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“There was a guy standing at the end of my hospital bed that I didn’t know,” recalled Brandon Younce. “I’ll never forget this. He had a shirt on that said ‘Got Narcan.’ He introduced himself as Aaron from Voices of Hope. He said he was a peer recovery specialist, and he asked me, ‘Hey, man, are you ready to go to treatment?’” This encounter took place before the peer recovery specialist program at Voices of Hope formally partnered with ChristianaCare’s Union Hospital and the Cecil County Health Department in 2023 to grow the program into the robust offering it is today. For Younce, the program has meant not only a path to reaching and maintaining his own sobriety: It has also allowed him to become a specialist himself. And for the over 600 patients assisted through the program in fiscal year 2024, 440 of whom were connected to long-term recovery treatments, the program has meant receiving a chance at healing under the stewardship of peers who have themselves experienced addiction and recovery. Emily Granitto, M.D., of Emergency Medicine at Union Hospital, said that the process “works really seamlessly: We have a discussion with a patient and say ‘hey, we have someone available. Would you like to talk to peer recovery and see what we can do to help?’ Then a specialist comes, and they talk through the resources and options.” By having the specialist located in-hospital and ready with resources at the patient’s bedside, said Granitto, the chances for a patient’s successful transfer to long-term treatment are much higher than if the patient is expected to fend for themselves upon discharge. “We’re able to address their substance abuse concerns and tie it all into their visit here in the Emergency Department. That opportunity may not necessarily arise otherwise in the community — so offering it here and providing that olive branch can be a good bridge to the next step,” she said. The need for programs like these has never been more urgent. According to a 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment report from ChristianaCare and the Cecil County Health Department, Cecil County’s “drug poisoning death rate” is nearly double the statewide rate and triple the national average. Services like the peer recovery specialists at Union Hospital are a critical lifeline for many. Harnessing the Power of Lived Experience The peer recovery specialist program currently places 10 trained peer specialists at Union Hospital to provide supportive coverage for patients admitted to the emergency room in active withdrawal or with a history of addiction. “The peer program at Union Hospital is the perfect example of what is possible when you harness the power of lived experience and strong community partnerships,” said Health Officer Lauren Levy, JD, MPH, of the Cecil County Health Department. “The collaboration between caregivers and the peer workforce has been integral to strengthening linkages to care and improving health outcomes for people with substance use disorder.” In collaboration with caregivers — including doctors, nurses and social workers — these specialists help to support patients and to connect them with longer-term treatment and rehabilitation options within and outside of ChristianaCare. They’re present and available at the hospital from 8:30 a.m. to 1 a.m., seven days a week. Doctors and nurses who work alongside peer recovery specialists can pair patients with specialists based on patients’ needs; some patients are admitted in active withdrawal, whereas for others, a need for treatment comes up as part of their intake. “What the peers do is really very magical because they can connect to the patient,” said Lisa Fields, manager for community engagement on ChristianaCare’s Cecil County campus, “They can tell their story to the patient and say, ‘This is where I have been. I do understand.’” Partnerships Support People in Need Voices of Hope, with a primary mission of supporting addiction recovery for Maryland residents and their families, trains peer specialists alongside the Cecil County Health Department, another vital partner in the peer recovery specialist program. Training requires 500 hours in the role and 25 hours of supervision from a registered peer supervisor. Peer recovery specialists provide a form of connection that is unique and impactful for someone struggling with substance use disorder: empathy informed by personal experience. For Erin Wright, Voices of Hope’s chief operations officer, this partnership has enabled all the involved providers to build a unique, vital community to support people in need of help. “The opposite of addiction is connection,” she said. “I’ve had doctors come to my peers, and say, ‘How did you just do that?’ A peer can walk in the room and, in 20 minutes, walk out and say, ‘Listen, here’s the plan.” Back in 2019, Younce’s emergency-room encounter with Aaron led to a treatment plan that included rehab, which led to his graduation from treatment and ongoing sobriety, which then led to his decision to become a peer recovery specialist himself and eventually, he hopes, a social worker. “It’s very surreal,” he said, “working at Union Hospital and actually telling patients, like, ‘I know how you feel. I’ve been in this position.’” Recovery Support Through Project Engage in Delaware ChristianaCare’s commitment to supporting patients with substance use disorders is systemwide. Project Engage, a vital initiative serving ChristianaCare’s Newark, Wilmington and Middletown campuses, aids patients struggling with alcohol or drug use by providing early intervention and referrals to substance use disorder treatment. Peer recovery specialists engage with patients in the emergency department and at the bedside, helping them understand their substance use and offering treatment options. Since 2012, Project Engage has served more than 13,000 patients and conducted over 27,000 patient engagements, with more than 60% of these engagements resulting in referrals to community treatment at discharge.
