SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center has been recognized by the American Hospital Association (AHA) as one of the top 20 U.S. hospitals providing outreach services that improve access to healthcare. The AHA is the national organization that represents and serves nearly 5,000 healthcare organizations and 37,000 individuals nationwide. The local hospital was showcased as a national case study for its efforts to develop mobile outreach programs in northern Nevada. Saint Mary’s Mobile Outreach Program meets the needs of the community’s at-risk populations by providing dental, medical and outreach services.
“Saint Mary’s is deeply rooted in our local community and we are committed to developing programs that bring affordable and accessible healthcare to underserved populations,” said Mike Johnson, vice president of community health and mission integration. “Our mobile outreach services help thousands of families in our community who, for one reason or another, wouldn’t normally have access to preventive and routine medical services.”
Since its inception in 1994, Saint Mary’s Mobile Outreach Program has provided dental, medical, and outreach services to communities throughout northern Nevadan. The program includes Nevada’s only school-based dental sealant program, a mobile general dental practice clinic, Saint Mary’s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and Kids to Senior Korner.
Saint Mary’s developed its school-based dental sealant program and mobile general dental practice clinic providing oral health education and restorative and routine dental care to more than 1,700 children and families. The mobile dental clinic provides dentistry at eight locations to low-income children, adults and pregnant women. Locations include schools, community centers and medical clinics. Saint Mary’s WIC program serves 4,100 clients each month, operating via a mobile van that brings services to low-income children and pregnant moms who are nutritionally at-risk.
Additionally, Saint Mary’s, in collaboration with a variety of local agencies, developed the Kids to Senior Korner Program, connecting families to needed services such as housing, nutrition, health services, and consultation with social workers. Since its inception in 1996, the program has helped close to 10,000 individuals and families.
“Now more than ever, local families are in need of outreach services and we are proud to offer a diverse list of programs that enhance the quality of health in northern Nevadans,” said Johnson. “The care and dedication of our outreach staff to help underserved Nevadans is phenomenal and has touched the lives of thousands of individuals.”
For more information about Saint Mary’s Outreach Programs and to view the case study from AHA, visit http://www.caringforcommunities.org/case-studies/index?cat=1.
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About Saint Mary’s
Saint Mary’s Network is a fully-integrated, faith-based health system in Reno, Nev. founded in 1908 by the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael. The network is comprised of Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center, an acute-care hospital, providing inpatient, outpatient and wellness services; Saint Mary’s Health Plans, a statewide insurance provider with more than 40,000 members; and Saint Mary’s Medical Group, a network of physicians and other health professionals offering primary and urgent care, retail clinics and specialty healthcare. A member of Catholic Healthcare West, Saint Mary’s is dedicated to meeting the healthcare needs of our community. For more information, visit our website at www.saintmarysreno.org.
About Catholic Healthcare West
Catholic Healthcare West (CHW), headquartered in San Francisco, CA, is a system of 40 hospitals and medical centers in California, Arizona, and Nevada. Founded in 1986, it is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit health care systems and the largest private hospital system in California. CHW is committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality, affordable health care services with special attention to the poor and underserved. The CHW network of nearly 10,000 physicians and approximately 54,000 employees provides health care services to more than five million people annually. In 2010, CHW provided more than $1.3 billion in charity care, community benefit, and unreimbursed patient care. For more information, please visit our website at www.chwHEALTH.org.
