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Spring 2021
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Issue: 01
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THE MAGAZINE OF HOAG’S COMMUNITY BENEFIT INITIATIVES
COVID CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM
CELEBRATING FIVE YEARS
FOCUS ON MENTAL HEALTH
A lifeline for the community
And looking toward the future
Shedding light on a critical topic
THE GOLDEN RULE
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Message from the Director
Dr. Gwyn Parry, Melinda Hoag Smith, Dr. Michaell Rose Welcome to The Golden Rule, our new magazine highlighting Hoag’s Community Benefit initiatives –– programs and services focused on improving the health and well-being of those in our community who are low income and vulnerable. Under the umbrella of Hoag’s Department of Community Health, Hoag spearheads various Community Benefit efforts; one such effort is the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living. Since the opening of the Center five years ago, we’ve endeavored to make a significant impact in our community by providing assistance to underserved, vulnerable, and at-risk individuals and families. The Center offers a modern take on health care, a collaboration which brings like-minded organizations and nonprofits together in one location. Services are offered at no cost –– and in addition to health care, include everything from legal aid to wellness classes to mental health care for the most vulnerable among us. The name “The Golden Rule” was chosen for two distinct reasons. First, because we wholeheartedly believe in treating others as we want to be treated ourselves: with kindness, care, and compassion –– principles at the heart of Hoag. And second, because The Golden Rule was the name of the general store in Wyoming where George and Grace Hoag got their start, the humble roots of the family’s success, and the generous philanthropy that followed which helped to establish
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in 1952. The pandemic magnified existing health equity issues in our community. Fortunately, the Center’s team was able to step in to respond to unprecedented demand for assistance during this stressful time. And thanks to generous donations, we were able to create and provide COVID Crisis Response Teams, as well as COVID vaccines, and a multitude of other urgently-needed services that are highlighted in the pages of this issue. We’re deeply grateful for the amazing effort of all those who make the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living happen: our generous donors, Hoag leadership, dedicated staff, volunteers, and collaberative community partners. Our success is truly a team effort. We look forward to our continued ability to provide critical assistance to those in need. With deepest gratitude,
Michaell Silva Rose, DrPH, LCSW Director of Community Health and Community Benefit
TABLE OF CONTENTS 01
03
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COVID CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM
THE PANDEMIC ADDS TO FOOD INSECURITY
MENTAL HEALTH
What would COVID look like to some Orange County residents in need if they had access to Hoag’s COVID Crisis Response Team?
Hunger exists closer than we might imagine right here in our backyard.
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07
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being.
08 * Please note that photographs in this issue were taken prior to and at various times during the pandemic and therefore, mask use is varied.
JUST BREATHE
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Breath can be a powerful The Melinda Hoag Smith tool in calming the mind and Center for Healthy Living reducing anxiety. is a collaboration of partners –– like-minded SPREADING THE WORD organizations and nonABOUT MENTAL HEALTH profits together in one location. May is mental health
PROJECT WIPEOUT Project Wipeout has grown into a powerhouse program that goes beyond just beach-related spinal cord injuries.
awareness month. What exactly does that mean?
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PROFILE: MELINDA HOAG SMITH
PROMOTORES
PROFILE: LINDA AND TOD WHITE
Melinda Hoag Smith feels a tremendous sense of pride in her family’s philanthropic legacy.
They are the bridge between low-income families and the services that exist to help them.
Linda and Tod White have long supported a wide variety of non-profit organizations in Orange County.
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COVID Crisis Response Team What would COVID look like to some Orange County residents in need if they had access to Hoag’s COVID Crisis Response Team? Would outcomes be different? Severity of cases reduced? Lives saved?
