OAHHS Hospital Voice Fall/Winter 2020

8 » A magazine for and about Oregon Community Hospitals. community organizations that can help us understand what’s needed. “When we saw the coronavirus unfolding, we viewed it as we’re all in this together, and we need to move together in lockstep,” says Dr. Ogden, “because none of us will be successful on our own.” Caring Connections: Good Shepherd Health Care System It couldn’t be a worse time to be homeless, disadvantaged, and without a primary-care provider. That’s why Good Shepherd Health Care System (GSHCS), in Hermiston, is doing all it can to spread the word about the ConneXions program in Umatilla and Morrow counties. Community Health Workers (CHW) connect clients to resources related to finances, health, medication management, health care coverage, food, shelter, transportation, psy- chological and addiction issues, along with wellness screenings and classes. If someone is COVID-19 positive with no health care pro- vider, ConneXions gets them estab- lished with one. As the program grows, it’s proactively helping community members become more self-sufficient on their health journeys. ConneXions is a part of GSHCS’s Education and Wellness Department, which offers dozens of mostly free classes. Now with many of these online, they’ve reached people they otherwise couldn’t. Some can’t or won’t leave their homes, due to illness or fear of infection. “We’re making more home visits to assess their situations and link them to the right services and care,” says Juli Gregory, GSHCS’s Education Director. Good Shepherd also shows up for local businesses. The hospital and Umatilla County Public Health created a free information packet on infection prevention and contact tracing for companies, so they can stay safe and open. Another great service is the CareVan Medical Transportation program. It drives people for free to any medical or mental health appointment in GSHCS’s service area, and to any of their affiliated providers in Hermiston. Gregory says, “Thanks to the col- laboration between all of our part- ners, we’ve been able to expand our services. It’s been wonderful to see everybody come together with more effort and say, ‘OK, how can we make this work?’ It’s been amazing to watch. We’re hopeful that our communities will come out of this pandemic stronger than we were before.” Power in the Positive: CHI St. Anthony Hospital Sometimes parents need a hand, particularly those in troubled homes. The Positive Parenting Program®, or Triple P, can help. This evidence-based program was founded in Australia and helps parents build the skills and confidence they need to manage their children’s behavior and form healthy relationships with them. In July 2020, CHI St. Anthony Hospital’s parent organization, CommonSpirit Health™, awarded a second three-year grant to train community providers on teaching parents and caregivers about Triple P. The grant totaled $375,000 plus half the funding for a full-time Parenting Education Coordinator position from Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, which allows the hospital to reach more families in Umatilla and neighboring counties.” Triple P is for anyone who wants to learn positive ways to parent. We want to get rid of the stigma of asking for help,” says Emily Smith, Director of Marketing, Communications and Foundation at St. Anthony. “We tell parents, ‘You know your family best, and here are some options to try. We’re here to support you.’” Seventeen parenting strategies take parents virtually through five levels—a large-group informational seminar, small-group discussions with other parents, one-on-ones with a Triple P provider to address specific concerns, a consult for those more CHI St. Anthony Positive Parenting Program “I know I speak for our staff when I say how blessed we are to be on the front lines helping people.” Sue Paiement, Catholic Community Services of Lane