OLBH Introduces Healthy Community Services
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Officials with Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital (OLBH) have announced the formation of Healthy Community Services (HCS). A program of the OLBH Foundation, HCS is the umbrella under which OLBH will conduct its various community and faith-based health ministry initiatives.
HCS will envelop several existing OLBH programs, including Community HealthWatch Partnership (CHWP), Community Faith in Action, and Meals on Wheels with certain OLBH Foundation activities. "As OLBH has grown, so has the number of health screenings and community activities conducted under the hospital name," Chuck Charles, vice president of the OLBH Foundation, explained. "For this reason, we're simplifying by branding our public activities under one name. So while multiple program names such as Community HealthWatch Partnership will be going away, the services will continue and grow. To bring all of these services under one banner will allow us to better develop our community ministry and to be more easily identified."
HCS will include:
- Health Ministries/Faith Community Nursing - HCS will continue to work with the approximately 50 current CHWP congregational partnerships. HCS will coordinate with volunteer liaisons in its partner churches and organizations to meet the health care needs of congregations and members.
- Patient Transportation - HCS will continue OLBH's patient transportation van to provide transport to and from the OLBH campus for office visits and other hospital appointments. The van also provides transportation to and from the hospital's Grayson and South Shore outreach centers. Since starting in 1998, the service has made more than 9,000 trips and traveled more than 200,000 miles.
- Meals on Wheels- HCS will continue to provide support to the 10 Meals on Wheels routes with which OLBH is associated. More than 150 meals are delivered daily.
- Companions in Care - HCS will continue to use volunteer caregivers to address the needs of the elderly, chronically ill, and disabled in the FIVCO area.
- Health Screenings- The hospital's many community, employer and congregational health screenings will be conducted by the new HCS. OLBH conducts more than 1,500 individual health screenings annually.
- OLBH Mobile Health Center- A mobile clinic designed to bring needed healthcare services to the public, the OLBH Mobile Health Center provides osteoporosis and mammography services at both rural locations throughout eastern Kentucky and southern Ohio as well as to area businesses for the benefit of their employees.
- Community Grants- The OLBH Foundation awards community support grants biannually. Grants are awarded based on set criteria and focus on serving the greater community good. In fiscal year 2007, OLBH granted $40,500 to benefit Ashland and the Tri-State community.
- Home Emergency Response- OLBH offers LifeLine, a home-emergency response service, which provides seniors assistance in an emergency with a simple push of a button. OLBH's Lifeline service gives individuals the confidence and freedom to live on their own.
- Auxiliary/Volunteers- OLBH's team of volunteers donate thousands of hours annually to help in various hospital departments and assist community members and visitors. The OLBH Auxiliary operates the hospital gift shop and conducts various fund raising activities throughout the year to benefit the community and in particular, the patients of OLBH.
"Healthy Community Services is a perfect fit for the OLBH Foundation," Mark Gordon, OLBH CEO, said. "The Foundation's focus on philanthropic giving goes hand in hand with the new Healthy Community Services' focus on charity. At OLBH we're focused on the relationship between physical and spiritual health. Healthy Community Services will be the way we explore this relationship in a tangible way, bringing our mission to life in our area neighborhoods."
All staff and contact phone numbers for the services now under the HCS banner remain the same. For more information on HCS, contact the HCS office at (606) 833-3366, or toll-free at 888-635-2200.
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