The Affordable Connectivity Program provides low-income households with up to $75 a month to pay for internet service plans.

This Oct. 31 convening will gather member leaders to share insights and receive resources to promote resilience and reduce greenhouse gases.

George Mason University and Postgraduate Institute for Medicine and StressPal Inc. have opened enrollment for a no-cost, self-paced program to prevent burnout and promote resilience among health care professionals.

The April 13 webinar will highlight how health care institutions can advance climate-informed patient care, climate mitigation, and community climate resilience.

The Health Systems Implementation Initiative aims to decrease the lag between publication of health research and adoption of findings into practice.

George Mason University will offer a lecture on workplace well-being and "mental health first aid" trainings for health care professionals.

The National Academy of Medicine seeks input from health care stakeholders on health sector decarbonization and the effect of climate change on health.

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) seeks community input on opportunities to develop and support the PCOR workforce and offers a grant alongside AHRQ to support Learning Health System Embedded Scientist Training and Research Centers.

Working with Essential Hospitals Institute and the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, George Mason University will offer virtual Mental Health First Aid trainings for health care workers.

The National Academy of Medicine invites organizations to join its Action Collaborative on Decarbonizing the U.S. Health Sector.

The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) consortium seeks clinics serving patients with low literacy levels to test a new, easier-to-read survey. CAHPS surveys typically are written at the 10th-grade reading level; the new EZ-CAHPS is written at the 5th-grade level.

Hospitals are invited to apply for a new learning collaborative to create or enhance office-based addiction treatment programs for opioid use disorder.

An upcoming members-only learning collaborative will offer expert insight, technical guidance, and peer support to improve Black maternal health outcomes. 

The project will support coalition work to target social determinants of health outcomes related to chronic conditions.

A new grant program will support work to incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion into internal medicine education and training.

These grants will support projects that implement patient-centered outcomes research evidence into clinical practice through clinical decision support.

The fellowship aims to help physicians transform health care delivery systems, policies, and practices to improve the lives of disadvantaged populations.

In a new report, association member Norwegian American Hospital, an urban hospital filling a safety-net role in Chicago, outlines its journey and challenges faced during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Winners demonstrate environmental stewardship by reducing waste and hazardous chemical use and improving energy efficiency and sustainable food service.

A new report details how essential hospitals activated emergency plans and expanded capacity to perform COVID-19 testing, care for sick patients, and meet community needs.

The trial will test whether plasma from previously infected COVID-19 patients can help patients currently battling the virus recover more rapidly.

The case studies detail three health care organizations' patient and family engagement strategies, resources required, and effects on the organizations.

Patient trust in health care providers is associated with positive outcomes, yet few studies have explored patient trust in hospitals, particularly those serving vulnerable populations. Essential Hospitals Institute is working to fill that knowledge gap.

Build Healthy Places Network is surveying community development corporations about their work with health care partners to improve health in marginalized communities; the survey is due Feb. 7.

Researchers studied 3,608 hospitals nationwide, examining the associations between neighborhood social risk factors and seven CMS quality domains.

Registration for the eight-month food insecurity and housing insecurity cohorts, open to health care leaders and graduate students, closes Nov. 1.

The no-cost workshop will explore the benefits and challenges of promoting upstream interventions to improve population health and health equity.

Researchers at The Ohio State University invite clinicians to participate in an online survey about patients’ capacity to engage in health care.

Infants born to mothers taking naltrexone to treat opioid use disorder developed no signs of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome while hospitalized.

Proposals for projects to explore interest in social care and identify social risk screening and assistance strategies are due Sept. 30.

Health care practices participating in accountable care organizations (ACOs) are more likely than non-ACO practices to use home visits to manage patients who need complex care.

The National Institute on Aging has announced two new funding opportunities to recognize emerging physicians and health professional investigators focused on aging and aging-related diseases; applications are due Oct. 22.

Recognizing that 88 percent of U.S. adults lack health literacy skills, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality published several resources to make health information easier to understand.

The new web resource includes a rich collection of links to relevant studies and other research, a sidebar of reference materials, and a summary of how various organizations have worked to prevent burnout.

The retrospective study used AHRQ Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project data from 2011 to 2015 to estimate the effects of Medicaid coverage expansion on hospital utilization rates, costs, and patient illness severity.

Centering Healthcare Institute requests proposals for implementation awards to increase access to its CenteringParenting care model; second wave proposals are due May 31, and third wave proposals are due July 31.

A new case study highlights association member NYC Health + Hospitals' partnership with LegalHealth to provide legal assistance to patients.

Four essential hospitals were honored for their environmental sustainability practices and commitments to mitigate climate change.

This funding opportunity supports the formation of Maternal Mortality Review Committees, which will work with the agency to collect and analyze maternal death data.

