Presenters
- Allison Brenner, PhD, MPH, Senior Director of Quality Management, Quality Improvement, and Population Health Research, Cascadia Health, Portland OR
- Mae Holsapple, MSW, Population Health Research Specialist, Cascadia Health, Portland, OR
Summary
Community healthcare organizations are accustomed to managing staffing shortages, burnout, and overwhelm, but these challenges have been amplified since the start of the pandemic. Despite evidence of the clinical value that population health work, quality improvement, and preventative health interventions provide to achieving high quality healthcare; these activities are often put on the back burner amidst crisis. Our Population Health Research and Quality Improvement team recognizes the paradox of workforce crisis and overwhelm, and the clear benefits of prevention and quality improvement work to achieving downstream health gains that may alleviate future challenges. In this presentation we address strategies to engage in research, quality improvement, prevention, and evaluation; while honoring the real struggles both healthcare staff and consumers face during a crisis. Specifically, we will discuss modifications we made to a number of grant activities to support integrated healthcare among individuals with mental health concerns. We will share our challenges and success around implementing a new tobacco cessation project; transitioning an in-person diabetes self-management group into a new virtual group; development and implementation of a new skills training service to help individuals with severe and persistent mental illness and diabetes engage more actively in their medical care; and the development and implementation of a new chronic pain group. The audience will learn tools and strategies to help move new projects forward and to maximize innovation in a challenging implementation environment.
Objectives
- Brainstorm and identify ways to engage in innovation in implementing health interventions/programs in a resource-limited (staffing and time) setting.
- Draw on a larger array of strategies to problem solve when implementing novel programs.
- Engage a diverse array of clinical and non-clinical stakeholders to plan, implement, and evaluate a pilot project.