WASHINGTON — More than a dozen award-winning hospital programs, including those to reduce maternal stress, overcome housing instability, prevent workplace violence, help immigrants navigate care, and battle COVID-19, are featured in a new illustrated guide from America’s Essential Hospitals.
Excellence and Innovation in Care: The 2021 Gage Awards documents essential hospitals’ work to improve the health and well-being of the people and communities they serve, including their innovative responses to the pandemic. The guide features programs recognized earlier this year by the association’s annual member awards program, the Gage Awards.
“With this guide, we hope to spread successful, innovative practices that improve hospital care—especially for underrepresented groups,” said Kalpana Ramiah, DrPH, MSc, vice president of innovation and director of Essential Hospitals Institute, the research, education, and leadership development arm of America’s Essential Hospitals.
The guide provides summaries of and, in many cases, results for winners, honorable mention recipients, and highlighted programs in the Gage Awards’ Quality and Population Health categories. It also includes a section of eight programs highlighted as “COVID-19 Innovations,” a special category America’s Essential Hospitals added for 2021.
Essential hospitals share a commitment to caring for low-income and other marginalized people, and the association and its more than 300 members focus much of their work on equity and reducing disparities in health and health care. This safety net mission is a common thread through the programs featured in the guide.
“Improving equity and confronting structural racism are central to our hospitals’ work,” Ramiah said. “This year’s Gage Awards demonstrate how our members rose to challenges posed by systemic barriers to care and social determinants that contribute to poor health.”
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About America’s Essential Hospitals
America’s Essential Hospitals is the leading champion for hospitals and health systems dedicated to high-quality care for all, including the most vulnerable. We support our 300 members with advocacy, policy development, research, and education. Communities depend on essential hospitals to provide specialized, lifesaving services; train the health care workforce; advance public health and health equity; and coordinate care. Essential hospitals innovate and adapt to lead the way to more effective and efficient care.
About Essential Hospitals Institute
Essential Hospitals Institute is the research, education, dissemination, and leadership development arm of America’s Essential Hospitals. The Institute supports the nation’s essential hospitals as they provide high-quality, equitable, and affordable care to their communities. Working with members of America’s Essential Hospitals, we identify promising practices from the field, conduct research, disseminate innovative strategies, and help our members improve their organizational performance. We do all of this with an eye toward improving individual and population health, especially for vulnerable people.
Contact:
Carl Graziano
cgraziano@essentialhospitals.org
202.585.0102
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