At Lancaster General, we consider our Community Benefit activities fundamental to our mission of advancing the health and well-being of the communities of Lancaster.

There is no better way for us to be by your side than to know what health issues affect you most and how to address them.

To make that determination, we use every resource available — from national health reports such as Healthy People 2010 to state and local reports such as Measure Up Lancaster, Adult Behavioral Risk Survey and the annual Lancaster County Health Data Report.

Using that data, Lancaster General in 2004 identified three healthcare priorities:

• Healthy weight management
• Reduction of tobacco use
• Increased support for domestic violence victims

Every year since then we have conducted a similar evaluation with updated information, and each year we have determined that the priorities have remained the same. So with unwavering focus, we continue to create new programs, foster meaningful partnerships and align our services to meet Lancaster County’s needs.

In this Special Report, we describe many of our community programs and partnerships. We are proud to say that anyone, regardless of their ability to pay, can access these services. We know from 114 years of experience, that when everyone works together, the community benefits.

For more information about the many ways we advance the community’s health, visit http://www.lancastergeneral.org/ and click on “About Lancaster General.”

Obesity is reaching near epidemic proportions. According to the most-recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, an estimated 65 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese.

The number of overweight children has more than tripled since 1970. Today, 16 percent of 6-year-olds to 19-year-olds — that’s more than 9 million children and teens — are overweight. A recent Pennsylvania study showed 18 percent of 8^th-graders are overweight with another 17 percent at risk for becoming so.

“Overweight” is defined by the National Institutes of Health as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 or greater. Obesity is indicated by a BMI of 30 or greater. It’s important to note that BMI is a useful screening tool, but it is not a definitive measure of being overweight or obese.

Chronic obesity is spurring another problem: Type II diabetes. Its incidence has risen dramatically in recent decades and is closely related to diets high in sugar, carbohydrates and fat.

Lancaster General has made strides in combating the obesity epidemic, but there is still more work to be done. While experts predict the obesity trend will continue to increase nationally, Lancaster General is working to stabilize the trend locally. We can’t do it alone, but in partnership with other organizations in the community, we are expanding our programs and services for community members, our employees, corporations and schools.

Our community programs include an adult weight-management program called L. E. A. R. N. (Lifestyle Exercise Attitudes Relationships and Nutrition); community educational programs; the New Beginnings Weight Management Program for Obese Women, which targets obese pregnant woman with a BMI greater than 29; ShapeDown, a childhood weight-management program; and Color Me Healthy, a program that targets preschool and daycare workers and provides curriculum to encourage healthy eating and activity.

Last year, in partnership with the Lancaster County Park and Recreation Commission, Lancaster General published and distributed more than 20,000 copies of Lancaster on the Move, a guide to free/low-cost places to be physically active in Lancaster County. We also distributed 40,000 copies of a brochure called A Parent’s Guide to Healthy Eating and Activity.

Lancaster General also encourages its nearly 7,000 employees and their families to participate in wellness programs, including Livewell, our employee wellness and incentive program, and L. E. A. R. N. Our employees also are entitled to corporate rates at certain fitness facilities.

The Lancaster General Wellness Center also works with 75 local employers and provides wellness lectures on nutrition and activity as well as screenings for height/weight, body fat, cholesterol and glucose. Lancaster General Wellness Center Staff participate on School Health Councils and provide BMI presentations for parents and staff.

For more information about these healthy-living resources and to order the free publications mentioned above, please call the Wellness Center at 717-544-3811 or visit our Web site at http://www.lancastergeneral.org/.

According to a recent Health Data Report, tobacco-related illnesses are associated with the top four causes of death in Lancaster County: heart disease, lung disease, stroke and cancer. Additionally, secondhand smoke is associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), asthma and chronic respiratory infections in children.

Lancaster General and its physicians collaborate to increase the number of clinicians who routinely counsel smokers about secondhand exposure/prevention. Training support is available through the Clean Air program, developed with the Pennsylvania Academy of Pediatrics. From June 2003 to May 2007, 40 county physician practices and 559 medical personnel were trained.

Because the best way to address smoking is to prevent the habit from forming, programs for children are a high priority. LifeSkills, a best-practices program approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is in its fifth year of implementation in several Lancaster County schools. The research-based curriculum is designed to prevent tobacco use and addiction. Our local outcomes are consistent with national norms showing the program reduced tobacco use among adolescents by 87 percent and polydrug use by up to 66 percent.

