Good Samaritan University Hospital Community Service Plan
2023-2025
Approved by the Board of Trustees on December 14, 2023
1000 Montauk Hwy
West Islip, NY 11795
Mission Statement
We, at Catholic Health, humbly join together to bring Christ’s healing mission and the mission of mercy of the Catholic Church expressed in Catholic health care to our communities.
Good Samaritan University Hospital Service Area
Founded in 1959, Good Samaritan University Hospital is a 537-bed (including 100 nursing home beds), not-forprofit, acute care community hospital. Good Samaritan University Hospital is located in West Islip, on the south shore of Long Island, New York. Good Samaritan’s primary service area includes: Amityville, Babylon, North Babylon, West Babylon, Bay Shore, Brentwood, Copiague, Deer Park, Lindenhurst, West Islip, Central Islip, East Islip, and Wyandanch. The secondary catchment area comprises East Massapequa, Farmingdale, Islip, Islip Terrace, Holbrook, Bohemia, Patchogue, Sayville, Oakdale and Ronkonkoma. The service area population is comprised of several communities where individuals speak a language other than English, such as the select, underserved communities of Bay Shore, Brentwood and Central Islip.
Demographics
Suffolk County’s total population as of 2020 is 1,481,362 (47.2% male; 50.8% female). Those ages 15-44 represent 35.4% of females; 36.7% of males; ages 60 plus represent 23.7% of males and 25.6% of females; those 18 years and older represent 78.8% of males and 79.8% females. The region is predominately White at 65.3% with 7.7% Black/African American and 4.4% Asian. Hispanic or Latino represent 22.4% of the population1, about a four percent increase from the last report.
Geographic description
Suffolk County is 2,373 square miles and is the second largest county in New York. Catholic Health’s three hospitals in Suffolk County service this easternmost county in New Yok State. The county is divided into 10 towns: Babylon, Huntington, Islip, Smithtown, Brookhaven, Southampton, Riverhead, East Hampton, Shelter Island and Southold2. Suffolk County is an area of growing diversity, cultures, and population characteristics.
Socioeconomic information
In terms of household income, 35.2% of the population earn less than $74, 999 with 15% of that group earning less than $34,999 annually. Of the population, 8% of those under 18 years of age live in poverty, while 6% of those ages 18 to 64 live in poverty and for those ages 18 -34, 6.7% live in poverty3.
The percentage of the population (5 years and over) that speaks a language other than English at home is 30.3%, with Spanish the dominant other language spok en 14.7% followed by other Indo/European languages 8.7% and Asian languages 5.1%. In terms of education, for those age 25 and over, 89.4% are high school graduates or higher, 31.9% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. The percent of the total population uninsured is 4.2%. Of that percent, non-citizens represent 32% of the uninsured. Hispanic/Latino represent 42.1% of the uninsured followed by Black/African American 10%, White 63.9%, Asian 6.5%. Of the uninsured, 37.6% earn less than $74,999 household income and 9.1% earn under $25,000 household income. Approximately 9.6% of the total
1U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census 2https://www.ny.gov/counties/suffolk
3U.S. Census Bureau, 2016-2020 American Community Survey, Five-Year Estimates
non-institutionalized population is disabled. By race/ethnicity, 10.6% of the Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander population is disabled, 13.6% of the American Indian/Alaska Native population is disabled, 10% of the White population is disabled, 9.6% of the Black/African American population is disabled, and 7.2% Hispanic/Latino population is disabled. Interestingly, Native American/Pacific Islanders account for less than one percent of the county’s population4
Income – one social determinant of health – precludes individuals from low-income communities from accessing preventive and/or medical care due to their difficulty to afford co-payments/deductibles (if insured) or care at all if they are uninsured. The inability to afford co-pays and deductibles consistently rises to the top as a barrier to health care on LIHC’s Community Health Assessment Survey year and after year. The median household income in the past 12 months by race is $107,422 (White), $85,840 (Black), $91,711 (Hispanic/Latino). Mean income in the past 12 months, per capita by race is $50,352, $33,170 and $28,414, respectively5. According to research conducted by the United Way of New York’s ALICE report,6Long Island residents are earning wages that do not cover life’s basic costs. As of 2020, 31.5% of Long Island households fall below the set income threshold needed to live and work, which equates to 171,921 households in Suffolk County and 130,599 households in Nassau County that are struggling to afford these basic needs.
