St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System in Savannah, Ga. Receives Prestigious $100,000 Foster G. Mcgaw Prize for Excellence in Community Service

CHICAGO, January 23, 2013 /3BL Media/ - In honor of its broad-based efforts to improve the lives of the most vulnerable members of its community, St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System in Savannah, Ga. is the recipient of the 2012 Foster G. McGaw Prize for Excellence in Community Service, one of the most esteemed community service honors in healthcare.

Each year, this $100,000 prize is presented to a healthcare organization that provides innovative programs that significantly improve the health and well-being of its community. The Foster G. McGaw Prize is sponsored by The Baxter International Foundation, and the American Hospital Association (AHA) and Health Research & Educational Trust.

Named as finalists for this year’s award and receiving $10,000 each are Seton Healthcare Family in Austin, Texas; Cheyenne Regional Medical Center in Cheyenne, Wyo.; and Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Conn. St. Joseph’s/Candler was a finalist for the 2004 Foster G. McGaw Prize before receiving the top honor for 2012.

“St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System takes a holistic approach to healthcare, believing that good health means addressing the whole person, not just physical health,” said John O’Brien, chair of the Foster G. McGaw Prize Committee. “It promotes numerous initiatives that address many healthcare and social issues that negatively affect the health and well-being of individuals and the community. The system’s major initiatives tackle disparities in care to connect residents to essential resources, improve access to care for the uninsured, address basic life issues like housing and nutrition, and provide education in a variety of areas to help individuals and families overcome poverty. Through these efforts, working with community partners, St. Joseph’s/Candler demonstrates its commitment to positively impact the overall health of its community.”

St. Joseph’s/Candler is a faith-based, locally owned, not-for-profit health system formed in 1997 as a result of a joint operating agreement between St. Joseph’s Hospital and Candler Hospital – two of the oldest continuously operating hospitals in the nation. The combined 636 licensed acute care beds at these two anchor institutions serve more than 750,000 individuals in coastal Georgia and South Carolina, with the mission of treating illness and promoting wellness for all people. St. Joseph’s/Candler employs more than 3,000 people and offers healthcare services across the entire continuum, including local and regional primary care, specialized inpatient and outpatient services, and home healthcare services, as well as a wide variety of community outreach and education efforts throughout the region. The organization’s faith-based, holistic approach to healing encourages individuals to become more knowledgeable about their personal health, and through strategic planning with numerous community partners, St. Joseph’s/Candler seeks to make a compassionate impact on the lives and the health of its patients and community.

“We are deeply honored to receive this award and grateful to have been given the opportunity to share some of our outreach programs with the Foster McGaw committee,” said Paul P. Hinchey, President & CEO, St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System. “We have always believed that external factors strongly influence good health, including safe and adequate housing, education, access to information and meaningful employment. What we have accomplished through our community outreach programs can be replicated anywhere in the country. We are excited for the opportunity to share these efforts with our colleagues and are humbled to have been selected from such impressive finalists. This award honors our co-workers and the Savannah community in general, for focusing on the social determinants of a healthy person.”

Among other programs, St. Joseph’s/Candler was recognized for the following innovative community service initiatives:

• African-American Health Information and Resource Center – Opened in 1999 to address disparities and connect Savannah’s poorest residents to essential health resources, this program offers health screenings and seminars, reading and math tutorial programs, computer and Internet access, a “living smart” fitness club and professional puppet shows to help children learn how to develop good health habits. The program has served more than 15,000 individuals in the past year.
• Good Samaritan Clinic – Launched in 2007 as a collaboration between St. Joseph’s/Candler, the Georgia Department of Community Health and a local Catholic church, the clinic provides free medical care and medical translation services to a growing number of local residents – particularly Latinos – who are without health insurance. The program served more than 2,100 patients in 2011, and an outcome study of individuals who took part in the clinic’s diabetes education program showed that, after the education session, more than half of them were able to bring their blood sugar under control.
• St. Mary’s Community Center – A living demonstration of the
  St. Joseph’s/Candler mission that education is the key out of poverty, the center offers a preschool program, after-school tutoring, General Education Development (GED) test preparation, money management counseling and job training skills to individuals and families from Savannah’s poorest census tracts.
• St. Mary’s Health Center – Launched in 2005 as a two-morning-a-week triage and referral center operating out of a 10-foot x 10-foot space in the community center’s computer lab, the health center is now a 5,000 square-foot, 40-hour-a-week primary medical home for more than 60,000 uninsured individuals in Chatham County, Ga.
  St. Joseph’s/Candler provides free lab services, radiology, diagnostic testing, procedures, screenings and in-patient hospital stays, if necessary.
• Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program – Operating since 2002, St. Joseph’s/Candler partners with the Internal Revenue Service and about 30 volunteers each year to prepare taxes for the “working poor.” The program has grown from 65 tax returns prepared the first year, with total combined refunds just shy of $100,000, to 745 tax returns filed in 2012, with a combined refund value of $1.5 million.

