CARIBOU, Maine — The American Hospital Association has been working to ensure that people in vulnerable rural communities have access to proper health care.
The nonprofit organization released a report on Nov. 29, 2016 delineating nine different strategies for struggling communities. The “Rural Hospital-Health Clinic Strategy” is already being implemented in Caribou with Cary Medical Center and Pines, and their collaboration was cited in the report.
“While each entity remains independent with its own board of directors, the two work closely together in partnership,” the report reads. “For example, representatives of the (Cary) board serve on the board of (Pines); and members of the (Pines) board serve on the (Cary) board. In addition, the leadership of (Pines) participates in (Cary’s) senior management team and meet weekly with the hospital’s leadership group.”
The report states that this collaboration has “current and future advantages, including improving the health status of the population served and growing the long-term financial position of both entities.”
Cary CEO Kris Doody, RN, an AHA member for three years, helped develop these strategies and says that putting the report together has been a “wonderful process.”
“It’s a very unique model for a FQHC (Federally Qualified Health Center) and hospital to be working so closely together,” Doody said of Pines and Cary’s collaboration. “That’s the model impacting us the most. We need to work on strengthening the opportunities for FQHCs and hospitals and also look at the laws and barriers that prevent them from working together.”
According to Doody, the intent of the report is not only to give hospitals a series of options for the future, but to work as a policy paper that allows AHA leaders to work with “large government agencies and look at the barriers and laws that need to be changed.”
“We’ve talked about how certain laws, wherever they came from, are getting in the way of what they were intended for,” said Jim Davis, CEO of Pines Health Services, an FQHC with facilities in Caribou, Fort Fairfield, Presque Isle, Van Buren and Washburn.
Davis also spoke highly of the AHA’s decision to create nine unique strategies in an effort to improve health care throughout the country.
“The fact that there are nine models speaks to the diversity across the nation,” Davis said. “There will not be a cookie cutter or one-size-fits-all approach. From our perspective, one of the things that state and federal regulations take into account is flexibility. They like to have one model, but one model may not work in every community.”
Doody believes that, for rural areas like Caribou, collaboration with other facilities and community organizations is crucial.
“There are resources in a community that can help a health center,” Doody said. “There are resources in churches or in a volunteer group that may want to get involved. We have to serve as a convener of those groups to get together and continue endorsing them because it will help our community stay healthy.”
As far as helpful local organizations are concerned, Doody and Davis cited several: from the Indian Health Program and the Migrant Worker Program to AMHC and other mental health organizations in the region.
At the end of the day, the two CEOs say they want to ensure health care access for people in Aroostook County.
“For some folks that’s difficult,” Doody said. “Some are over or under insured. We have some challenges, being rural. We are not going to be able to offer all services to all people. As rural hospitals, we have to accept that (our patients) may have to travel for certain services.”
Davis said that local organizations are participating in this goal for the long term.
“If you look strictly at health status and health problems, it has been for the most part related to decades of not having access to care, that care being too expensive, or living in such a remote location that transportation itself is a barrier,” Davis said. “We have to address long-term issues, whether it’s heart disease, cancer, or diabetes. It will be a while before we can turn that ship, and we both feel that keeping people healthy is a far better direction to go than only seeing them when they’re sick.”
Doody was optimistic about implementing these strategies under future President Donald Trump, adding that the AHA CEO has sent letters to Trump and his advisers outlining some of what is mentioned in the report.
“The health care team associated with the Trump Administration has told us that they are open at looking at new options and opportunities going forward,” Doody said.