Key Health Partners
Partnering with community-based organizations is the most effective way to determine how the health priorities will be addressed. As part of our collective impact strategies to promote health and well-being for residents in our communities, Good Samaritan University Hospital has strong relationships with local and regional communitybased organizations, libraries, schools, faith-based organizations, the local health department, local fire departments and municipalities that support and partner with us to reduce chronic disease, mental health and substance misuse, and to promote health equity. Some of Good Samaritan’s partners include: the Long Island Health Collaborative, the Suffolk County Department of Health, the Town of Islip, Catholic Charities and Catholic Faith Network.
Public Participation
Good Samaritan University Hospital, along with Catholic Health’s other five hospitals, worked with the Long Island Health Collaborative (LIHC) and the Suffolk County Department of Health Services (SCDOHS), and dozens of community-based organizations, libraries, schools and universities, local municipalities, and other community stakeholders to produce the CHNA. SCDOHS representatives offered input and consultation, when appropriate, regarding the data analyses conducted by the LIHC and DataGen. Top, high-level findings include a continued prevalence of chronic disease incidence, particularly heart disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer. Further, surging rates of mental health and substance misuse issues among all demographic categories was found, with disparity seen among youth, and low-income communities of color continuing to experience a higher burden of disease overall. In 2022, members of the LIHC reviewed extensive data sets selected from both primary and secondary data sources to identify and confirm New York State Prevention Agenda priorities for the 2022-2024 Community Health Needs Assessment cycle. Data analysis efforts were coordinated through the LIHC, which served as the centralized data return and analysis hub.
4U.S. Census Bureau, 2016-2020 American Community Survey, Five-year Estimates
5U.S. Census Bureau, 2016 – 2020 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
6https://www.unitedwayli.org/ALICE2020
Results of Community-Wide Survey
Primary data was obtained from a community health needs assessment sent to individuals and a similar survey to community-based organization leaders7. Additionally, we looked at results from two qualitative studies to round out our primary data.8 Secondary data was derived from publicly-available data sets curated by DataGen into its proprietary data analytics platform, CHNA Advantage ™, offering 200 plus metrics to determine health issues within Suffolk County.9 As such, priorities selected for the 2022- 2024 cycle remain unchanged from the 2019 – 2021 cycle selection, and the selected health disparities in which partners are focusing their efforts rests on the inequities experienced by those in historically underserved communities and communities of color. Additional Prevention Agenda priorities/disparities being addressed by Good Samaritan University Hospital are outlined in the 2022-2024 work plan (See Appendix E).