This quality improvement and patient safety forum features expert speakers, transformation strategy workshops, and networking opportunities.

With a keen knowledge of community needs and resources, community health workers can have a powerful influence on health outside hospital walls.

The multiyear grant opportunity seeks to test and evaluate innovative approaches to address prediabetes, as well as support enrollment and retention in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention–recognized National Diabetes Prevention Program.

Essential Hospitals Institute seeks to partner with member hospitals that launched programs to adapt to climate change and improve community health.

Essential Hospitals Institute is committed to advancing the field of complex care, especially for hospitals serving a safety-net role. Institute Director Kalpana Ramiah, DrPH, MSc, took part in a recent conference where a new Blueprint for Complex Care was unveiled.

Applications will open Jan. 3, 2019, and applicants are invited to an informational town hall session on Jan. 22 at noon ET.

A new Health Affairs article links onsite wraparound services to a reduction in hospitalizations and emergency department visits at association member Eskenazi Health.

Health system leaders are encouraged to share with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation how consumers have changed their organization's practices; stories are due Oct. 24.

Essential hospitals MedStar Health, in Washington, D.C., and Christiana Care Health System, in Wilmington, Del., improved communication about patient safety events with a toolkit developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

This nine-month fellowship program for clinicians in safety-net settings will focus on reducing medical overuse, such as testing and treatments in which the potential harms outweigh the benefits; applications are due Dec. 3.

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute focuses on three new areas of interest in this funding opportunity, which supports clinical effectiveness research that seeks to eliminate health care disparities; letters of intent are due Nov. 6.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality will accept proposed topics for Evidence-based Practice Center reports through Sept. 21.

Applications are open for two projects of particular interest to essential hospitals: the Systems for Action research program and the Culture of Health Prize.

A vaccine developed in part by UTMB professor Thomas Geisbert, PhD, helped contain a recent Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Research, led by the University of Kentucky and supported by Essential Hospitals Institute, found that outcomes most important to patients and families are preparedness, accountability, and feeling cared for by providers.

Researchers found a decline in uninsurance rates and an increase in medical service use, access, and diagnosis of certain chronic conditions among previously uninsured adults.

Hospital ownership of physician practices can yield benefits, including improved responsiveness to patient needs, University of California researchers have found.

Henry Ford Health System, in Detroit, used electronic health records to decrease venous thromboembolism and improve preventive care, saving $1.44 million in direct costs and up to $3 million systemwide annually.

Recent research at the lab includes development of new evaluation tools for eye tracking, blood-based biomarkers, and brain oxygenation after injury.

This funding opportunity will support clinical effectiveness research involving populations at risk for health disparities; the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute will issue a full announcement on Jan. 16, 2018.

Applications will open Jan. 16, 2018, and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute will hold an informational town hall session for interested applicants on Jan. 29 at noon ET.

Though the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends women get mammograms every two years starting at age 50, women surveyed prefer annual mammograms.

Patients who do not need to be admitted to the hospital are referred to the crisis stabilization unit at Sinai Health's Holy Cross Hospital for behavioral health treatment in a calm, safe space.

The test, which uses epigenetics instead of targeting a specific tumor to detect cancer, could be simpler and more cost-effective than existing screenings.

Essential hospitals use naloxone, an overdose-reversal drug, to fight the growing opioid crisis; the association will host an Oct. 17 webinar on navigating the opioid crisis at essential hospitals.

A new website launched by Essential Hospitals Institute can help hospitals evaluate their community’s greatest needs to determine where population health efforts will be most valuable.

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute will hold an informational town hall session on Oct. 17 for interested applicants; letters of intent are due Oct. 31.

The Health Care Access Design Challenge, offered through the Federal Transit Administration, aims to overcome transportation-related barriers to health care access.

The 2018 Culture of Health Prize will honor communities for innovative partnerships and collective initiatives to improve population health.

Scientists at Oregon Health Sciences University, a member of America’s Essential Hospitals, for the first time used a gene editing technique to remove disease from a human embryo.

The map shows that 39 states experienced an increase in opioid-related hospitalizations, including 32 states that are home to at least one essential hospital.

Blood transfusions have long been used to compensate for significant blood loss or treat blood disorders, but some studies suggest they often are costly and unnecessary.

Boston Medical Center’s contribution will help finance new housing, retail, and job creation in neighborhoods where its patients live and work.

The study finds urban, nonprofit hospitals recognize the role of health disparities in outcomes, but could use greater incentives to make improvements.

A study finds hospitals penalized more often in the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program's first years — including safety-net hospitals — were more likely to be penalized all five years.

The campaign focuses on improving health equity, while acknowledging that environment and social factors play a large role in determining health outcomes.

