Massachusetts General Hospital

MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL EARNS NATIONAL RECOGNITION

24/Jan/2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contacts:    Elizabeth Lietz, American Hospital Association, (202) 626-2284  

                                             Elaine Salewske, Baxter International Inc., (805) 372-3142

                                    Susan Leahy, Massachusetts General Hospital, (617) 643-5288

MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL EARNS NATIONAL RECOGNITION

FOR EXEMPLARY COMMUNITY SERVICE

Boston healthcare provider selected as finalist for 2011 Foster G. McGaw Prize

CHICAGO, January 24, 2012 – In honor of its broad-based efforts to improve the lives of the most vulnerable members of its community, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston was named a finalist of the prestigious 2011 Foster G. McGaw Prize for Excellence in Community Service, one of the most esteemed community service honors in healthcare.

The Foster G. McGaw Prize is sponsored by The Baxter International Foundation and the American Hospital Association (AHA) and Health Research & Educational Trust. As a finalist, MGH will receive $10,000 to support its community health initiatives.  

“Massachusetts General Hospital has a long legacy of caring for and about the underserved in its local community,” said John O’Brien, chair of the Foster G. McGaw Prize Committee. “Its leadership understands that both the community and the hospital must change for a transformative relationship to be successful. In that spirit, Massachusetts General collaborates with community partners on initiatives related to violence, substance abuse prevention, obesity, the healthcare workforce and healthcare for the homeless.”

As a respected institution, the largest hospital-based research program in the country, and a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, MGH also serves the neighboring Boston communities through initiatives and programs that have made significant strides in combating serious local health issues. Its service extends far beyond its 900-bed tertiary care hospital and three community health centers to encompass efforts to change community perceptions and attitudes about endemic health problems and to expand healthcare access for at-risk populations.

 “Massachusetts General Hospital is honored to be a finalist for the Foster G. McGaw Prize,” said President Dr. Peter Slavin, M.D. “MGH is well known for its outstanding clinical care and scientific inquiry, but it also has a legacy of caring for and about the underserved in the local community. MGH’s founding tenet in 1811 was to care for the ‘sick poor,’ which is carried out today through our commitment to care for all regardless of ability to pay, our three community health centers, our 26-year partnership with the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program and our Center for Community Health Improvement (CCHI). CCHI was founded in 1995 to collaborate with communities to achieve measurable, sustainable improvements in health and well-being.”

MGH was recognized for the following innovative community service initiatives:

• Revere CARES – Revere CARES is a community coalition with demonstrated success in preventing and reducing substance abuse among youth and in tackling obesity, teen sexual health and violence. The coalition’s results were recognized in 2010 with the Coalition of the Year award from the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America.
• Charlestown Substance Abuse Coalition (CSAC) – Established in collaboration with the community, the mayor of Boston and the Boston Public Health Commission, in response to pervasive drug abuse throughout the neighborhood, the CSAC has reduced overdoses from opiates by working to: address substance abuse-related shame, stigma and denial; increase safety and police resources; engage in preventive work with school children; and increase access to treatment.
• MGH Chelsea Community Health Improvement Team – MGH Chelsea Community Health Improvement addresses youth, community and family violence through its Police Action Counseling Team (PACT) and its clinic for gang-involved youth. In addition, the team is involved in assisting the local immigrant and refugee community and in supporting a community coalition to promot measures to prevent obesity through healthy living.
• Opportunities for Boston Youth – MGH has partnered with Boston Public Schools for more than 20 years to encourage youth to explore careers in science and health. Through this partnership, local students have been offered access to tutoring, peer support, scholarships, jobs and mentoring by MGH scientists.
• Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program at MGH (BHCHP) – This citywide program delivers healthcare to the homeless at more than 70 sites. MGH was one of BHCHP’s original partners, hosting a clinic five days a week for the past 26 years within MGH Medical Walk-In Unit.  One of those clinics provides care to those who live on the streets, rather than the shelters, and often suffer from medical, psychiatric and substance abuse disorders.  “The Foster G. McGaw Prize recognizes healthcare organizations that serve as role models for improving the health and well-being of the people in their communities. This year’s winner and finalists offer a broad spectrum of programs to meet the needs of their vulnerable populations,” said O’Brien. “By leading, supporting, and collaborating they enhance the lives of residents in the communities they serve.”

The 2011 winner of the $100,000 Foster G. McGaw Prize is Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center in Windsor, VT. It was recognized for its outstanding leadership, unwavering spirit of excellence and remarkable achievements in its community. In addition to Massachusetts General Hospital, other finalists include AtlantiCare in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. and Palmetto Health in Columbia, S.C.

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), celebrating the 200th anniversary of its founding in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The MGH conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the United States, with an annual research budget of nearly $700 million and major research centers in AIDS, cardiovascular research, cancer, computational and integrative biology, cutaneous biology, human genetics, medical imaging, neurodegenerative disorders, reproductive biology, regenerative medicine, reproductive biology, systems biology, transplantation biology and photomedicine.

The MGH Center for Community Health Improvement (CCHI) carries out its work in Chelsea, Revere and Charlestown, where MGH has maintained healthcare centers for more than 40 years, as well as in Boston among youth, homeless persons and seniors. CCHI has partnered with the communities it serves to assess needs and create more than 35 programs that: reduce and prevent substance abuse and violence; tackle the obesity epidemic by increasing access to healthy food and physical activity; increase access to care for vulnerable populations such as immigrants and refugees, seniors, and homeless people; prevent and detect cancers early and generate interest in science and health careers among youth.

The Foster G. McGaw Prize, celebrating more than 25 years of honoring excellence in community service, recognizes healthcare organizations that demonstrate commitment to community service through a range of programs that demonstrate a passion and continuous commitment to making communities healthier and more vital. The prize, first awarded in 1986, inspires hospitals, health systems and communities to assess and implement programs that improve their communities.  For more information, visit www.aha.org/foster.

The American Hospital Association is a not-for-profit association of healthcare provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include almost 5,000 hospitals, healthcare systems, networks, other providers of care and 42,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for healthcare leaders and is a source of information on healthcare issues and trends.  For more information, visit the AHA Web site at www.aha.org.

The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX), helps organizations expand access to healthcare in the United States and around the world. The foundation, established in 1981, began to focus exclusively on increasing access to healthcare in 2002 – particularly for the disadvantaged and underserved – in communities where Baxter employees live and work. Baxter International Inc., through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures and markets products that save and sustain the lives of people with hemophilia, immune disorders, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma, and other chronic and acute medical conditions. As a global, diversified healthcare company, Baxter applies a unique combination of expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to create products that advance patient care worldwide. For more information, please visit www.baxter.com.

Founded in 1944, the Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET) is a private, not-for-profit organization involved in research, education, and demonstration programs addressing health management and policy issues. An affiliate of the American Hospital Association, HRET collaborates with healthcare, government, academic, business, and community organizations across the United States to conduct research and disseminate findings that shape the future of healthcare. For more information about HRET, visit www.hret.org.

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