OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 06, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alameda Health System (AHS) is the recipient of a Quality Leaders Award for excellence in pediatric primary care. The AHS Department of Pediatrics was selected from a highly competitive pool of entries and honored in the care redesign category.
The Quality Leaders Awards are administered by the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (CAPH), in partnership with the California Health Care Safety Net Institute (SNI), to celebrate public health care systems that demonstrate outstanding efforts in advancing quality, equity, and access to health care for California’s underserved populations.
AHS is the safety-net health care system of Alameda County. Its Department of Pediatrics operates four pediatric clinics across Alameda County at the Wilma Chan Highland Hospital Campus, Eastmont Wellness Center, Hayward Wellness, and Newark Wellness.
In 2021, AHS’ Department of Pediatrics convened an interdisciplinary workgroup to analyze quality metrics, identify health disparities among its patient population, design interventions, and implement them across the health system. Their efforts resulted in significant improvements in all metrics of quality pediatric care, such as completion rates of well-child and adolescent visits and rates of up-to-date immunization. In addition, the racial disparities found in rates of well-child visits and adolescent immunizations among Black pediatric patients were significantly reduced. The Department of Pediatrics metric performance puts them in the top 90th percentile in the delivery of quality care.
“I’m extremely proud that our team successfully identified and addressed inequities in these key measures of the health care we provide to children in our community. The Pediatric Department’s success has been recognized by the State of California and our Medi-Cal managed care health plan, which invited us to share our strategies with other pediatric practices in the county. I hope the best practices we’ve identified will be helpful to pediatric departments across the county and beyond,” said Dr. Pamela Simms-Mackey, chair of pediatrics and chief of graduate medical education at AHS.
Watch a video about AHS’ Department of Pediatrics care here.
“Ensuring Alameda County children are healthy is critical to our mission of caring, healing, teaching and serving all,” said AHS CEO James Jackson. “Our children deserve the best care we can provide, and by significantly reducing racial disparities in wellness checks and immunizations, we demonstrate our commitment to providing high quality, equitable care to all. Congratulations to our entire pediatrics team for this remarkable achievement.”
The Quality Leaders Awards were established over 20 years ago to recognize and celebrate public health care systems that go above and beyond in delivering high-quality, patient-centered care. Awarded annually, the Quality Leaders Awards shine a light on initiatives that address pressing community health challenges through innovative, evidence-based approaches. Each submission is reviewed by a panel of health care experts who evaluate entries based on key judging parameters, including innovation, equity, impact on population health, care redesign, and measurable improvements in patient outcomes.
“Our award recipients are true leaders, showing what’s possible when innovative thinking and a deep commitment to health equity come together,” said Giovanna Giuliani, executive director of SNI, and Erica Murray, president and CEO of CAPH, in a joint statement. “These public health care systems set a high standard for quality, access, and compassion, demonstrating the critical role of public health care in addressing the needs of California’s underserved communities. We are proud to support and recognize their contributions.”
About Alameda Health System
Alameda Health System (AHS) is a leading safety-net, integrated health care provider and medical training institution recognized for its world-class patient and family-centered care. AHS provides comprehensive medical treatment, health promotion and disease prevention throughout our integrated network of hospitals, clinics and health services. AHS includes three acute care hospitals, an affiliate acute care hospital, a psychiatric hospital, four ambulatory care wellness centers, five post-acute facilities, and the only adult Level 1 Trauma Center and psychiatric emergency department in Alameda County. AHS is committed to promoting wellness and optimizing the health of the community through the mission of caring, healing, teaching and serving all. For more information, visit AlamedaHealthSystem.org.
About the California Association of Public Health Systems (CAPH)
California’s 21 public health care systems, which include county-operated and affiliated facilities and the five University of California health systems, are the core of the state’s health care safety net. County public health care systems have a mission and mandate to deliver high-quality care to all, regardless of ability to pay or insurance status, across a comprehensive range of services. Despite representing only 6% of all hospitals statewide, public health care systems provide 35% of all Medi-Cal and uninsured hospital care. They contribute over $4 billion annually to the Medi-Cal program, in place of the state’s share, with many of their payments uniquely tied to quality and performance improvements. Additionally, these systems train a diverse and inclusive workforce, including nearly half of all new doctors in hospitals across the state.
About the California Health Care Safety Net Institute (SNI)
The California Health Care Safety Net Institute (SNI) is the 501(c)(3) affiliate of CAPH, dedicated to supporting California’s public health care systems in improving care delivery. Since 1999, SNI has partnered closely with CAPH to provide expert-led program offerings, hands-on technical assistance, and peer-learning opportunities, enabling public health care systems to enhance quality, equity, and accessibility of care. Through its support, SNI empowers these systems to implement sustainable, impactful solutions that drive health care innovation across California.
CONTACT: Eleanor Ajala
Manager, Media and Communications
Alameda Health System
(510) 421-9222
eajala@alamedahealthsystem.org
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cf2b8a64-f7c9-49f0-8450-e39d082e05c6