ChristianaCare, Delaware’s Largest Private Employer, Raises Minimum Wage to $16.50 an Hour
ChristianaCare has increased its minimum wage to $16.50 an hour effective July 21, 2024. The new $16.50 per hour minimum wage exceeds federal, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania minimum wage rates. “At ChristianaCare, we are committed to creating health so that people can flourish, and that begins with our caregivers,” said ChristianaCare System Chief Operating Officer Ric Cuming, Ed.D., RN, NEA-BC, FAAN. “By investing in our caregivers and supporting their wellbeing, we support their ability to provide the very best care to our patients." ChristianaCare is the largest private employer in Delaware with nearly 14,000 employees. This is the second time in recent years that ChristianaCare has raised its minimum wage; in 2019, ChristianaCare was among the first health systems in the region to raise its minimum wage to $15/hour. This new increase to ChristianaCare’s minimum wage impacts approximately 850 caregivers who were below or near $16.50/hour. Download "It's important for us to lead by example in paying wages that support the financial wellbeing of our workforce,” said Chris Cowan, MEd, FABC, ChristianaCare’s Chief Human Resources Officer. "Substantially increasing wages is one way we continue to attract and keep top talent at all levels in this highly competitive market. By recognizing the valuable contributions of our caregivers, we can enhance staff retention, boost morale and support an exceptional experience for everyone we serve.” The increase is a part of ChristianaCare’s overall Total Rewards package for its caregivers, which includes a wide variety of benefits and support for caregivers and their families through all stages of life. Learn more about ChristianaCare’s Total Rewards here.
AI Art: What Should Fair Compensation Look Like?
New research from Goizueta’s David Schweidel looks at questions of compensation to human artists when images based on their work are generated via artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence is making art. That is to say, compelling artistic creations based on thousands of years of art production may now be just a few text prompts away. And it’s all thanks to generative AI trained on internet images. You don’t need Picasso’s skillset to create something in his style. You just need an AI-powered image generator like DALL-E 3 (created by OpenAI), Midjourney, or Stable Diffusion. If you haven’t tried one of these programs yet, you really should (free or beta versions make this a low-risk proposal). For example, you might use your phone to snap a photo of your child’s latest masterpiece from school. Then, you might ask DALL-E to render it in the swirling style of Vincent Van Gogh. A color printout of that might jazz up your refrigerator door for the better. Intellectual Property in the Age of AI Now, what if you wanted to sell your AI-generated art on a t-shirt or poster? Or what if you wanted to create a surefire logo for your business? What are the intellectual property (IP) implications at work? Take the case of a 35-year-old Polish artist named Greg Rutkowski. Rutkowski has reportedly been included in more AI-image prompts than Pablo Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, or Van Gogh. As a professional digital artist, Rutkowski makes his living creating striking images of dragons and battles in his signature fantasy style. That is, unless they are generated by AI, in which case he doesn’t. “They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But what about the case of a working artist? What if someone is potentially not receiving payment because people can easily copy his style with generative AI?” That’s the question David Schweidel, Rebecca Cheney McGreevy Endowed Chair and professor of marketing at Goizueta Business School is asking. Flattery won’t pay the bills. “We realized early on that IP is a huge issue when it comes to all forms of generative AI,” Schweidel says. “We have to resolve such issues to unlock AI’s potential.” Schweidel’s latest working paper is titled “Generative AI and Artists: Consumer Preferences for Style and Fair Compensation.” It is coauthored with professors Jason Bell, Jeff Dotson, and Wen Wang (of University of Oxford, Brigham Young University, and University of Maryland, respectively). In this paper, the four researchers analyze a series of experiments with consumers’ prompts and preferences using Midjourney and