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 March 2006 Back to Table of Contents Back to Archives Main Page Section: Being Well The Road to Wellness: Sheehan Memorial Health By Colleen Maroney Fahey
Today, visitors and patients are greeted by the cheery hellos of the receptionist, who identifies herself as Gerri as she shows the way to your appointment. Everyone, from doctors and nurses, to administrators and radiation techies, is friendly and helpful, assuring each visitor that things have changed here at Sheehan Memorial Health. The old has become new. Sheehan’s new name comes with a new attitude: a community hospital that’s about wellness, prevention and healing of all sorts. This turnaround began in earnest the day Sheila Kee became Chief Executive Officer. The same Sheila Kee, who made sure that Dennis Gorski’s county government was fiscally responsible, swelling county coffers with her belt-tightening strategies; and the same Sheila Kee who brought fiscal stability to ECMC until politics intervened. After spending almost two years in New York City working with CHCANYS (Community Health Care Association of New York State) she returned home to Buffalo to help turn around this small community hospital. CHCANYS president, Dr. John Rugge praised her as “our turn-around artist par excellance “and the New York State Legislature recognized these same attributes by appointing Sheila to the County Control Board. I asked Sheila about the name change and what it implied. She assured me that nothing has changed from a licensure standpoint, but Sheehan now emphasizes healing as a way to encourage primary care out-patients. “This is a little less frightening than a hospital to some patients and helps them to establish a better relationship with their doctors. The biggest challenge is that, because they perceive no real physical problems, chronic illnesses can go untreated for years. By the time they come in, they need acute care. We are trying to turn that perception around.” When Sheila took over the hospital in November 2004, it was already in bankruptcy, with few new patients. Since then it has grown its in-patient volume by 90%. “We have established linkages with area service agencies and local community groups. Simultaneously we have cut costs by paring down the work force and by restructuring utilities and administrative services,” said Kee. “Our growth can be attributed to a combination of new business and savings.” One of their largest programs is the “City View Treatment Center” an inpatient detoxification program which provides crisis services for persons suffering from chemical abuse or dependence. Under the care of an expert team of medical personnel, patients undergo a complete medical examination, and medication is then prescribed for a safe and confortable detoxification. The average stay in Sheehan’s Detoxification Unit is three to four days. This is followed by a 28-day program that provides vital support to help clients live alcohol and drug free lives. Clients benefit from a holistic approach and participate in lectures, group therapy, one-on-one counseling, recreational therapy, HIV counseling, spirituality, education and job preparation. With a work force equivalent to 115 full time workers, including 20 doctors and nurse practitioners Sheehan is discovering new ways to help patients lead more healthful lives.
A new program, TECSYS, targeting 120 diabetes patients, began last month with a generous grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo. TECSYS is chronic disease management software that allows health care providers to ask the right questions during the patient’s visit to get at the major physical factors they need to analyze. It provides an easy way to collect clinical data and track progress, which in turn helps them refer the patient to expert specialty care, such as foot or eye care providers. It also allows them to produce reports that analyze the outcome of patient care. By testing and tracking, over time they can evaluate how new treatments work.The program is led by Dr. Paresh Dandona who is teaching Sheehan’s primary care providers on the effective techniques in the treatment of diabetes, ensuring that each provider is well trained at the end of the year when the grant ends. Sheehan also helps people find new ways to pay for these programs. If patients have no insurance, Sheehan will assist those eligible to sign up for existing public programs. Sheehan also has a “Reduce Fee for Care Program” which links income and family size with discounts up to 70% based on individual factors. They also help patients figure out new ways they can pay for prescription drugs. Through a new partnership with MetcareRx, Sheehan is able to offer prescription drugs at prices 40% below retail costs. The prescription drug discounts are available to Sheehan patients and to persons who participate in Sheehan’s Exercise for Health Workshops, which features exercise instruction and healthy living information. Began in May of 2005 with just four participants, these wellness workshops now attract over 90 individuals monthly. With 88% of their constituents from the city, specifically the east side, Sheehan’s mission is to provide quality health care to a community that is, for the most part, found among the poor and working-poor. Sheehan is reaching out to that community, providing a one-stop center for community wellness. Patients can access primary health care, specialty care, prescription drugs discounts, x-rays, labs, cardiac tests, exercise classes and lead screening, all at at one convenient location and accessible by public transportation. One of the first things Sheila Kee did when she came to Sheehan was to remove the tolls in the parking lot so that no one would have to pay to park. It was a sign of welcome to the community — a sign that things have indeed changed at Sheehan Memorial Health. Sheehan Memorial Health | 425 Michigan Ave., Buffalo | 716-848-2000 | www.smhhealth.org. back to top back to table of contents Current Issue | About Forever Young | Where to Find | Advertise | Our Advertisers | Community Calendar | Contest | Clubs | Contact Us | Archives | Home |
