Caring for an Aging Population: CHI Health St. Elizabeth, Clinics named Age Friendly Health System
LINCOLN - Our population is older today than ever before. The U.S. Census Bureau projects the number of Americans 65+ will increase by nearly 50 percent by 2050. So how will our healthcare systems ensure they’re equipped to care for this aging population? The work has to start now, which is why CHI Health St. Elizabeth and CHI Health Clinics in Lincoln are proud to be named an Age Friendly Health System - Committed to Care Excellence through the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and the John A. Hartford Foundation.
CommonSpirit Health, CHI Health’s parent organization, selected St. Elizabeth and primary care clinics in Lincoln to pilot this program ahead of other locations throughout the healthcare system. The Age-Friendly Health Systems movement promotes reliable, evidence-based practices that lead to an improved patient experience, better health outcomes and lower costs for older adults. Over the last several months, the St. Elizabeth and clinic teams have been working to incorporate the The 4Ms of Care:
What Matters: Know and align care with each older adult's specific health outcome goals and care preferences including, but not limited to, end-of-life care, and across settings of care.
Medication: If medication is necessary, use Age-Friendly medications that do not interfere with What Matters to the older adult, Mobility, or Mentation across settings of care.
Mentation: Prevent, identify, treat and manage dementia, depression, and delirium across settings of care.
Mobility: Ensure older adults move safely every day in order to maintain function and do What Matters to them.
“St. Elizabeth and CHI Health Clinics in Lincoln are leading the way in making sure that every day, every older adult receives age-friendly health care,” said Jenny Stachura, CHI Health Nebraska/Iowa Market Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Care Services at St. Elizabeth. “This care movement helps us fulfill our mission of delivering human kindness in every interaction. Age Friendly Care goes beyond treating disease or illness, but simultaneously respects each patient’s wishes, values and beliefs.”
As of August 2023, more than 1,900 hospitals, practices, convenient care clinics, and nursing homes have been recognized as AgeFriendly Health Systems – Committed to Care Excellence. Globally, more than 2,480,000 older adults have been reached with 4Ms care, which has been found to extend the lifespan of adult patients by a little more than six months.
In addition to St. Elizabeth and CHI Health Clinics in Lincoln, CHI Health at Home - Home Care and Hospice and CHI Health St. Francis Senior Living in Grand Island were also a part of this pilot program and achieved Age Friendly Health System recognition.
About CHI Health:
CHI Health is a regional health network with a unified mission: nurturing the healing ministry of the Church while creating healthier communities. Headquartered in Omaha, the Midwest Region consists of 28 hospitals, two stand-alone behavioral health facilities, 200 clinics and 12,588 employees. CHI Health’s Midwest Region operates in four-states, serving Nebraska, southwest Iowa, North Dakota and Minnesota.
In fiscal year 2023, CHI Health provided $231.1 million in community benefit, including $183.6 million in care for the underinsured and uninsured, helping 196,181 patients.
CHI Health is part of CommonSpirit Health, one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the United States dedicated to advancing health for all people. It was created in February 2019 through the alignment of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) and Dignity Health. CommonSpirit Health is committed to creating healthy communities, delivering exceptional patient care, and ensuring every person has access to quality health care. CommonSpirit Health operates 142 hospitals and more than 1,000 care sites across 21 states. In FY 2023, CommonSpirit Health provided $2.9 billion in community benefit.
About Age-Friendly Health Systems:
Age-Friendly Health Systems is an initiative of The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), in partnership with the American Hospital Association (AHA) and the Catholic Health Association of the US (CHA). For more information, visit www.ihi.org/agefriendly.
