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Collaboration with community

aims for better, smarter, healthier care

A conversation with Frederick P. Cerise, MD, MPH

President and CEO, Parkland Health & Hospital System

s Dallas County’s only public
health system, Parkland provides The Faith Health Initiative, part of Parkland’s
pastoral care department, connects patients like
more than X-rays, stitches and Ms. R with local faith communities to help
remove barriers and get the care they need.
medications for patients like
“Ms. R” who visited the emergency
department 85 times over a four-month
period. Patients like her, known as high
ED utilizers, are part of a large, vulnerable
population of uninsured patients with
complex health and social needs. Often,
they use the ER as a portal for care that
could be provided more efficiently in
another setting. Parkland is working with
community partners to develop a program
to better meet the needs of these patients.

What is the Collaborative Coalition for
Collective Community Health Impact?
Dr. Cerise: Parkland staff has been working
with high ED utilizers to address underlying
socio-economic problems – connecting
them with resources for housing, food,
transportation, job training or substance
abuse. The new coalition will allow us
to expand this work with other healthcare months with a total estimated cost of $14 a Parkland social worker who then worked
systems and community-based million. By expanding this collaboration, with others to secure temporary housing
organizations to collectively leverage area hospitals and agencies can significantly for her and also locate a long-term housing
health and social service resources for the affect the health of these most vulnerable solution. Since then she has not returned
highly vulnerable across Dallas County. patients and reduce the total cost of care. to Parkland’s ER. She now receives care
Based on the success of a variety of internal regularly at a Parkland outpatient specialty
Why is this collaboration important initiatives at Parkland, we are optimistic clinic and is doing much better. We’re
to the health of our community?
that significant progress can be achieved. helping patients improve their health and
Dr. Cerise: Studies across Dallas-Fort well-being by assessing and meeting
Worth health systems determined that How will the collaboration their needs efficiently and effectively. It’s
80 patients are the same high ED utilizers help patients? a smarter, better way to provide
at four of the largest health systems, Dr. Cerise: In the case of Ms. R, we healthcare services.
accounting for 5,139 ED visits over 12 evaluated her needs and referred her to