Community Health Priorities for 2023-2025
Primary data and secondary data demonstrate that residents living in Suffolk County are experiencing poor mental health status. The 2021 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation County Health Rankings examining Suffolk County in Quality-of-Life Health Outcomes demonstrates an average of 4.0 poor mental health days per 30 days in Suffolk County.10 Mental health issues have soared in the past two years, spurred in part, by the effects of the pandemic. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s COVID-19 Household Pulse Survey (April 23, 2020 – October 26, 2020), a New York State Health Foundation analysis found that more than one-third of adult New Yorkers reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depression, with racial and ethnic groups of color as well as low-income New Yorkers, reporting the highest rates of poor mental health. However, the 18 – 34- year-old age group reported the highest rates (49%) of poor mental health.11 High school students (grades 9 through 12) fared just as badly. A number of studies found poor mental health along with suicide ideation intensified during the pandemic for high schoolers. An April 2022 analysis of data from the 2021 Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey revealed that 37.1% of students experienced poor mental health during the pandemic, and 31.1% experienced poor mental health during the preceding 30 days.12 The pandemic made a bad situation worse, especially for youth, as mental health issues and suicides were already increasing prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.13 14 15 16 With the shortage of
7Community Health Assessment Survey (CHAS) assessing responses from individuals, summary report and survey instrument (Appendix A) CBO Survey Analysis 2022, assessing responses from community-based organization leader, summary report and survey instrument (Appendix B)
8Qualitative Analysis of Key Informant Interviews Conducted Among Community-Based Organization Leaders (Appendix C) Long Island Libraries: Caretakers of the Region’s Social Support and Health Needs: Qualitative Analysis (Appendix D)
9Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS), New York State Prevention Agenda dashboard, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), Extended Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (eBRFSS), New York State Community Health Indicators by Race/Ethnicity Reports, Community Health Indicator Reports, Prevention Quality Indicators, CDC Places, and U.S. Census Bureau. The CHNA Advantage™ data analytics platform includes these and other state and national level indicators. It also encompasses social risk measures offered by Socially Determined, Inc.
10https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/new-york/2021/compare/snapshot?counties=36_059%2B36_103
11https://nyhealthfoundation.org/resource/mental-health-impact-of-the-coronavirus-pandemic-in-new-yorkstate/#:~:text=The%20proportion%20of%20New%20Yorkers,health%20throughout%20the%20survey%20period
12https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/su/su7103a3.htm? s_cid=su7103a3_w
13https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6630a6.htm
14https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/mental-health.htm
15Weinberger, A. et al. (August 2017) Trends in depression prevalence in the USA from 2005 – 2015: widening disparities in vulnerable groups. Psychological Medicine, 1-10
16Bitsko, R et al. (2018) Epidemiology and impact of healthcare provider-diagnosed anxiety and depression among US children. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 1-9.
mental health care workers and the lingering psychological effects of the pandemic, mental health services remain a top priority for the region.
The county also saw an uptick in opioid-related overdoses and deaths after having made some gains prior to the pandemic. As of 2019, Suffolk County still exceeds the New York state benchmark of 15.1 in overdose deaths per 100,000 due to opioids. According to data provided by Suffolk County’s Department of Health, the rate of opioid overdoses is currently 19.6. In addition, emergency department visits involving heroin overdoses is extremely high in the county. As of 2019, the Suffolk County rate is 47.2 compared to New York State’s benchmark of 31.1 per 100,000 population.17
Another health disparity identified in primary and secondary research is adult obesity. According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s County Health Rankings for Suffolk County, 18 27% of the population (18 and older) reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m.19 In 2019, The New England Journal of Medicine studied projected adult obesity in the United States by 2030 based on today’s obese and overweight adult populations.20 By 2030, the obesity epidemic is projected to impact nearly 1 in 2 adults.
According to the New York State Department of Health, obesity is a significant risk factor for many chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, stroke, heart disease and certain types of cancer. The prevalence of chronic diseases is persistent in the county. Nationally, communities of color experience higher rates of chronic disease. Using diabetes as an example, the American Indian/Alaska Native population represents 14.5 percent of adults 18 or older who are diagnosed with diabetes followed by Black, non-Hispanic at 12.1% and Hispanic overall at 11.8% in the United States. Asians and Whites experience the disease at 9.5% and 7.4% respectively.21 Health providers report that many individuals delayed preventive care and routine screenings due to the pandemic, leading to more complicated cases and unfavorable outcomes. Chronic diseases are preventable conditions sensitive to lifestyle (diet/physical activity) habits but hampered by the obstacles presented by social determinant of health factorsincome/employment, race/ethnicity, food access, housing/neighborhood location, and level of education. The county and hospitals identified in this report through collaborative efforts and facility-specific programming acknowledge and address these determinants regularly.