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The pandemic has been challenging for us all, but especially so for those living with limited resources in high-risk situations. For those residents, the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living has filled this gap with its COVID Crisis Response Team, offering a literal lifeline for the most vulnerable among us. Underinsured essential workers with preexisting conditions. Extended families living together. The unemployed. People reliant upon mass transit. These are some of the most vulnerable in our community. When COVID hit Orange County, these people were at high risk for exposure, but had few resources to protect themselves. Recognizing this emerging and urgent need, the Center responded with the formation of the COVID Crisis Response Team, a team made up of talented professionals, compassionate volunteers and generous nonprofit partners who care about the well-being of the people in our community hardest hit by the pandemic. Professionals on the team include a social worker from the Mental Health Center, a case manager, and a registered nurse to help families navigate through the numerous issues related to having a COVID diagnosis. In addition to nursing intervention and social
support, the team offers comprehensive case management for complex health and psychological needs, along with fulfillment of vital daily needs such as food, utility, and rental assistance. Food boxes, coordinated meal deliveries, hygiene kits and gift cards have helped meet the daily, basic needs of struggling families. The ongoing social support and health education provided by the COVID Crisis Response Team has vastly improved outcomes for so many. Since its opening in 2016, the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living has made a tremendous impact on the community by focusing on social determinants to health and health equity. The Center’s mission to provide assistance to the under-resourced and atrisk individuals and families in our community has become especially crucial during this unprecedented health crisis. The COVID Crisis Response Team has provided a vital lifeline for those in need and is just the latest example of the Center’s positive impact on the surrounding community.
COMMUNITY BENEFIT EFFORTS: FOCUSING ON COVID-19 MARCH 2020 - APRIL 2021
2,592
4,545
460
15,874
Mental Health Center Case Management & Psychiatry Services
Therapy Sessions
Individuals Served Through COVID Crisis Response Team
Individuals Received Food Assistance
4,204
$134K
54,516
2021 Community Benefit Grants
Individuals Served Through Community Workshops
Rental Assistance
Diapers Distributed
1,593
2,359
$350K
294
Door-to-Door Visits
Individuals Served Through Wellness Classes
COVID-19 Emergency Grants
Lives Saved From Blood Donations
11,592
$19.4K
28,190*
Calls for Crisis Response & Resource Brokering
Emergency Gift Cards
COVID-19 Vaccines (*Through 5/11/21)
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$3.6M
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The Pandemic Adds to Food Insecurity Hunger exists closer than we might magine right here in our backyard. And due to the COVID pandemic, more people, more families, and more members of our community are suffering from hunger and food insecurity.
A Team Effort
Many pandemic-related factors have played a part in the sharp rise in food insecurity –– from lost jobs, to school closings and along with it, government-funded lunch programs. The result has been a dramatic increase in the number of residents in our community who are hungry or food insecure. According to the US Department of Agriculture, nearly one in four US households has experienced food insecurity over the last year and Orange County is no exception.
To help address this urgent issue in our vulnerable low-income community and to meet increased demand during this challenging time, the Center has partnered with other like-minded, local organizations. One such organization is Second Harvest, which provides families with weekly food boxes. Other organizations including 211’s Delivering with Dignity, which deliver hot meals in partnership with local restaurants to the homes of seniors and others at high risk for COVID. And since Hoag cannot meet all the need alone, they also provide grants to organizations to help address food insecurity needs. In 2021, a total of $325,000 was invested to support the Meals on Wheels programs, Someone Cares Soup Kitchen, Bracken’s Kitchen, and Second Harvest.
That’s where the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living comes in, providing a critical lifeline. Since opening its doors in 2016, the Center has been there to help. During COVID, however, this need has risen exponentially, so in response, the Center has increased its vital food distribution services by 330% in the past year.
“Food assistance programs are a vital and necessary investment in the health of the community,” according to Minzah Malik, MPH, MBA, Manager of the Community Benefit Program. “We’re grateful to be in a position where we could mobilize and provide assistance quickly. And we’re especially grateful for our generous donors who make it all possible.”
