Employee Projects for 2020: These projects were designed by employees to help them better serve their
patients. They are the centerpiece of this year’s employee campaign,
and the community is encouraged to help as well by joining the MHP Foundation
Builder Program which is powered by Just Giving. (Link to https://www.mymhp.org/foundation/ways-to-give/foundation-builder/
Transfer Lift for Wound Care Center Patients: Increases safety for both staff and patients and increases the ability
of the staff to provide optimal would care.
Reach Out and Read at MHP Pediatrics: Reach Out and Read is an evidence based program designed to engage parents
and strengthen the parent-child bond through helping children develop
a love of reading. This engagement has been shown to improve language,
social, and emotional development in children. In 2017, Shelby County
had a 5.9% kindergarten retention rate, which is higher than the state
average of 4.4%. Also, according to data collected by MHP Pediatrics,
84% of MHP Pediatrics patients did not meet their developmental milestones
at age 2. MHP Pediatrics’ goal is to intervene at a very early age
to improve the social and emotional development of preschool aged children
so they are ready and eager to learn in kindergarten.
This is a repeat project for 2021 since funds were depleted during 2020.
However, in order to make an impact, Reach Out and Read must be in place
for a number of years, and in light of financial losses for MHP brought
about by COVID-19, the Foundation elected to fund it again during 2021.
SPF at MHP Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery: Skin cancer patients will receive a sample SPF to take home from their
appointments, increasing the impact of the education moment during each
visit about the importance of sunscreen in preventing additional cancerous lesions.
Upgrading the Maternity Care Department from a Safe Sleep Leader to a Safe
Sleep Champion: The only thing preventing the Champion designation is that MHP does not
provide a cribette to families whose newborn does not have a safe place
to sleep. The “upgrade” will allow thirty-five cribettes to
be purchased and distributed for at risk infants.
Diabetes Monitoring Supplies for Patients in the Disease Management Clinic: This will allow access for diabetes patients to a glucose meter, testing
strips, and needles. Some patients do not have the means or insurance
to purchase these items, placing them at risk for unstable and/or unmanaged
blood sugar, which leads to other health issues and even hospitalization.
This will be a small investment for the Foundation considering the potential
to help patients stay out of the hospital and keep their health from deteriorating.
Scales for Heart Failure Patients: Weight gain is one of the first signs that a heart failure patient needs
to reach out for medical assistance before ending up in the hospital,
yet many patients are unable to afford the scale that they need. Having
a scale will help prevent the patient from deteriorating to the point
of needing to be admitted.