17https://webbi1.health.ny.gov/SASStoredProcess/guest?_program=/EBI/PHIG/apps/opioid_dashboard/op_dashboard&p=ch& cos=47
18https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/new-york/2022/measure/factors/11/map
19https://www.health.ny.gov/statistics/prevention/injury_prevention/information_for_action/docs/2021-02_ifa_report.pdf
20https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1909301
21https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/health-equity/diabetes-by-the-numbers.html
Good Samaritan University Hospital Interventions, Strategies and Activities
Priority Number One: Prevent Chronic Disease
Goals and selected interventions concentrate on Focus Area 4: Chronic Disease Preventive Care and Management, with additional programming addressing other focus areas.
Interventions, Strategies and Activities:
1. Live Better Awareness Campaign: Promote healthy eating and food security to increase skills and knowledge to supply healthy food and beverage choices. The goal is to decrease the percent of adults over 18 with obesity in low-income communities of color.
Good Samaritan University Hospital has done six nutrition lectures with the Town of Islip which provided bags of food and SNAP referrals.
On 3/23/23 at Joyce Fitzpatrick Senior Center 54 people attended the lecture.
On 4/17/23 at Caesar Trunzo Senior Center 72 people attended the lecture.
On 5/17/23 at Oakdale Senior Center 34 people attended the lecture.
On 6/15/23 at Ronkonkoma Senior Center 40 people attended the lecture.
On 6/21/23 at West Islip Senior Center 46 people attended the lecture.
On 7/13/23 at Joyce Fitzpatrick Senior Center 33 people attended the lecture.
On 3/1/23 at Our Lady of Lourdes Church 37 people attended the lecture.
On 8/9/23 at the hospital’s Heart and Soul Symposium, we discussed diabetes and nutrition with 225 attendees.
On 8/12/23 Good Samaritan University Hospital attended the Town of Islip Unity in the Community Day and provided food and education to more than 300 community members.
2. Bariatric educational seminars are virtual with Good Samaritan University Hospital (GSUH) physicians and staff. The seminars are offered to pre- and post-bariatric surgery patients.
From January to November, a total of 24 bariatric seminars have been held with an average of 25 attendees per session.
3. Bariatric surgery support group provides information and support for patient’s pre and post-surgery.
From January through November there have been 44 virtual support groups helping those in the community deal with prevention, control and treatment of obesity.
4. Free blood pressure screenings are provided at local public libraries, community lectures, Good Samaritan/ Long Island Ducks community health awareness games, and mall health fair events, and at the hospital with clinical support of GSUH.
National Wear Red Day was on 2/3/23 and 12 blood pressure screenings were performed in the hospital lobby.
On 2/11/23, Be Sweet to Your Heart event was held at the Bay Shore Mall. There were 44 blood pressure screenings were performed with more than 300 attendees.
On 3/1/23, our Heart Healthy Food Lecture was held and 5 blood pressure screenings performed
On 3/23/23 at Joyce Fitzpatrick Senior Center, 11 blood pressure screenings were done
On 4/7/23, we attended the Long Island Ducks Game and 7 blood screenings were completed.
On 4/27/23, we started our Veteran Outreach Series and nurses performed 2 blood pressure screenings.
On 5/11/23, our Stroke Lecture was held with 9 blood pressure screenings completed.
On 5/17/23 at Oakdale Senior Center, 5 blood pressure screenings were done
North Babylon Spring Festival was held on 5/21/23 with 4 blood pressure screenings performed.
On 6/6/23, our Cancer Superfood Lecture was held with 3 blood pressure screenings completed.
On 6/8/23, we attended the Long Island Ducks Game and performed 4 blood pressure screenings.
On 6/10/23, Good Samaritan University Hospital Fishing Health Fair was held and 3 blood pressure screenings were completed.
On 6/15/23 at Ronkonkoma Senior Center, 4 blood pressure screenings were done.
