Buckeye Health Plan expands 51社区's regional community health programs
Buckeye Health Plan (Buckeye) will award 51社区 (OHIO) $750,000 to expand the University鈥檚 regional community health programming and give southeast Ohio residents greater access to healthcare.
In addition, Buckeye and the 51社区 Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine will partner with the Weitzman Institute to launch Project ECHO庐. This new program connects local healthcare providers to medical specialists to bring their expertise and services to the region鈥檚 rural and underserved communities. This collaboration, which will include training, consultation and analysis, is valued at an additional $750,000.
鈥淎ppalachian and rural counties are traditionally underserved and are home to many patients with chronic disease and multiple health issues,鈥 said Beth Longenecker, D.O., dean of the Heritage College at its Athens campus. 鈥51社区 is dedicated to improving the quality of life for those in southeast Ohio. Buckeye Health Plan鈥檚 commitment and partnership are invaluable to achieving this shared goal.鈥
Buckeye鈥檚 investment will improve health outcomes by strengthening and expanding the medical school鈥檚 Community Health Programs, which have provided healthcare resources in southeast Ohio for more than 25 years and patient navigation services since 2012.
鈥淏ecause the needs of each community we serve are unique, Buckeye works hard to identify local partners and proven-effective resources that can improve health outcomes in each area of the state,鈥 said Erik Helms, Buckeye chief performance officer. 鈥淭his partnership is a great example of Buckeye鈥檚 commitment to find and implement local solutions.鈥
The funding supports the expansion of Heritage College patient navigator programs into three additional counties 鈥 Meigs, Washington, and Vinton. Registered nurse navigators will leverage Buckeye and Project ECHO庐 resources to provide short-term care and options for patients, including efforts to reduce social determinant driven barriers to care, education and support. Medical school navigators have improved patient health outcomes, such as decreasing the number of preterm births, by connecting patients with local and regional services.
鈥The Weitzman Institute looks forward to partnering with Buckeye and 51社区. The ECHO庐 program will help providers in southeastern Ohio provide high-quality care to their most vulnerable patients with challenging medical and behavioral health needs,鈥 said Agi Erickson, Weitzman Institute director of business & partnership development.