Researchers examined outcomes in Kentucky, Arkansas, and Texas; they found expanding access to health coverage improved care access and affordability.

The 500 Cities Project — a collaboration between the CDC and RWJF — is bringing expanded public health data to 500 cities across the country, allowing communities to evaluate health on 27 metrics.

As a high priority for America’s Essential Hospitals, meeting patients’ social needs highlighted many educational sessions at VITAL2016, the association's annual meeting.

Researchers found significant health disparities between gay men, bisexual men, and bisexual women, compared with men and women who identified as heterosexual.

Panelists discussed problems and potential solutions at the briefing, which pointed to low patient engagement, lack of resources and knowledge, and the need to integrate physical and behavioral health as key challenges.

Downloadable tool from NCHPAD charts 5 sectors of the community and targets physical activity and healthy eating as key areas to improve population health.

The new BMC study underscores “the importance of continued support for safety-net and minority-serving hospitals as national reform unfolds."

Becker’s Hospital Review surveyed executives from each state on population health to determine the most pressing health concerns.

New report from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) outlines five tips — or “watch-outs” — for improving population health.

The agency examined existing research on vulnerable populations to provide strategies for reducing health disparities.

Reports from the Health and Medicine Division — formerly IOM — find that incorporating social determinants into EHRs would reduce disparities in care.

Updated: Annals of Surgery article covering the impact of patient socioeconomic status on operative mortality.

Findings from a recent population health study conducted by Essential Hospital Institute staff have been published in the March 2016 issue of the Journal for Healthcare Quality.

The Essential Hospitals Institute has compiled a compendium of tools that might be useful to essential providers as they pursue health equity goals.

America's Essential Hospitals initiative supports hospital's development of an electronic referral, or eReferral, program to connect vulnerable patients to much-needed specialty services.

Webinars to highlight diverse and timely issues, with a focus on bridging public health and health care; and community prevention and population health, and multisector engagement

Reports examine the extent of health gaps among counties, what factors influence local residents' health, and what can be done at the state and local levels to make improvements.

Institute researcher discusses the popular and up-and-coming movements in delivery system transformation and alternative payment models.

Articles focus on innovative waivers that support states in transforming delivery systems to improve access and quality of care. Another focus is Medicaid coverage in areas of crucial need, such as mental health care.

Articles cover the ACA's Medicaid expansion, Medicaid shortfalls and community benefit funds, and the impact of recent Supreme Court decisions on Medicaid.

The new website provides health care providers and policymakers with further information about the National Partnership as well as access to resources for collaboration and tackling health policy issues.

The Essential Women’s Leadership Academy aims to decrease the gender gap in executive level positions at essential hospitals.

Whether as part of community benefit requirements or in addressing the social determinants of health, hospitals can engage in community development initiatives to encourage health improvements beyond the hospital walls.

Findings suggest variation among four national hospital ratings systems decreases value to consumers and providers

Hennepin County Medical Center found that better communication, workflow, and targeted quality improvement projects improved physician burnout, dissatisfaction, and retention.

An interactive map takes you across the nation, exploring remarkable population health programs from members of America's Essential Hospitals.

In recent journal articles from the New England Journal of Medicine and Medical Care, researchers explore issues related to Medicare accountable care organizations and patient-centered medical homes.

Association researcher concludes web series by describing the web-like effect of social factors on health and treatment

Association researcher Janelle Schrag explores insights from APHA's annual meeting, which targeted neighborhood factors as important health indicators.

A recent Health Affairs article explores how Hennepin Health uses ACO savings from decreased ED visits, better primary care to help the homeless, mentally ill.

Recent journal articles explore socioeconomic status, accountable care organizations, and other issues relevant to essential hospitals.

Recent journal articles explore interventions to reduce readmissions, uncover barriers to recovery for vulnerable adults, decrease emergency department utilization, and more.

The social determinants of health are a critical topic for essential hospital providers - learn more from this avid researcher's perspective.

Recent articles from Health Affairs, the Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, the Journal for Healthcare Quality, and The New England Journal of Medicine explore efforts to reduce readmissions and infection rates, improve patient safety, and more.

Recent journal articles curated from Health Affairs and the New England Journal of Medicine highlight payment reform programs and strategies and the impact of socioeconomic status on readmissions.

A Truman Medical Centers study examines clinical decision support systems’ impact on venous thromboembolism prevention.

Senior Research Associate Katie Reid, MPH, explains data’s role in research and offers tips for how to keep analyses on track.

Research Associate Janelle Schrag recounts interviews with four essential hospitals about their chronic disease programs.

Recent studies, which appeared in the January 2014 issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, highlight how several hospitals successfully reduced patient harm in different areas of their organization.

Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital's patient safety officer highlights the power of data and transparency to reduce hospital harm events.