On 6/21/23 at West Islip Senior Center, 9 blood pressure screenings were done.
On 7/3/2023 we attended the Long Island Ducks Game and performed 10 blood pressure screenings.
On 7/13/23 at Joyce Fitzpatrick Senior Center, 3 blood pressure screenings were done.
On 8/26 Good Samaritan University Hospital attended the Salsa Fest in Brentwood and performed 30 blood pressure screenings.
On 9/17/2023 there were 14 blood pressure screenings taken at the Islip Kiwanis Club Car Show.
On 9/18/2023 there were 9 blood pressure screenings completed at the Caesar Trunzo Senior Center in Brentwood.
On 10/28/2023, we attended the Town of Islip Apple fest and provided 90 blood pressure screenings to community members.
5. Healthy Sundays: BP and BMI screenings, flu vaccinations, health education and referrals to follow-up care.
On 4/22/23 at the Latina Sisters Support Summit, there were 43 blood pressure screenings performed.
On 5/21/23 at Congregation Beth Sholom in Babylon, there were 9 blood pressure screenings performed.
On 6/4/23 at St Luke’s Roman Catholic Church in Brentwood, there were 40 blood pressure screenings performed.
On 6/24/23 at Calvary Baptist Church in Bay Shore there was 1 blood pressure screening performed.
On 8/13/23 at St. John of God in Central Islip there were 48 blood pressure screenings performed.
On 9/10/23 at St. Anne’s Parish in Brentwood there were 3 blood pressure screenings completed.
6. The senior center nutrition series is a partnership with the Town of Islip. The agenda includes a healthy eating lecture and cooking demonstrations, as well as education and information featuring representatives from multiple community organizations. A similar event was also done at Our Lady of Lourdes church in W est Islip.
Good Samaritan University Hospital has done six nutrition lectures with the Town of Islip.
On 3/23/23 at Joyce Fitzpatrick Senior Center 54 people attended the lecture.
On 4/17/23 at Caesar Trunzo Senior Center 72 people attended the lecture.
On 5/17/23 at Oakdale Senior Center 34 people attended the lecture.
On 6/15/23 at Ronkonkoma Senior Center 40 people attended the lecture.
On 6/21/23 at West Islip Senior Center 46 people attended the lecture.
On 7/13/23 at Joyce Fitzpatrick Senior Center 33 people attended the lecture.
7. The Theresa Patnode Santmann Heart and Soul Symposium provides lectures on breast health, hepatobiliary and upper GI, joint health, fall prevention. The keynote presentation was a cooking demo with a presentation on diabetes.
The Symposium was held on 8/9/23 with 225 attendees.
8. “Be Sweet to Your Heart” Health Fair was offered at the South Shore Mall in an underserved area of Bay Shore, which also includes its surrounding areas of Brentwood and Central Islip. This is a free program for the community. Attendees spoke with cardiologists, registered dietitians, cardiology technologists and nurses regarding cardiac health and disease prevention. Free screenings and Stop the Bleed demonstrations were also offered. Stop the Bleed is a program that teaches three different techniques to control life-threatening bleeding.
On 2/11/23 “Be Sweet to Your Heart” event was held at the Bay Shore Mall. There were 44 blood pressure screenings were performed and 54 cholesterol screenings were taken. This event had 300 attendees present.
9. Free prostate cancer screenings, PSA blood tests and digital rectal exams.
On 6/5/23, Good Samaritan University Hospital partnered with Broadridge Financial Solutions. At this event, 9 men were screened for prostate cancer.
On 9/27/23 at Good Samaritan University Hospital 10 men were screened for prostate cancer.
On 10/1/23 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 15 men were screened for prostate cancer.
10. In conjunction with the Suffolk County Department of Health, we planned to host a Learn to Be Tobacco Free 6week smoking cessation program.
Due to low attendance, the program was canceled for the summer. We will schedule another session in spring 2024.