Helping to Feed Our Neighbors: More Important Now Than Ever
04 “ We believe in a hand-up not a hand-out, so our families who receive food are also being provided wrap-around services and support by our case managers at the Center.” ~ Arturo Diaz, LCSW Program Supervisor
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Mental Health Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It determines how we think, feel, and act. Our ability to function – to parent, to socialize, to do well in our jobs, is influenced by our state of mind. Mental Health Challenges Intensify During COVID
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This past year, COVID disrupted our lives, but for some, it has been far more than a disruption. One of the most adversely impacted groups in this COVID crisis has been the working poor. Already struggling and frequently underinsured, these minimumwage earners go to work each day despite the threat that COVID poses. And the threat is not just to their physical health, but just as critically, to their mental health as well –– leaving this vulnerable group disproportionately affected. According to the CDC, 2020 was reported to have “considerably elevated adverse mental health conditions associated with
COVID-19. Younger adults, racial/ethnic minorities, essential workers, and unpaid adult caregivers reported having experienced disproportionately worse mental health outcomes, increased substance use, and elevated suicidal ideation.” And according to USC’s ongoing coronavirus survey, “Job losses, additional child care duties and mental distress have all disproportionately affected women since the start of the pandemic,” leavng working mothers especially hard hit during the pandemic. Fortunately, the mental health services available at the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living have helped meet these critical needs, providing an invaluable lifeline to support the vulnerable in Orange County during this exceptionally challenging time. The Center Steps In Established in 1998, Hoag’s Mental Health Center offers a full-service program for individual adults, families, and children at no cost to the participant. Psychotherapy, family
Just Breathe counseling, and support groups are available to low-income and under-insured community members. Services and treatment specialize in overcoming symptoms of depression, dealing with grief, loss, and anxiety. Other programs focus on learning healthy coping skills for a better quality of life.
A Community Focus “The community has depended on The Mental Health Center during this COVID crisis more than ever,” says Rocio Valencia-Vega, LCSW, Manager of the Mental Health Center. “We were fortunate to be in the position to meet the radically increased need, transitioning quickly to telehealth services to ensure continuity of care for all of our clients, while remaining open for in-person sessions for those needing more support. In addition, we have facilitated numerous groups to help individuals address stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and grief as a result of the pandemic.” Hoag’s Mental Health Center is proud to be able to provide such comprehensive psychosocial support during this extremely stressful time, helping local residents in the community to persevere and remain resilient during such enormously challenging times.
Following is a simple yet effective breathing exercise. 1. Find a quiet, comfortable place to sit or lie down. 2. Now breathe out slowly through your mouth or your nose, if that feels more natural. 3. Take a normal breath. Then take a deep breath: breathe in slowly through your nose, allowing your chest and lower belly to rise as you fill your lungs. 4. Repeat 3-4 times.
Spreading the Word About
Mental Health
May is mental health awareness month. So what exactly does that mean? • It means that it’s critical we shed light not only on mental health challenges, but also on solutions. • It means that we should start treating mental health with the same focus and energy as we do physical health. • It means that we must each take steps to actively eliminate negative mental health stigmas. • It means we need to work toward increasing access to care and treatment. • It means that we need to practice self-care and self-compassion as well as promote these practices for others around us. For more information on this important topic, check out the Mental Health Center of the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living, www.hoag.org/ mental-health.
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With its numerous services and programs, the Mental Health Center at the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living strives to contribute to the improved health and well-being of the local community. And during COVID, mental health care has become more crucial than ever, with thousands having received mental health care during the pandemic, in response to a 200% rise in cases.
Breath can be a powerful tool to calm the mind and reduce anxiety. Deep abdominal breathing is especially effective, slowing the heartbeat and lowering blood pressure. So what makes deep breathing so calming? Deep breathing stimulates the vagus nerve — the longest nerve in the body — so that it acts as a brake on the stress response, slowing the heart rate and promoting relaxation. Deep breathing can help you to disengage from distracting thoughts and stressful situations. And most importantly, it works.
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07 Our Partners The Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living is a collaboration of partners –– like-minded organizations and nonprofits together in one location providing an integrated, holistic approach to community services. We are grateful for our partners, who provide everything from health care and legal aid to rental assistance, yoga, reading programs, and much more. Clockwise beginning with upper left: SOS Beauchamp Children & Family Dental Center, Reading Program, Ballet for Kids, Be the Change Yoga, Serving People in Need (SPIN).
Project Wipeout Prompted by a series of swim and surf-related beach accidents that resulted in serious neck and spinal cord injuries, a group of Hoag physicians and nurses decided to take action. So they created a program to educate the community about the importance of swim and surf safety. The year was 1979 and that program was Project Wipeout.