Stable Diffusion. The results lead to some practical advice and insights that could benefit artists and AI’s business users alike. Real Compensation for AI Work? In their research, to see if compensating artists for AI creations was a viable option, the coauthors wanted to see if three basic conditions were met: – Are artists’ names frequently used in generative AI prompts? – Do consumers prefer the results of prompts that cite artists’ names? – Are consumers willing to pay more for an AI-generated product that was created citing some artists’ names? Crunching the data, they found the same answer to all three questions: yes. More specifically, the coauthors turned to a dataset that contains millions of “text-to-image” prompts from Stable Diffusion. In this large dataset, the researchers found that living and deceased artists were frequently mentioned by name. (For the curious, the top three mentioned in this database were: Rutkowski, artgerm [another contemporary artist, born in Hong Kong, residing in Singapore] and Alphonse Mucha [a popular Czech Art Nouveau artist who died in 1939].) Given that AI users are likely to use artists’ names in their text prompts, the team also conducted experiments to gauge how the results were perceived. Using deep learning models, they found that including an artist’s name in a prompt systematically improves the output’s aesthetic quality and likeability. The Impact of Artist Compensation on Perceived Worth Next, the researchers studied consumers’ willingness to pay in various circumstances. The researchers used Midjourney with the following dynamic prompt: “Create a picture of ⟨subject⟩ in the style of ⟨artist⟩”. The subjects chosen were the advertising creation known as the Most Interesting Man in the World, the fictional candy tycoon Willy Wonka, and the deceased TV painting instructor Bob Ross (Why not?). The artists cited were Ansel Adams, Frida Kahlo, Alphonse Mucha and Sinichiro Wantabe. The team repeated the experiment with and without artists in various configurations of subjects and styles to find statistically significant patterns. In some, consumers were asked to consider buying t-shirts or wall art. In short, the series of experiments revealed that consumers saw more value in an image when they understood that the artist associated with it would be compensated. Here’s a sample of imagery AI generated using three subjects names “in the style of Alphonse Mucha.” Source: Midjourney cited in http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4428509 “I was honestly a bit surprised that people were willing to pay more for a product if they knew the artist would get compensated,” Schweidel explains. “In short, the pay-per-use model really resonates with consumers.” In fact, consumers preferred pay-per-use over a model in which artists received a flat fee in return for being included in AI training data. That is to say, royalties seem like a fairer way to reward the most popular artists in AI. Of course, there’s still much more work to be done to figure out the right amount to pay in each possible case. What Can We Draw From This? We’re still in the early days of generative AI, and IP issues abound. Notably, the New York Times announced in December that it is suing OpenAI (the creator of ChatGPT) and Microsoft for copyright infringement. Millions of New York Times articles have been used to train generative AI to inform and improve it. “The lawsuit by the New York Times could feasibly result in a ruling that these models were built on tainted data. Where would that leave us?” asks Schweidel. "One thing is clear: we must work to resolve compensation and IP issues. Our research shows that consumers respond positively to fair compensation models. That’s a path for companies to legally leverage these technologies while benefiting creators." David Schweidel To adopt generative AI responsibly in the future, businesses should consider three things. First, they should communicate to consumers when artists’ styles are used. Second, they should compensate contributing artists. And third, they should convey these practices to consumers. “And our research indicates that consumers will feel better about that: it’s ethical.” AI is quickly becoming a topic of regulators, lawmakers and journalists and if you're looking to know more - let us help. David A. Schweidel, Professor of Marketing, Goizueta Business School at Emory University To connect with David to arrange an interview - simply click his icon now.
