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Hospitals are committed to the communities they serve. Being part of the community is a key component in the vision and mission statements of Georgia ’s hospitals. Each hospital strives to improve the health of their communities by providing safe, efficient, effective, timely, equitable and patient-centered care. Communities have traditionally trusted hospitals to provide high quality of care, education, and act as a resource for health, wellness, and prevention 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Recent national publicity regarding medical errors and perceived unfair billing practices has eroded that trust. Action must be taken now to rebuild confidence in hospitals and healthcare system. It is time to re-emphasize to our communities how we are pursuing our mission. We must share our stories with the people we serve! This requires helping our communities to better understand the health care delivery system, its financing structure, the hospital’s community benefits, and how we can all be good stewards of our limited health care resources. Statewide Initiatives Efforts are directed towards: 1) Expanding public’s knowledge regarding their hospital, health and healthcare issues and 2) Improving the health of the population served with a focus on increasing access and addressing health disparities. Strategies A major emphasis of the Georgia Community Connection program is support and enhancement of the AHA Community Connection Program to adapt it to the needs of Georgia ’s Hospitals. The program incorporates community benefit principles to assist hospitals in reaffirming and strengthening their role as a vital and valued community resource supported by the community and public. The community benefit principles are: Principle 1 – Emphasize disproportionate unmet health-related needs The following plan outlines activities to ensure goals and objectives are met. Revision may be made as we move forward to assure that specific steps/strategies are tailored to accomplish our goals. Partners regularly communicate and seek opportunities to openly demonstrate our partnership and collaborations. It encompasses the work of various departments internally as well. Community Health Connection has 2 main goals:
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