11. A veteran health education and screening series was held at three American Legion Posts along the south shore of Suffolk County from January to June. At these events, clinicians provide screenings related to prostate health, BMI, cholesterol, blood pressure and food insecurity.
From January to June, Good Samaritan University Hospital overall had 30 attendees at the American Legion events with a total of 8 blood pressure screenings and 10 cholesterol screenings.
The Suffolk County Veteran Stand Down event was held on 8/29/2023 that provided assistance and resources to more than 250 Suffolk County Veterans. Additionally, the Catholic Health bus screened 19 people.
12. Cancer experts from Good Samaritan University Hospital partnered with Mondays at Racine Cancer Care Foundation and had a virtual symposium that discussed cancer related topics geared toward men's health.
On 6/22/23, a virtual lecture was filmed that discussed cancer-related topics. There has been more than 200 views from multiple sites.
On 9/18/2023 Dr. Atalla spoke at the Mondays at Racines Virtual Symposium. Forty-one people attended.
13. Women’s health forum provided information on breast surgery, gynecologic screenings, surgical oncology, and cardiovascular health.
This lecture was held on 3/11/2023 and there were 19 attendees.
Priority Number Two: Promote Well—Being and Prevent Mental and Substance Use Disorders
Goals and selected interventions concentrate on Focus Area 2: Mental and Substance Use Disorders Prevention , with additional programming addressing other focus areas.
Interventions, Strategies and Activities:
1. Distribute Catholic Health’s (CH) Mental Health Substance Use Disorder Services Guide to CH community partners at all outreach events, including hospital health fairs and Healthy Sunday’s events. The guide is also available as a download from the CH website.
Our Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Services Guide is offered at all lectures and community events. They are also being sent to St. Martin de Tours in Amityville due to a need in the area.
2. Life Goes On Cancer Support Group provided weekly for all diagnosis of cancer and breast cancer support group for women.
Life Goes On: An average of 12 people attend this monthly afternoon meeting. The Breast Support Group has an average of 15 women who attend each month.
The groups will continue as dictated by community needs.
3. The Sherpa Program is a free service provided by Family & Children’s Association. Sherpa comprises recovery coaches trained to meet with overdose survivors and their families in the Emergency Department. The team directs people to treatment, offers encouragement and follow-up.
From January to November, the Sherpa program provided services to 60 individuals.
4. Participants promote awareness of mental wellness and the risk of substance abuse disorders and support community programs to help decrease the number of drug overdoses in the community.
Good Samaritan University Hospital staff continues to participate in the Town of Islip Opioid Task Force. There are regularly scheduled monthly meetings called by the partners in which hospital staff participate in.
5. Panel discussion on mental wellness, bullying, suicide and substance use disorders is in planning with Connetquot school district.
A symposium is being scheduled for spring 2024 with Connetquot School District.
6. Promotion of all programs, events, education offered by collaborative members that speak to the prevention of mental and substance use disorders. Posts in Long Island Health Collaborative (LIHC) weekly communications newsletter, social media postings, cross promotion of member events, programs on all media platforms. Promotion on Catholic Faith Network (CFN) and CH social media, website, and community-targeted publications.
The hospital works with the Long Island Health Collaborative (LIHC) to disseminate information about the importance of proper nutrition and physical activity among the general public to assist Nassau residents in better managing their chronic diseases and/or preventing the onset of chronic diseases. The Hospital also collaborates with the LIHC to disseminate information about mental health prevention and treatment services and programming, as well as relevant information about substance misuse. Dissemination of information is achieved through the bi-weekly Collaborative Communications e-newsletter, which is sent to 588 communitybased organization leaders, and strategic use of social media platforms. These efforts are ongoing.
7. GSUH partners with the Town of Islip for Islip Goes Purple, a month-long awareness campaign related to substance abuse.