Food is Medicine: ‘It’s Not Just About Food–It’s About Friendship
Kim Solomon’s kitchen showed all the signs of a good lunch in the making – chopped veggies on the counter, a few dirty dishes in the sink and two people laughing as they cooked. “Don’t worry, we’re going to clean all this up,” ChristianaCare community health worker Michelle Torres, BBA-HM, said as she sliced tilapia for the heart-healthy fish tacos she was making with Solomon. “I’m not worried about the mess, especially when it tastes this yummy,” Solomon said as she watched Torres place the raw fish – coated with panko crumbs, spices and an egg wash – into the air fryer. A few years earlier, Solomon’s lunch would have been something quick from the pantry after cooking for her sons or helping a neighbor. But after dealing with the life-threatening effects of high blood pressure, she is learning – with Torres’ help – how to prioritize her own nutrition and health. Solomon is one of more than 225 patients enrolled in the Delaware Food Farmacy, a ChristianaCare partnership with Lutheran Community Services that provides weekly deliveries of locally sourced produce, meat and other foods, along with one-on-one support from a community health worker. Delaware Food Farmacy participants report lower A1C blood glucose levels, healthier blood pressure readings and reduced body mass index. Dishing out good health “It took me getting very sick to finally make my own health a priority in my life, and that’s a humbling experience,” said Solomon, who lives in Bear, Delaware. “This is not just about food – it is about friendship, and Michelle’s support really gives me motivation. It keeps me excited to hear her voice and know that she’s there for me.” Kim Solomon (left) finds prioritizing her own nutrition and health can be delicious, as she prepares panko-crusted tilapia for fish tacos with community health worker Michelle Torres. ChristianaCare is expanding efforts to reduce food insecurity among patients in an ongoing commitment to ending disparities and in recognition that access to nutritious food is critical to overall health. In addition to the Delaware Food Farmacy, over 100 Maryland Primary Care Program (MDPCP) patients are participating in Healthy Food, Healthy Hearts, a 12-week program that delivers fresh groceries to under-resourced Medicare patients with complex health needs. “Our focus is empowering people to maintain their health by giving them the resources they need for whole-person care, including healthy food and education related to meal preparation and living with a chronic health condition,” said Erin Booker, LPC, chief biopsychosocial officer for ChristianaCare. “Through our work with our community partners in the Food Farmacy program in Delaware and our Healthy Food, Healthy Hearts program in Maryland, we are acknowledging the intersection of nutrition and health care and the importance of creating a more equitable food system.” Food is Medicine Both programs operate on the Food Is Medicine model, which recognizes that nutritious foods are essential for good health – and they must be accessible in the community, particularly in under-resourced areas. Studies have shown that evidence-based, tailored food interventions can lead to improved health outcomes and better use of health care services among participants while also reducing food insecurity, said Michelle Axe, MS, CHES, program manager of Food and Social Care Initiatives for ChristianaCare. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in 2023 that food insecurity results in nearly $77 billion in excess health care spending. Veggie power: Much of the food in the Food Farmacy is sourced locally through a cooperative agreement with Delaware’s Department of Agriculture and the Farm-to-Community Program, which connects local farms with organizations distributing food to the community. Among Food Farmacy graduates, 26% report a decrease in food insecurity and 18% said they experience less anxiety. “With these programs, we’re offering participants an opportunity to make a change in their life, not only for them as individuals, but for the entire family,” Axe said. “This is about more than food.” From farm to table Getting health care professionals to prescribe healthier food options – and then making it possible for the patients to obtain them – helps close the gap between medical nutrition and financial health, said Rob Gurnee, executive director of Lutheran Community Services. “Providing food – that’s our core competency,” Gurnee said. “What really makes this program different and incredibly valuable is that ChristianaCare can funnel the right people into the program and then maintain these relationships to help patients make changes that are sustainable. Together, we utilize the strengths of our organizations with the goal of improving health outcomes.” Each week, Delaware Food Farmacy participants select from a menu of fresh produce, lean meats and fish, whole grains, low-fat dairy, snacks and other healthy items, all of which fall under the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. Fresh-picked: With Delaware Food Farmacy, patients are getting local produce that is typically picked within 24 to 48 hours. Much of the food distributed through Delaware Food Farmacy is sourced locally through a cooperative agreement with Delaware’s Department of Agriculture and the Farm-to-Community Program, which connects local farms with organizations distributing food to the community. Solomon’s refrigerator is filled with local produce, eggs and lean meats from the Food Farmacy program, but it’s Torres who keeps Solomon on the path to good health with her encouraging personality and a tasty supply of easy-to-make recipes. A recipe for healthy eating: Air Fryer Fish Tacos. Kim Solomon’s review? “Yummy.” “She’s there to support you and help you understand it’s going to be OK,” Solomon said. “She goes above and beyond every time. We need more Michelles in our world.”
