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What is the Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors?

UMass Memorial Medical Center partners with the Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors and many health care agencies and facilities across the state to improve patient safety and reduce medical errors. Learn more about the group’s work at http://www.macoalition.org/index.shtml.

What is a white board in medical care?

These boards are designed to provide a standardized method and location for the patient’s care team to document tests planned for the day, the names and roles of the patient’s care team members, along with other pertinent information .

What is UMass Memorial?

At UMass Memorial, we are continuously examining our performance and monitoring how well we're doing compared to the highest standards of the health care industry. We are always striving to provide the very best patient experience and improving health care. This means that we take note of where we are, and how to be even better. For example, some of our current projects include,

Why is a surgical checklist important?

According to a study by the World Health Organization (WHO), a simple checklist completed during surgical procedures reduced the overall incidents of complications and death significantly. A Surgical Safety Checklist was developed by the WHO to be adapted by individual health regions to meet their specific needs.

How does TeamStepps work?

TeamSTEPPS provides higher quality, safe patient care by: 1 Producing highly effective medical teams that optimize information, people, and resources to achieve the best clinical outcomes for our patients. 2 Increasing team awareness and clarifying team roles and responsibilities. 3 Resolving conflicts and improving information sharing. 4 Eliminating barriers to quality and safety.

What are the factors that affect the health of a low income person?

Some of these “place-based” factors include unsafe housing, limited public transportation, limited access to healthy foods and safe places to exercise, exposure to crime and violence, and lack of health care facilities. For example, children and youth who live in depressed, isolated, low-income communities are more likely to live in families with parents or caregivers who have limited education and health literacy. Children, youth and adults living in such areas are also more likely to have been affected by violence and trauma than those in more affluent, highly resourced communities. The extent to which a child lives in a stable, well-resourced home with strong family or social supports and parents/caregivers who are socially and emotionally competent is one of the clearest predictors of good health and long-term success. Conversely, child maltreatment and neglect, domestic violence, children’s disabilities, substance use and parental mental illness are some of the strongest predictors of poor health, toxic stress and long-term disparities in health status. While these challenges occur in families at all income levels, many—such as depression, domestic violence and child abuse—are disproportionately frequent among low-income families.

What are the health concerns in Worcester County?

Concerns regarding obesity and behaviors associated with obesity, such as nutrition and physical activity, are important health concerns in the greater Worcester area. The data supports that these issues are considered critical given that heart disease and diabetes are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Of particular concern is limited access to healthy foods and environments supporting active living for vulnerable populations and immigrant communities. Concerns related to access and high cost of healthy foods, inadequate public transportation, fees for recreational facilities and activities, neighborhood safety in parks and outdoor spaces, accessible, walkable spaces, time constraints, and the stress of living on the edge were raised during the CHA process as challenges related to healthy eating and active living. Issues related to food insecurity, food scarcity and hunger are often discussed as risk factors to poor physical and mental health for both children and adults. There is an overwhelming body of evidence to show that many families, particularly low-income families of color, struggle to access food that is affordable, high-quality and healthy. While it is important to have grocery stores placed throughout a community to promote access, research shows that there are a number of factors that influence healthy eating, including quality and price of fruits and vegetables, marketing of unhealthy food and cultural appropriateness of food offerings. According to a report by Feeding America, over 41 million Americans live in food-insecure households3. The Worcester County Food Bank (WCFB) reports that there are over 71,000 food insecure households in Worcester County in 2018—approximately 1 in 11 people. Among children, the rate is 1 in 8. Across the region, patrons visit food pantries in the short term to sustain them through periods of disability or job loss. Increasingly, food pantries are being used as long-term strategies to supplement monthly shortfalls in food. Pantries and community meal programs have evolved from providing temporary or emergency food assistance to providing ongoing support for individuals, families, seniors living on fixed income, people with disabilities and adults working multiple low-wage jobs to make ends meet.

Why is oral health important for children?

Maintaining good oral health is especially important for children, as untreated dental conditions may lead to issues with development related to speech, eating and learning. Several CHA key informants and focus group/forum participants discussed the importance of routine oral health care, especially for children. According to a 2016 University of Massachusetts Medical School report on oral health in Worcester, the city has fewer oral health providers who accept MassHealth than Worcester children who need services. CHA key informants corroborated this information, especially the need for a more effective safety net to provide oral health care for low-income children and families.

What is UMass Memorial Health Care?

UMass Memorial Health Care is committed to improving the health status of all those it serves and to addressing the health problems of the poor and other medically underserved populations. In addition, nonmedical conditions that negatively impact the health and wellness of our community are addressed.

Why is it important to have health insurance?

Whether an individual has health insurance—and the extent to which it helps to pay for needed acute services and access to a full continuum of high-quality, timely and accessible preventive and disease management or follow-up services —has been shown to be critical to overall health and well-being. Access to a usual source of primary care is particularly important, since it greatly affects the individual’s ability to receive regular preventive, routine and urgent care—and to manage chronic diseases. However, social determinants of health and the impact they have on health is very important and as such, are part of our Community Benefits Strategic Implementation Plan.