The hospital will participate in a month-long campaign with the Town of Islip, offering information. September is National Recovery Month. In memory of the lives lost, those in recovery and the Islip families affected by the Opioid/Heroin crisis, Town Hall, along with merchants and businesses throughout our Town, will be illuminated in purple.
8. The GSUH pharmacy hosted a medication safety tips lecture for senior citizens.
On 9/25/23 Good Samaritan University Hospital Held a Medication Lecture at the Town of Babylon Senior Center which had 42 attendees.
Priority Number Three: Promote Healthy Women, Infants and Children
Interventions, Strategies and Activities:
1. Participation in the annual Global Big Latch On, designed to promote and support breastfeeding.
An event occurred on 8/25/23 that had 31 attendees.
2. Good Samaritan University Hospital hosts a breastfeeding café to promote the health benefits of breastfeeding and provide peer support to nursing mothers.
Approximately 8-12 women attend the breastfeeding café each week.
3. The hospital offers a Teddy bear clinic, which is an injury prevention program for children. Kids learn about two of the most effective ways to reduce car and bicycle related injuries and deaths: seatbelts and helmets. From January to November, 21 teddy bear clinics have been held with 20 to 30 students at each clinic.
4. A Good Samaritan University Hospital virtual lecture was filmed on women and heart disease. The virtual lecture was viewed by more than 2,000 people from January to November.
5. A video, offering tips and advice for new mothers was distributed.
The video had 52 views from January to November.
6. Good Samaritan University Hospital collaborates with Suffolk County on its Maternal Infant Child Health program and has three employees focused on delivering education in underserved areas. The hospital provides focused education in underserved areas and will continue as dictated by community needs.
7. Good Samaritan University Hospital partnered with the Brentwood Rotary in May to provide dictionaries to more than 1,300 5th graders in Brentwood.
8. A reading series was held in Wyandanch from June through August for children in the community. The books were all health related and read by staff from Good Samaritan University Hospital.
9. Good Samaritan University Hospital started a Women’s Heart Wellness Program identifying cardiac issues in new moms. Through November, there have been 200 patients.
Priority Number Four: Promote a Healthy and Safe Environment
Interventions, Strategies and Activities:
1. Free, evidence-based fall prevention programs are designed to improve balance and strength, help reduce falls and build confidence in older adults.
There have been 6 programs offered through November reaching a total of 500 community members.
2. A teen impact driving program educates and empowers middle and high school aged children to make good decisions as drivers and passengers.
There have been 5 classes held from January-June of 2023 with a total of 25–30 students in each class.
3. We offer a Moving for Balance program which uses slow, flowing movements, breathing and focused attention.
The program has had 8 sessions between January and November, 2 hours a week with an average of 25-30 attendees per class.
4. Stop the Bleed is an American College of Surgeons’ Bleeding Control Basics training session. During this nationally-recognized program, attendees learn three different techniques to control life-threatening bleeding.
A Stop the Bleed class was held on 2/13/23 at Holy Trinity Diocesan High School and there were 9 attendees.
On 2/16/23, we hosted a training with the County and there were 26 attendees.
On 3/1/23, there was a training with the St John’s the Baptist and there were 27 students in attendance.
On 3/16/23, we hosted a training with the County and there were 20 attendees.
On 4/20/23, we hosted a training with the County and there were 17 attendees.
On 5/18/23, we hosted a training with the County and there were 16 attendees.
On 6/15/23, we hosted a training with the County and there were 40 attendees.
On 7/20/23, we hosted a training with the County and there were 23 attendees.
On 8/17/23, we hosted a training with the County and there were 19 attendees.
On 9/21/23, we hosted a training with the County and there were 14 attendees.
On 10/19/23 we hosted a training with the County and there were 8 attendees.
On 11/16/23, we hosted a training with the County and there were 8 attendees.
On 11/18/23, we attended Central Islip Schools’ resource night and demonstrated how to Stop the Bleed to 50 attendees.