(WILMINGTON, Del. – December 1, 2023) ChristianaCare is investing $1 million in local nonprofit organizations to improve health for communities in Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Announced during a special event Thursday at Ezion Fair Baptist Church in Wilmington’s Southbridge neighborhood, the funding was given to 19 nonprofits through ChristianaCare’s Community Investment Fund. The fund supports partnerships to build the collective capacity of communities to address social, behavioral and environmental factors that impact health. “In order to improve health equity and accelerate progress in addressing the social drivers of health, we need partners,” said Bettina Tweardy Riveros, chief public affairs officer and chief health equity officer at ChristianaCare. “While ChristianaCare provides excellent health care, we also understand that we are not the experts on every social driver of health. And that’s why we are committed to strengthening these organizations and enhancing their ability to make a positive impact. Together, we are creating health in the neighborhoods and communities we serve.” As an anchor institution in the community, ChristianaCare invests in community health improvement programs as a core component of its community benefit activities. To date, ChristianaCare has provided more than $4 million to 52 community organizations through its Community Investment Fund, which was established in 2019. This year’s awardees received funding to support community health improvement initiatives in high-need communities to address a diverse array of health-related needs, including safe housing, access to nutritious food – and even climate change, which the White House recently highlighted as a social driver of health. One of the organizations that received a grant is Delaware Humanities, which provides educational and cultural opportunities to help Delawareans gain a deeper understanding of human identity. The Wilmington, Del.-headquartered nonprofit will use its grant to develop environmental justice toolkits designed to inspire, facilitate and guide conversations about the importance of environmental issues in Delaware. “Major focus areas at our organization include health and environment, which impact human behavior and our collective sense of well-being,” said Michele Anstine, executive director of Delaware Humanities. “ChristianaCare’s grant will help us empower our communities so they can more truly understand the deep connection between health and their environment and its profound impact on the human experience.” Good Neighbors Home Repair, headquartered in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, received a grant to expand its free home repair services to houses for low-income households, making their homes safer, healthier and more livable. “Many of the houses that we repair belong to people who are coming home after a hospital discharge,” said Brad Dunn, advancement director for Good Neighbors Home Repair. “They often are returning to homes with broken handrails and misshapen steps but are unable to pay for repairs because they live on fixed incomes. We are deeply appreciative that ChristianaCare is supporting our efforts to provide services that keep our clients safe, healthy and at home.” Recipients were selected based on the quality of their proposals and implementation plans, and on the alignment of their proposals with the key priorities of ChristianaCare’s Community Health Needs Assessment and Community Health Implementation Plan. The funded initiatives will be implemented throughout the upcoming year. The 19 latest Community Investment Fund recipients are: AIDS Delaware. Bayside Community Network, Inc. Children & Families First. Cornerstone West CDC. Deep Roots, Inc. Delaware 211. Delaware Center for Justice. Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Delaware Humanities. Delaware Interfaith Power & Light. Good Neighbors Home Repair. Green Beret Project. Healthy Food for Healthy Kids. Project New Start. Saint Patrick'’s Center. Sussex County Habitat for Humanity. The Resurrection Center. YMCA of Delaware. YWCA Delaware.
