? Consider sharing your experience with your colleagues by leading a breakout session. Watch for more information in the LEARN bulletin and on the Health Care Homes website. Proposals are due February 1, 2023.
Don’t miss this annual opportunity to learn and network with your colleagues. Stay tuned for more information. Can’t wait to see you!
Congratulations to Recertified HCH!
Clinics recertifying October - December 2022 are listed below. Congratulations to these and other certified clinics working every day to provide better health and better care at lower costs!
For more information regarding HCH certification levels, please go to the Level Progression webpage.
For a complete list of HCH certified clinics, please go to the Find Certified Health Care Homes webpage.
Recertification
Bluestone Physician Services
- Foundational Level - one clinic
Christopher J. Wenner, MD, PA
- Foundational Level - one clinic
People’s Center Clinics & Services
- Foundational Level - one clinic
South Lake Pediatrics
- Foundational Level - five clinics
St. Luke’s Hospital and Clinic
- Level 3 - ten clinics
University of Minnesota Physicians
- Foundational Level - four clinics
Do you have a Health Equity Story?
Certified Health Care Homes -
Do you have a Health Equity Story that you would like highlighted in the HCH newsletter?
Download the Health Equity Story Form and follow instructions for submission.
Noteworthy
- The Minnesota Rural Health Awards are given annually to individuals and groups who have made a significant contribution to improving rural health in Minnesota. Wilderness Health, a collaborative of independent providers working together to improve health care in Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin, is the recipient of the 2022 Minnesota Rural Health Team Award. Congratulations to the Wilderness Health members, including HCH certified organizations St. Luke’s and Fairview, for their award. More information about award winners and their photos can be found at the 2022 Minnesota Rural Health Awards webpage.
- Help Me Connect, a tool for navigating resources for Minnesota families, launched in 2021 to connect expecting and parenting families with young children to resources that support healthy child development and family well-being.
- View the 2022 Rural Health Care in Minnesota: Data Highlights on the MDH website! The data paints a picture of the rural health care system in Minnesota and is a valuable resource for policy makers and others.
- New user videos have been added to the MN Public Health Data Access Portal webpage. The videos are a “how-to” on portal features and navigation. You can find key health inequities by age, race, gender, income and more from the data portal.
- The Future of Wellbeing Foresight Project, Minnesota, USA (2022) paper is found on the Future iQ website. Future iQ is working with the Global Wellness Consortium, Green Umbrella, Global Minnesota, and Greater MSP to design and facilitate a process that will provide a forum for leading experts in government, academia, healthcare, food, and transportation to develop a vision for Minnesota’s role in the future of global health and wellbeing looking out to 2040.
- Patient Priorities Care has a new resource, My Health Priorities: A guide for Older Adults and Care Partners (PDF), which helps patients and their care partners identify health priorities and share what matters most to them.
- Health literacy continues to be a Healthy People 2030 priority area. Check out these resources today and share them with your networks to help promote health literacy! Promote Health Literacy with the New “5 Things to Know About Health Literacy” Video and Other Resources