Heather Hostetter, LG Health Behavioral Health Manager, Caroline Barnhart, LG Health Manager of Counseling Services, Andrew Carter, HAP President, Rosemary Search, LG Health Health Promotion Specialist, Dr. Tara Tawil, LG Health Physician, Alice Yoder, LG Health Executive Director of Community Health, Julia Ressler, LG Health Health Promotion Specialist, Autumn Croasmun, LG Health Integrated Behavioral Health Counselor, Brenda Buescher, LG Health Health Promotion Specialist.
Lancaster General Health earned an Achievement Award from The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) for its outstanding effort to improve health care in the communities it serves.
LG Health’s entry, Aligning Efforts to Fight the Opioid Crisis, was chosen as a Community Champions Award winner. Fourteen award recipients were selected from 127 total award submissions, and were chosen for their exceptional work and innovation in community health projects, quality improvement efforts, and operational efficiencies.
In 2017, Lancaster Joining Forces was launched to strategically impact the number of deaths from opioid addiction in Lancaster County. With LG Health as the facilitator of Joining Forces, the organization brought together key stakeholders, including community members, health-care organizations and task forces to strengthen existing initiatives. Efforts include identifying and addressing gaps in services and resources and implementing unified, comprehensive strategies for addiction prevention, intervention and recovery monitoring.
“In 2018, with community partners, Joining Forces achieved one of our primary goals, which was to reduce deaths from opioids and heroin,” said Alice Yoder, executive director of community health at LG Health. “The number of overdose deaths declined 35 percent from 168 deaths in 2017, to 108 deaths in 2018. This decrease provides evidence of the power of partnerships within Joining Forces.”
“HAP congratulates the winners of the 2019 Achievement Awards for their dedication to putting the patient at the center of everything they do,” said Andy Carter, HAP’s president and chief executive officer.
“Each winning submission is a reflection of the communities they serve. Their commitment to breaking down silos, leveraging new and exciting partnerships, and addressing their communities’ most critical needs is a testament to their focus on improving the quality, value, and outcomes of the care they provide.”
Entries were evaluated by a 16-judge panel. The panelists, drawn from Pennsylvania and across the nation, represented the public and private sectors, business organizations, consumer groups and renowned health care quality institutes. The Achievement Awards program began during 1978.