Peer Support Program Helps Patients With Substance Use Disorders
Recognizing that stigma may keep people from accessing treatment and recovery resources, ChristianaCare Union Hospital is partnering with the Cecil County Health Department and Voices of Hope to make peer recovery specialists available at the bedside for patients who have experienced a drug overdose or live with substance use disorder. Ten peer recovery specialists are available at Union Hospital seven days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. to talk with patients about behavioral health care navigation, access to treatment and referrals to harm-reduction and recovery-support resources. Patients can be connected with a certified peer recovery specialist if they are brought to the Emergency Department because of a drug overdose, or if they screen positive for substance use while they are a patient in the hospital. ChristianaCare Union Hospital is partnering with the Cecil County Health Department and the Maryland nonprofit Voices of Hope to make peer recovery specialists, pictured in blue t-shirts, available at the bedside for patients who have experienced a drug overdose or live with substance use disorder. Patients are not required to speak with a peer recovery specialist, but the specialists’ unique combination of lived experience and training to help people experiencing behavioral health issues offers an opportunity for people with substance use disorder to get help without fear of judgment or stigma. “Substance use disorder continues to be a serious health problem that affects people of all ages and walks of life,” said Lanre Akinkunmi, M.D., interim chief medical officer and medical director for population health at ChristianaCare Cecil County Campus. “The good news is that it is treatable, and when people are in the hospital or the emergency department, they are often most receptive to discussions about treatment. Through this expanded use of peer recovery specialists at Union Hospital, we are making a positive impact on the health of our patients and our community.” A voice of experience Peer recovery specialists who work on the weekdays are employed by the Cecil County Health Department, supported by a grant from the National Association of County and City Health Officials. Voices of Hope, a nonprofit focused on recovery support for people in Harford and Cecil counties in Maryland, employs the peer specialists working evenings and weekends. “This program is a great example of using resources wisely and effectively. We already know the tremendous work being done by Voices of Hope and Cecil County Health Department to help our neighbors who have been impacted by substance use disorder,” said Lisa Fields, manager of Community Engagement at the Cecil County Campus. “By partnering on this important program, we are building trust with our patients and helping them to get on the road to recovery.” Since the expanded program launched in September, there have been about 40 referrals for patients to speak with peer support specialists, and more than half of them have agreed to some kind of treatment, Fields said. Unique connection “Helping people get through what I went through really warms my heart,” said Hannah Dean, a peer recovery specialist with the Cecil County Health Department who works at Union Hospital. “I love what I do.” Cecil County’s death rate from drug overdoses is nearly twice as high as the rest of Maryland and more than three times the U.S. rate. The drug overdose death rate in Cecil County more than doubled between 2016 and 2020, according to the 2022 Cecil County Community Health Needs Assessment. Because peer support specialists have lived experience with substance use disorder and recovery, along with specialized training to support people struggling with mental health or substance use issues, they can connect with patients on a personal level and offer empathetic guidance, said Lauren Levy, health officer for the Cecil County Health Department. “Allowing peer recovery specialists to engage bedside with patients who may be struggling with substance use disorders will not only enhance access to behavioral health treatment but will also help reduce stigma surrounding substance use disorders and foster a more compassionate and supportive community,” Levy said. “We are honored to be a part of this innovative private-public collaboration and to work alongside ChristianaCare Union Hospital and Voices of Hope, Inc. This project helps to break down barriers to treatment and provide immediate support to those in need.” A history of support ChristianaCare has long been a pioneer in the use of peer recovery specialists, going back to the launch of Project Engage at ChristianaCare’s Wilmington Hospital in 2008. Union Hospital first partnered with the Cecil County Health Department 10 years ago to provide a peer recovery specialist in the Emergency Department. That program, the first of its kind in Maryland, was recognized with a best practice award from the Maryland Association of Counties in 2014. However, it operated only on weekdays during daytime business hours, and its ability to connect with hospital patients slowed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This reinvigorated peer recovery program is strengthened by the high level of collaboration among these Cecil County organizations, said Erin Wright, chief operations officer for Voices of Hope. “As community-based organizations, we are in a position to make a difference, and our perspective in the care for people with substance use disorder is really valuable,” said Wright, who has been in recovery for eight years. “As someone who has been through it, we are able to have that empathy. Even if the person does not want to go to treatment, you sit with them and maybe plant a seed.” Catharine Murray hopes her role as a certified peer recovery specialist can help someone struggling with addiction see recovery as a viable option for themselves. “This wasn’t available to me when I was trying to get better. I want to make it more accessible to others,” she said.