Priority Number Five: Prevent Communicable Diseases
Interventions, Strategies and Activities:
1. Good Samaritan University Hospital offers free flu vaccinations at events in underserved communities, at Healthy Sundays outreach, hospital health fairs and other community venues.
On 9/18/23 at Caesar Trunzo Senior Center, there were 82 flu vaccinations given.
On 10/14/23 at Fire Island, Ocean Beach, there were 44 flu vaccinations given.
On 10/18/23 at the Town of Islip Employee Health Fair there were 51 employees who received the flu vaccine.
Living the Mission
The CH mission is the driving force behind all community outreach activities. In addition to the interventions summarized above, Good Samaritan University Hospital, along with the Catholic Health skilled nursing facilities, Catholic Health Home Care, and Good Shepherd Hospice, provide additional outreach programs that emphasize the health care ministry of the Catholic Church and social determinants of health.
Interventions, Strategies and Activities:
1. Virtual education series streaming on YouTube, that provides short videos on various topics
• We launched the program with a six-part “Diabetes Education” series describing different topics related to diabetes such as, Meal Planning, Foot Care, Dining out Tips, and more.
• A second nine-part series on Keeping Your Child Safe at Every Age was added.
• Catholic Health also offers an ongoing Health Tips series discussing topics such as Stroke vs. Aneurysm, What You Need to Know about C-Sections, and Prostate Cancer Awareness, among others.
2. Broadcast health-related television shows for the public in collaboration with Catholic Faith Network provide education and prevention lectures to improve knowledge related to specific diseases and conditions, preventive care, and up-to-date treatment options.
• There are 20 shows posted across 10 months with Catholic Health President and CEO, Dr. Patrick O’Shaughnessy, and a Catholic Health cardiologist, Dr. David D’Agate. The “Stronger Together” series with Dr. D’Agate discusses topics such as Cardiac Health, Sleep, Fertility, and Access to Care. The shows with Dr. O’Shaughnessy and Monsignor Jim Vlaun bring the latest in research and information on medical procedures and advancements.
3. Promotion of all programs, events, and education is on the CH website and all CH social media outlets, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
• This includes the promotion of all education, healthy recipes, health tips and support groups. Som e of these include education on how to stay hydrated during the summer, facts on various cancers and screening, children’s health and more.
4. Lectures in Catholic schools, local libraries, and other community organizations.
• In collaboration with the LIHC, for Walk with a Doc, there have been 6 events with a total of 42 walkers and for Talk with a Doc there have been 6 events with a total of 185 attendees.
• There was a lecture on preventive cardiac health at the Nassau County Police Department, which 35 people attended.
5. Community Outreach Screening Buses
• The buses travel across Long Island to different community-based organizations to provide free health screenings, including blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index and glucose. From January to November, the mobile buses team screened 6,172 people.
6. Healthy Sundays
• In this volunteer program, we partner with different community organizations to provide BP and BMI screenings, flu vaccinations, health education and referrals to follow up care. From January to November, the Healthy Sunday’s teams screened 1,462 people.
7. Toy Drive: Corporate teams collected 745 toys for the Gerald Ryan Outreach Center in Wyandanch
Dissemination of the Plan to the Public
The Good Samaritan University Hospital Community Service Plan will be posted on the hospital’s website at https://www.chsli.org/good-samaritan-university-hospital/community-health Copies will be available at local free health screenings and can be mailed upon request.
By encouraging friends and neighbors to complete the LIHC Wellness Survey online or at local screenings, the Community Health Needs Assessment will help Good Samaritan continue to develop ways to best serve our community.
Conclusion
The Community Service Plan is intended to be a dynamic document. Utilizing the hospital’s strengths and resources, Good Samaritan along with community partners, will work to continue to best address health disparities and needs. The hospital will strive to improve the overall health and well-being of individuals and families by expanding free health promotion and disease prevention/education screenings and programs in communities where they are most needed. Good Samaritan University Hospital is committed to continue to develop ways to best serve the community.