Originally developed to highlight the dangers of spinal cord injuries while using our local beaches, Project Wipeout has grown into a powerhouse program that goes beyond just educating beach-related spinal cord injuries. The program’s broader water safety focus now includes general drowning prevention, rip current safety, marine animal behavior and safety, identification and education related to beach hazards, best practices in the water for surfers and swimmers, and sun protection guidance.
So what was born in Hoag’s ICU four decades ago and funded by Hoag’s Community Health Department, has now benefited countless lives around the world –– in a far bigger way than any one of the founding doctors or nurses could have imagined.
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An important part of Project Wipeout’s growth has been at the local level — through collaborations with lifeguard agencies in Orange County, the California Surf Lifesaving Association, the Orange County Drowning Prevention Taskforce, partnerships with the cities of Irvine and Newport Beach, and more. At the national level, Project Wipeout is recognized as the model for hospital-based beach safety programming, presenting at the national drowning prevention and ocean lifeguard conferences. And at the global level, Project Wipeout has gained recognition as a respected beach safety education program, participating in the World Conference on Drowning Prevention and collaborating with beach safety professionals from around the globe.
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PROFILE:
Melinda Hoag Smith
On the fifth anniversary of the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living, president of the George Hoag Family Foundation, Melinda Hoag Smith, reflects on her family’s philanthropic legacy with great pride.
Now celebrating 80 years of service, the George Hoag Family Foundation represents an extensive commitment to Hoag and the Orange County Community.
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When asked who her hero in life is, Melinda answers, “I have always been inspired by my grandparents and particularly my grandmother, Grace Hoag, who personally touched many lives with her own giving.” Melinda draws inspiration from her grandmother, Grace, who was compassionate, quietly generous and invested in her community. The same could be said about Melinda, herself, who embodies that commitment to service, and is proud to be carrying forward the family legacy of charitable giving. A Newport Beach native, Melinda spent her childhood on Lido Isle and the Balboa Peninsula near her grandparents’ home, “When Newport was a small, sleepy beach town,” she recalls. Back then, Melinda and her friends would swim to Shark Island, shuttling the family dog across on a raft, and exploring the empty island — an adventure paradise for kids. Melinda says, “I cannot imagine a better place to be raised.” As Melinda grew up, Hoag’s prominence did, too. What started as a small 75-bed community hospital in 1952 has grown into a nationally recognized and respected health care system. Melinda is extremely gratified to witness the positive impact of her family’s legacy in the community and proudly shares her dad’s view of Hoag’s success. “I believe that it is the commitment of the doctors, nurses, employees and volunteers providing the highest quality of
health care that make it so special. But also, it is the leadership of the Administration and the Board of Directors that govern the Hospital each day that make it a place of excellence, and deserving of the many awards that Hoag receives each year.” Melinda is excited about the ways in which Hoag’s philanthropy has greatly expanded wellness and social services into the community for those in need. One of her most fulfilling endeavors has been the 2016 launch of the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living. She says, “It has been so exciting to see the growth of the Center over these past five years.” Melinda notes that the Center “seems very in tune and responsive to the community’s needs,” highlighting crucial community services it has provided during the pandemic, from food and rental assistance to vaccines for the most vulnerable. She gives a great deal of praise to Hoag’s leadership and Michaell Rose for her creativity in bringing to life this unique place of service for the community. When asked about her thoughts on philanthropy, she says, “Philanthropy is the secret sauce that gives life meaning. What is given out comes back tenfold when we see how it changes lives for the better.” Three of Melinda’s sons are active in the Foundation, representing the fourth generation to step into leadership roles. Philanthropy is truly a family tradition and core value for the Smiths. Hoag Hospital Newport Beach overlooks a city that she and her family love. Every time Melinda comes to Hoag for meetings, she looks out at the amazing view from the Hospital and says, “It always feels like coming home.”