Think your city is ready for a cyber-attack? Think again according to our experts
There is no way around it; every day there are new cybersecurity threats to not only individuals, but governments at all levels as well. There have been some high-profile breeches that involve major cities like Atlanta and Baltimore. But those attacks are going to all levels, and recent research has shown most municipalities and cities are ill-prepared for cyberattacks. Research conducted by Donald Norris, PhD, and Laura Mateczun, JD, of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County along with William Hatcher, PhD, Wesley Meares, PhD, and John Heslen, PhD, of Augusta University, found various reasons why local governments struggle with cybersecurity. The research shows local governments recognize the need for cybersecurity but are not taking crucial next steps to ensure cybersecurity by integrating policies into daily management practices. Not just that, some local governments were unaware how often they were under cyberattack. Throw in budgetary constraints, and it leads local governments to be in a tough situation. That, unto itself, is a major sticking point, but the burden could be lessened. “Effective cybersecurity is expensive and too much of a strain on the budgets of many cities and counties,” said Hatcher, chair of the Department of Social Sciences in Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Augusta University. “This is why we suggest regional solutions to the program, so multiple governments carry the cost.” Meares, associate professor and MPA director in Pamplin College, added it’s not just the financial aspect, but said there’s a shortage of cybersecurity talent nationwide, which compounded with limited budgets, makes it tough to compete. In the quest for talent between private and public sector, usually the private sector can offer more to entice a cybersecurity expert to come work for them. There’s also an issue of many local governments using dated technologies, which may be easier for cyber criminals to attack. “Local government is increasingly being more digitally connected, with vital infrastructure, data and services connected which creates more opportunities for cyber-attacks. Additionally, local governments tend to lag in updating critical technology due to limited resources (both human and financial resources),” added Meares. None of this comes as a surprise in the lack of cybersecurity training. “It’s an expensive service for local governments to provide. This is why we suggest more budgetary support for the training,” said Heslen, assistant professor in Pamplin College. “We’re also unsurprised because local governments often struggle to fund professional training in other areas.” But researchers say there are ways to improve upon safety of critical data most notably adopting dedicated cybersecurity budgets funded at an appropriate level in all local governments. Those resources can help address many limitations in local government cybersecurity programs, from staffing and hardware and software deficiencies to awareness training for all parties in local governments. They also recommend the adoption and implementation of cybersecurity policies to manage and regulate actions taken by all that affect the organization’s cybersecurity. By taking the recommended actions, local governments will have a better chance to provide high levels of cybersecurity and protect their information assets more effectively. This is an important topic and if you are a journalist looking to know more about the importance of being ready and able to react if and when a municipality comes under threat from a cyber-attack - then let us help/. William Hatcher and John Heslen are both available to speak with media - simply contact them now to arrange an interview today.
#Expert Insight: Let’s Talk About Maternal and Postpartum Health
With increased maternal mortality rates in the news, and births involving inductions and c- sections on the rise despite their risks, Elizabeth Johnson-Young asks: 'What communication choices and strategies do women use after a negative birth experience?' Many women define certain aspects of childbirth as traumatic – from a mother or child’s life being put at risk to a host of less serious circumstances that can cause an unfavorable natal experience – and that can pose a threat to mental health. Who will they trust next when it comes to their maternal healthcare and their future decisions regarding birth? Johnson-Young’s project, “Birth, Trauma, and Communicating Maternal Health,” uses in-depth interviews of women who define their birth experience as difficult or traumatic. It focuses on choices and perceptions, and discusses the potential outcomes of listening, language and support. This is an important topic for health care providers, families and mothers and if you are looking to know more - then let us help. Dr. Elizabeth Johnson-Young is a published expert on health communication, especially maternal and family health. She is ready to help if you are looking to cover this topic - simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview today.
