A Message from the President
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A Message from the President
At Advocate Bethany Hospital, our
programs and services extend well
beyond the walls of the hospital
into the neighborhoods we are
privileged to serve.
As part of Advocate Health Care,
we provided more than $296
million in charitable care and
services to benefit patients, families
and communities across
metropolitan Chicago in 2006.
You will learn more about these
important community partnerships
and programs in this issue.
Also highlighted in our fall Pulse
is a compelling new program,
Choosing Life, as well as an update
on health care legislation.
We are proud to serve you and
your community.
Lena Dobbs-Johnson
President
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Choosing Life Offers Hope for Heroin Recovery
Heroin addicts have an additional resource for recovery thanks to
Choosing Life, a pilot program that addresses the needs of the
communities served by Advocate Bethany Hospital...
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Choosing Life Offers Hope for Heroin Recovery
Heroin addicts have an additional resource for recovery thanks to
Choosing Life, a pilot program that addresses the needs of the
communities served by Advocate Bethany Hospital. Choosing Life is a
visionary, three-pronged approach employing medication, case
management and church-based addiction support. The hospital is
partnering with a number of west side organizations and institutions,
including: Access Community Health Network; Lawndale Christian
Health Center; First Baptist Congregational Church; Lawndale
Community Church; Mandell United Methodist Church in Chicago;
and Peoples Church of the Harvest. Advocate Health Care will provide
$90,000 to pay for the medications needed by the Choosing Life program.
At a press conference announcing the launch of
Choosing Life, Lena Dobbs-Johnson, Bethany
Hospital’s president, said, "This is a program that we
believe will provide people in our community with
hope for a healthy future. It holds much promise
because it is built on the idea that people in crisis
must have a network of support. They need us.
They need all of us."
Dr. Abdel Fahmy, medical director for substance abuse
programs at Access Community Health Network,
noted "Heroin addiction has long been a terrible
problem, especially in urban areas such as ours. In
recent years, heroin laced with the chemical fentanyl
has caused many additional deaths, motivating us to be
more aggressive in helping addicted individuals. Choosing Life will use a
new drug, buprenorphine, which works best in a setting where the
individual is getting very aggressive medical case management along with
strong social support."
Congressman Danny K. Davis, who attended the press conference and is
a strong supporter of Choosing Life, said "If this program helps even just
two people, it will be great for our community. If it helps five it will be
tremendous. If it helps 10 people, Lord have mercy!"
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Someone you should know
Merry Jones, MSN, RN, is a PCC nurse in the Prompt Care unit of Advocate Bethany Hospital.
She also serves as the hospital’s Nurse Advocacy Council representative...
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Someone you should know
Merry Jones, MSN, RN, is a PCC nurse in the Prompt Care unit of Advocate Bethany Hospital.
She also serves as the hospital’s Nurse Advocacy Council representative.
What motivates you to be an advocate for nursing issues?
First and foremost, I am an advocate for patients and their care. I believe whole heartedly in the
faith-based values and mission of Advocate Health Care, so it only seems natural to be an advocate for
the nurses who provide that care to the patients. Nurses sometimes underestimate the value and worth
they bring to the health care environment. Nurses are also expected to work in a sometimes difficult
environment. I really do believe the best way to improve any situation is to give a voice to those who
are providing front-line care for our patients.
What is one valuable experience you have had since joining the Nurse Advocacy Council?
Being exposed to the legislative process has been very helpful to me. It has motivated me to learn more about what our
local legislator’s position is on an issue and how their vote may affect me as a nurse.
What do you hope to bring back to the nurses at your hospital by serving on the Nurse Advocacy Council?
I want to bring back information on legislative agenda items that may negatively impact hospitals and nurses. The impact
is sometimes so deep that it hinders the nurses’ ability to perform their jobs and provide the care our patients deserve.
By letting more nurses know about these types of bills, we can be sure our voice is always heard.
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Medical Mission
Making an impact for our patients
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.
Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime....
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Medical Mission
Making an impact for our patients
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.
Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime. In
keeping with Advocate’s faith-based values, Advocate
Bethany Hospital focuses on education to improve the
life-long health of its community. Bethany Hospital’s
Adopt-a-School program works in two ways: teaching
people to better care for themselves and to care for others.
First, Bethany nurses and educators visit schools to
provide free asthma screenings for students. “Asthma
affects African-Americans, especially those living in the
inner city, in disproportionate numbers,” says La Trice
Jackson, RN, Bethany Hospital’s community health
coordinator. “So the hospital has made confronting
asthma a priority.” Asthma, a chronic disease in which
airways become inflamed and narrow, restricting airflow
from the lungs, can result in emergency department
visits, hospitalization and lost school days. Health
educators provide information to students, teachers and
parents about what triggers asthma and how to treat and
manage symptoms to help them avoid hospital visits.
Second, Bethany Hospital partners with John Marshall
High School’s Allied Health Program to train the next
generation of health care providers. Marshall’s program
prepares students for training as a Certified Nurse
Assistant or Licensed Practical Nurse over three years of
curriculum and on-site training. Bethany Hospital is the
training ground, where students do their clinical rotations
and can choose to assist with the hospital’s community
outreach department. Through these free health
programs, Bethany Hospital is making an impact on its
community now and for years to come.
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Advocate Health Care’s 2006 Community Benefits Contribution
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Advocate Health Care’s 2006 Community Benefits Contribution
Charity care and other uncompensated
costs*: Care that is provided free,
subsidized or without full reimbursement
from Medicare, Medicaid or other
government-sponsored programs.
$224,121,000
Subsidized health services: Services that
respond to unique community needs,
such as neonatal intensive care and
behavioral health services; as well
as health screenings, immunization
programs, school-based health care and
other community outreach programs. $14,250,000
Hospital-based education: Education to
train physicians, nurses, radiology
technicians, physical therapists and
a host of other highly skilled health
care professionals. $44,471,000
• Volunteer services: Services provided by
hospital workers who volunteer in their
communities and community members
who volunteer at hospitals. $2,913,000
• Language-assistance services: Services,
such as translators, as well as signage,
forms, brochures, patient education
materials and other information in
languages other than English.$1,334,000
Donations: Contributions by hospitals
of meeting and clinic space, as well as
other assistance to community groups.
$8,944,000
Total Community Benefits Contribution**:
$296,033,000
* Includes unreimbursed costs of Medicare, Medicaid and other government-sponsored programs and bad debt.
** Includes unreimbursed costs of community benefits activities of Advocate’s eight hospitals, home health care operations, and other non-profit health care operations.
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For more information and a complete listing of local events, please call 1.800.3.ADVOCATE
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