We went to visit Mt. Sinai Hospital yesterday. It’s a safety-net hospital that serves the southwest side of Chicago. While we were there, we met with Jesse Green. Jesse directs the community outreach efforts for the hospital system and all redevelopment of facilities to improve patient experience. The hospital system serves roughly 1.5 million people. Jesse explained that their work is trending towards outpatient care. Much of the work they do happens outside of the hospital, and with new technology they are beginning to care for their patients at home. An interesting consideration is that the often underprivileged patients they serve do not always show up to their appointments. Jesse’s team has made an effort to provide full service care when they do arrive. They are also using patient’s cell phones to track them and contact them to make sure they’re getting the proper treatment.
In class we have spoken a lot about health determinants. Mt. Sinai is responsible for covering the healthcare sector, but they making amazing strides to touch the other determinants. They have a long list of outreach programs to help different demographics of the community. One example, ‘My Shoes Violence Prevention Program’, is a group of former gang members and people with disabilities. These educators visit schools to enlighten students about the reality of gang membership. They answer questions and serve as an example for why gang affiliation is the wrong direction for their future. Community groups like these make powerful strides towards the elevated well-being of their community. The remarkable efforts that Jesse and his team are making are important to keep in mind as we design our health community in studio. There is far more to consider outside the walls of the hospital at this site and in this community.
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