ChristianaCare’s Union Hospital has been recognized by Healthgrades as a 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award™ recipient. This distinction places Union Hospital, part of ChristianaCare’s Cecil County Campus in Maryland, among the top 10% of all short-term acute care hospitals as evaluated by Healthgrades. Union Hospital is one of only five hospitals in Maryland to receive the 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award™. “At ChristianaCare, we commit to being exceptional today and even better tomorrow,” said Kert F. Anzilotti, M.D., MBA, FACR, system chief medical officer. “We are proud that Healthgrades has recognized our deep commitment to excellence in patient safety. This award belongs to all our Union Hospital caregivers.” Among the most important ingredients to Union Hospital’s success in patient safety has been standardization of evidence-based practices. Examples include a standardized process for central line insertion that reduces the risk of central line infections, and standardized patient handling processes that help to prevent falls. Union Hospital also established a multidisciplinary committee that standardized caregivers’ approach to skin assessment to prevent pressure injuries. Safe care saves lives During the 2019-2021 study period, 164,592 potentially preventable patient safety events occurred among Medicare patients in U.S. hospitals.* Healthgrades’ analysis revealed that patients treated in hospitals receiving the Healthgrades 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award were, on average: 61.4% less likely to experience an in-hospital fall resulting in hip fracture than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.* 52.7% less likely to experience a collapsed lung resulting from a procedure or surgery in or around the chest than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.* 66.1% less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.* 67.3% less likely to experience catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in the hospital than patients treated at nonrecipient hospitals.* Healthgrades noted that if all hospitals, as a group, performed similarly to the 2023 Patient Safety Award recipients then 95,880 patient safety events could have been avoided on average.* “Through our 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Awards, we seek to recognize hospitals that excel in providing top-quality care for their patients while preventing serious injuries during hospital stays,” said Brad Bowman, M.D., chief medical officer and head of Data Science at Healthgrades. “We are proud to name ChristianaCare’s Union Hospital as a 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient and look forward to their continued efforts to make patient safety a top priority.” Consumers can visit healthgrades.com for more information on how Healthgrades measures hospital quality and to access the complete methodology. *Statistics are calculated from Healthgrades Patient Safety Ratings and Excellence Award methodology which is based primarily on AHRQ technical specifications (Version 2022.0.1) for MedPAR data years 2019 through 2021 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only.
Innovative virtual practice offers continuous, coordinated and connected care ChristianaCare has launched Virtual Primary Care, a new health solution that offers the benefits of a long-term relationship with your primary care team, with the convenience of virtual care that can be accessed at home, at work or on the go, using a smartphone, tablet or other digital device. The practice is an offering of ChristianaCare’s Center for Virtual Health. “Virtual primary care in most markets does not establish an ongoing relationship between the patient and the provider — it’s on-demand care with the next available provider,” said Sarah Schenck, M.D., medical director of Virtualist Medicine at ChristianaCare. “ChristianaCare Virtual Primary Care is different. We offer a personalized approach in which patients have the attention of their care team who are all focused on their specific needs and health goals. Each care team knows their patients and is actively working to help them reach their personal health goals. And when patients need specialized care or services, our providers have access to ChristianaCare’s network and the ability to refer to the trusted services and specialists a patient might need outside of primary care.” The practice is accessible to residents of Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey, New York and Florida and available by monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription. Plans are available for people ages 5 and older and start as low as $35 per month. The subscription provides full access to virtual primary care services — with no additional fees or copays — including same-day appointments, extended hours on nights and weekends, secure text-messaging and the convenience of always-on care. Services that are not a part of primary care, such as emergency room visits, lab tests, diagnostic imaging and specialist referrals, are not included in the subscription and would be subject to the patient’s existing health insurance coverage. “At ChristianaCare we are reimagining health care by making it radically convenient and accessible, and by creating a unique and personal experience,” said Sharon Anderson, MS, RN, FACHE, ChristianaCare’s chief virtual health officer and president of ChristianaCare’s Center for Virtual Health. “The Virtual Primary Care practice goes beyond simply offering video visits to patients. We’ve transformed care so it no longer revolves around waiting for an appointment — it’s immediate, coordinated, continuous. Patients can now access virtual primary care 24/7 as well as a host of other health services — all through their computer, tablet or smartphone.” When individuals sign up, they’ll choose their care team of experts including a primary care provider, nurse and a patient digital ambassador (PDA). The patient digital ambassador serves as a personal health guide to assist individuals with registration and technology set-up for their virtual visits. As a care team member, the PDA is available as a personal health guide, while the primary care provider supports patients with their clinical care needs. Once enrolled, individuals will receive a welcome kit tailored to their needs with tools to assist in their care, such as monitoring blood pressure, weight and temperature. Benefits of ChristianaCare Virtual Primary Care: Schedule a virtual checkup, communicate using video, send photos through secure text messaging and discuss health concerns and treatment options. Schedule same-day appointments and enjoy extended hours on weekends. Get quick referrals to specialists. Create a personalized Working on Wellness Plan (also known as WOW plan) to help achieve healthy goals around stress management, exercise, nutrition, sleep and more. For more information, visit the ChristianaCare Center for Virtual Health or call 302-428-2400.