“ Philanthropy is the secret sauce that gives life meaning. What is given out comes back tenfold when we see how it changes lives for the better.” ~ Melinda Hoag Smith
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Promoting Healthy Living They are the bridge between low-income families and the services that exist to help them. They are compassionate guides when navigating life’s challenges. They are the promotores of Hoag’s Department of Community Health. A Spanish word for ambassadors, the Promotores Program was introduced to Hoag in the spring of 2018 and has served as an effective way to bring the Center to the community. The promotores are bilingual and bicultural and serve the same communities in which they live. This neighborhood connection increases their likability, trustworthiness, and the effectiveness of their outreach. The promotores have knocked on hundreds of doors to help educate the community on public health and safety, they have set up resource tables outside churches, and attend PTA meetings with parents. They facilitate peer support groups, meet clients at doctors’ offices, and help educate the general public about the services available at the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living.
The promotores are a crucial link in navigating the social and cultural barriers which might otherwise hinder access to community resources. While many programs exist to help low-income families access health care, mental health services, translation, legal services and more, the individuals and families who need them most often don’t know about them. That’s where the promotores make all the difference. This past year, the promotores stepped in to help educate residents on ways to protect their health during the pandemic by distributing information in the local community and addressing vaccine hesitancy and safety. Recently, they have taken laptops door to door to help residents schedule their vaccine appointments. The promotores have truly served as a lifeline during this health crisis. We are deeply grateful for the partnership and generous commitment of visionary donors, Tod and Linda White, who helped launch the Promotores Program, a program fully funded through the Tod & Linda White Community Outreach Innovation Fund.
PROFILE:
Linda and Tod White
Linda and Tod White have long supported a wide variety of non-profit organizations in Orange County dedicated to helping those in need of housing, food, employment, health care, safety from domestic abuse and so much more.
Unfortunately, these needs are great and many. And typically, people who need a helping hand need more than just one kind of help. They need a team.
For many years, the Whites had been involved with SOS, an organization that provides health care and a variety of social services and one that has had a very productive relationship with Hoag. Seeing the strength of this relationship, the Whites were confident that Hoag could create those same productive relationships with other service organizations. But Tod questioned how they would get the word out to the community. He recalls asking Michaell Rose, Director of the Center, “How are people going to know you exist and what you have to offer?’’ Michaell’s reply was “promotores” –– community ambassadors who spread the word about the Center by knocking on doors, leaving brochures in laundromats, visiting beauty salons, grocery stores, and wherever neighbors gather to share personal stories about their lives. In short, taking the Center to the people. “We first supported the Center when the promotores were just an idea. Each time we’ve met with the promotores since then, we’ve been increasingly impressed by the exceptional results they are achieving — both for the community and for the Center.” The Whites enjoy supporting bold new ideas and they jumped in with their support for the program.
When making a decision about which organizations to support, the Whites favor those that focus on education and address important social needs. But they look for more than good intentions and bold new ideas. “We look for outstanding leadership,” says Tod. “And that’s just what we found in Hoag and in Michaell Rose. Michaell’s passion, skill, and vision to build a great team inspired us then and continues to inspire us today.”
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Five years ago, that team approach is what drew the Whites to the newly created Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living. This was a center that would support Hoag’s strengths in health care by partnering with the proven strengths of a wide variety of social service non-profits. It would be a central hub for coordinating many helping hands. “It was a recipe for success,” notes Tod.
The Whites are inspired by the passion, commitment and the skills of people who create and successfully develop social service organizations. “So often these outstanding people get too little credit for helping those who are facing a tough time or who, with just a little bit of extra help, can more fully realize their potential,” says Linda.
5
th
anniversary
Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthly Living
In five short years, the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living has changed the lives of countless individuals and families in Orange County.
The Center was launched as a Community Benefit initiative in 2016 as a visionary and collaborative approach toward caring for the community, establishing itself as an invaluable and trusted resource. With a variety of services addressing the needs of the mind body and spirit, the Center reflects the philosophy of caring for the whole person. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Center, a non-profit and community-based collaboration, bringing partner agencies together under one roof and offering services and resources that focus on disease
The Golden Rule Magazine Published by Hoag’s Department of Community Health
prevention and improving health outcomes. In short, the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living has provided much-needed care for the thousands who walk through its doors each year. We greatly appreciate the tremendous generosity of our leadership and donors, without whom these vital services would not exist. Lives are being changed, and the future of the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living looks bright. We look forward to continued growth in the next five years and beyond.
307 Placentia Ave Newport Beach, CA 92663
(949) 764-6551 www.hoag.org/communitybenefit