During the 2006-07 school year, we reached close to 6,000 students through the program, including students in the Columbia, Donegal, Eastern Lancaster, Hempfield, Solanco and Warwick school districts and students at Grandview Heights Academy, Lancaster Country Day, Manheim Christian, Our Lady of the Angels, Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Sacred Heart, Saint Leo the Great, Mount Joy Career & Technology Center and the Rohrerstown IU-13.

Since we launched a smoking cessation program for inpatients at Lancaster General Hospital and Women & Babies Hospital in late 2004, 3,184 patients have participated in the program and 51 percent of them were still smoke-free one year after joining the program.

Lancaster General also conducts an ongoing Freedom from Smoking (FFS) program that is open to anyone in the community who is trying to kick the habit. Since July 2006, more than 150 people have attended 10 public classes and four corporate classes. On average, about seven of 10 smokers kicked the habit.

Designed by the American Lung Association and taught by Lancaster General Wellness educators, FFS includes seven 90-minute sessions over six weeks. The goal is to help people understand and change behaviors that lead to smoking through a personalized plan that focuses on diet, exercise and other habits.

In the spirit of our systemwide mission to improve the health and well-being of the communities of Lancaster, we will prohibit the use of tobacco products on our grounds and facilities effective Jan, 1, 2008. Lancaster General recently unveiled BreatheWell, a comprehensive tobacco-free initiative designed to improve the health of all who visit the health system’s facilities. Recognizing that smoking is a difficult addiction, BreatheWell encompasses a variety of smoking cessation programs that are designed to help community members quit smoking.

For additional information, please visit our Web site at http://www.lancastergeneral.org/. To join a smoking-cessation program, call 800-341-2121. For a guide to smoke-free restaurants in Lancaster County, call the Tobacco Free Coalition of Lancaster at 717-544-3223.

Linda Crockett, of the Samaritan Counseling Center, partners with Lancaster General to enhance the Center's clinical services and community programs related to domestic violence.

Nearly one-third of American women will experience domestic violence. It is the leading cause of female homicides and injury-related deaths during pregnancy, and studies show that 22 percent to 35 percent of women seen in emergency departments are there because of domestic violence.

Domestic violence is linked to many chronic medical and mental health problems, and it increases health-risk behaviors such as overeating, smoking and substance abuse.

National medical associations recommend that healthcare providers routinely ask patients clear, direct and educational questions about domestic violence.

Following that recommendation, Lancaster General increased employee training related to domestic violence last year. More than 130 Lancaster General employees attended classes about the health impact of domestic violence. We also added computer-based training modules on recognizing and responding to abuse.

Staff in key areas such as LGH’s Emergency Department and Family Health Services, the Women & Babies Hospital, and our Healthy Beginnings Plus and Cardiac Rehab programs received specialized training on how to offer confidential support, resources and information to patients disclosing abuse. Staff also learned specific techniques for assessing the overall impact of domestic violence on a patient’s health.

Domestic Violence Information on Web Site   In May, Lancaster General added a “Domestic Violence” section to its Web site to raise awareness about this major health concern and to provide information and resources for victims, families, employers and others in the community.   The site includes facts and figures as well as information about danger signs, what to say to a victim and local resources. We also offer free informational resource cards and posters for the workplace.   For more information, click here.

These clinical areas will serve as models for the rest of Lancaster General as we expand domestic-violence screening throughout the health system in the coming year.

Earlier this year, we also provided our Human Resources staff with training on how to use our new Employee Domestic Violence Awareness and Assistance policy to help employees experiencing abuse.

Lancaster General is proud to be part of the SAFE (Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner) 24/7 support team with on-call Emergency Department nurses who assist with adult sexual assault cases. We also continue to partner with Lancaster County Children & Youth Agency, the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office and the YWCA of Lancaster in support of OASIS (Organizations Allied for Safety Intervention & Support), a resource that provides a centralized place where child-abuse victims can be safe and cases can be investigated in the most effective way.

The Domestic Violence Services of Lancaster County Hotline (717-299-1249) offers information on options, safety planning, counseling and shelter services. Our Web site (www.lancastergeneral.org/content/Domestic_Violence_Health_Issue.htm) offers a vast array of domestic-violence resources.

 

 

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