St. Francis Health System Opens Institute of Chronic Health
Bon Secours St. Francis Health System last month took a pioneering step toward a new era of health care with the opening of its third campus, the millennium, and introduction of the St. Francis Institute of Chronic Health.
“From the very first concepts for the millennium property, we challenged ourselves to fulfill our mission ‘to be of good help’ in a remarkable new way,” said Valinda Rutledge, CEO of St. Francis.
Ms. Rutledge described the last 18 months of planning and building the facility as “revolutionary” in its approach.
“Beginning with its startling name – Institute of Chronic Health – this is an innovative and creative approach to how we all think about, talk about and engage people in reaching their best possible health.”
The key to all of the programs offered in the Institute of Chronic Health is St. Francis’ commitment to identifying, preventing and lowering risks for chronic diseases - cardiovascular disease (primarily heart disease and stroke), diabetes and cancer.
The facts around chronic disease are staggering in their implications both for personal health and for the effective functioning of the health system.
• Chronic disease is among the most prevalent, costly and preventable of all health problems
• Chronic diseases account for 70% of all deaths in the United States.
• The medical care costs of people with chronic diseases account for more than 75% of the nation’s $2 trillion medical care costs.
• Chronic diseases account for one-third of the years of potential life lost before age 65. (source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention / Chronic Disease Overview)
About the Institute of Chronic Health
All programs of St. Francis ICH address prevention or lowering the risk of progression of chronic disease. The names of each program are deliberately chosen to focus on the desired state of health – not the “disease” state.
HealThy Self, located on the second floor, features St. Francis programs of cardiac, pulmonary and vascular fitness. Upon referral by a physician to a HealThy Self program, clients meet with specially-trained nurses, exercise physiologists, dietitians and therapists. This care team works with each client’s physician to design a fitness program and individualized lifestyle plan that fits his or her personal needs. The team helps each client reach individual goals in order to achieve optimal health.
Early Detection and Renewal
Early Detection & Renewal, on the third floor, features multidisciplinary professionals specializing in the identification of personal risk factors that could lead to premature development of disease as well as focus on reducing an individual’s risk of developing secondary conditions related to a known chronic disease. Some of the tools utilized to detect and mange these risk factors include:
• Personal Health Assessments
• Blood and Genetic Testing
• Advanced Imaging, such as Spect CT, 64 Slice CT,
X-Ray; General, Cardiac, and Vascular Ultrasound
• Holter Monitoring
• Cardiac Echo
• Stress Testing
• EKG
At Early Detection & Renewal, clients are matched with a care team that provides them with ongoing, individualized medical management; care coordination and healthy lifestyle support to map his or her personal health journey.
Community Learning
Community Learning gives individuals and the community an opportunity to share triumphs, support one another, create knowledge transfer sessions, and innovate through collaboration — moving the whole community to a state of chronic health.
Support services in the Institute of Chronic Health include:
Laboratory - located on the first floor, offers a full range of clinical laboratory services to support the clients of the Institute for Chronic Health.
St. Francis Sleep Center - Bringing a valuable complement to Early Detection & Renewal, St. Francis Sleep Center is a full-service, state-of-the-art sleep center providing a disease-management approach with the primary objective being early detection of sleep disorders that correlate to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity.
A National Model of Employer/Healthcare Provider Partnership
A landmark partnership between Michelin North America and St. Francis will bring the resources of the ICH to a group of Michelin employees in a very real way.
At the core of this partnership is a singular focus: enable people with pre- or chronic diabetes to achieve their optimal health. While this sounds basic the current reality is that many patients with diabetes become challenged and discouraged as they cope with self-navigating through complex insurance and healthcare systems.
Diabetes is a complex diagnosis – requiring daily management. All-too-often every aspect of care results in a new cascade of challenges, which ultimately compete with the goal of controlling this disease and lowering risks for further consequences such as blindness, limb amputation or kidney dysfunction.
The Michelin / St. Francis program presents a radically new approach by replacing barriers with coordinated and streamlined care; providing knowledgeable “coaches” and mentors, and helping diabetics to achieve true lifestyle changes (diet, activity levels, regular monitoring with healthcare resources).