“The Foster G. McGaw Prize recognizes healthcare organizations that serve as role models for improving the health and well-being of the people in their communities. This year’s winner and finalists exemplify what it takes to meet the unique needs of the diverse communities they serve,” said O’Brien. “Through leadership and collaboration with community partners, they enhance the lives of vulnerable populations and area residents as a whole.”

2012 Finalists

Three Foster G. McGaw Prize finalists were also recognized for their significant accomplishments in community service. Each received a $10,000 prize:

• Seton Healthcare Family in Austin, Texas, for working with healthcare providers and community partners to develop, fund and operate healthcare management innovations that will assure access to quality care for thousands of uninsured and underinsured Central Texans.
• Cheyenne Regional Medical Center in Cheyenne, Wyo., for its commitment to building partnerships that promote healthy, strong and safe communities throughout Laramie County, Wyoming and the surrounding areas.
• Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Conn., for its sponsorship, development and participation in a wide variety of community-based programs and services that benefit residents of New Haven and the surrounding region.

St. Joseph’s/Candler of Savannah, Georgia is a national Magnet-designated facility for nursing excellence, with a focus on the latest technologies and research. Its comprehensive network includes centers of excellence for oncology, cardiovascular, neurosciences, women’s and children’s services, orthopedics and a variety of other disease specialties. SJ/C's Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion is one of only 19 health systems selected as part of the National Cancer Institute's Community Cancer Centers Program, bringing the latest clinical trials and treatments to local communities. Comprised of two of the oldest continuously operating hospitals in the United States, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Candler Hospital, this not-for-profit health system serves 33 counties in southeast Georgia and the South Carolina Low Country and is the largest and only faith-based institution in the region. For more information, visit www.sjchs.org.

The Foster G. McGaw Prize, celebrating more than 25 years of honoring excellence in community service, recognizes healthcare organizations that are committed to community service through a range of programs that demonstrate a passion and continuous commitment to making communities healthier and more vital. The prize, first awarded in 1986, inspires hospitals, health systems and communities to assess and implement programs that improve their communities. For more information, visit www.aha.org/foster.

The American Hospital Association is a not-for-profit association of healthcare provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include almost 5,000 hospitals, healthcare systems, networks and other providers of care and 42,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for healthcare leaders and is a source of information on healthcare issues and trends.  For more information, visit the AHA Web site at www.aha.org.

The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX), helps organizations expand access to healthcare in the United States and around the world. The foundation, established in 1981, focuses exclusively on increasing access to healthcare particularly for the disadvantaged and underserved in communities where Baxter employees live and work. Baxter International Inc., through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures and markets products that save and sustain the lives of people with hemophilia, immune disorders, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma, and other chronic and acute medical conditions. As a global, diversified healthcare company, Baxter applies a unique combination of expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to create products that advance patient care worldwide. For more information, please visit www.baxter.com.

Founded in 1944, the Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET) is a private, not-for-profit organization involved in research, education and demonstration programs addressing health management and policy issues. An affiliate of the American Hospital Association, HRET collaborates with healthcare, government, academic, business and community organizations across the United States to conduct research and disseminate findings that shape the future of healthcare. For more information about HRET, visit www.hret.org.

Media Contacts:           Elizabeth Lietz, American Hospital Association, (202) 626-2284         

                                    Elaine Salewske, Baxter International Inc., (805) 372-3142

                                    Scott Larson, St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System, (912) 819-8139