Services improve patients’ successful transition after discharge,
enhancing patient health, quality of life and reintegration with the community,
family and workforce
POMONA, Calif., August 23, 2016 — Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare, a leading medical,
surgical and rehabilitation service provider, is pleased to acknowledge
the support by a grant in the amount of $859,862 from the UniHealth Foundation,
a non-profit philanthropic organization whose mission is to support and
facilitate activities that significantly improve the health and well-being
of individuals and communities within its service area. The project focus
is to provide patient navigation supportive services to Casa Colina patients
after discharge from the hospital. These support services follow Casa
Colina’s mission for patients of all diagnoses to achieve a stable
and sustainable lifestyle by providing ongoing care and support within
the community.
“Casa Colina’s mission includes our commitment to enhance the
quality of life of every person we serve in an environment that recognizes
their uniqueness, dignity and self-esteem,” said Felice L. Loverso,
Ph.D., President and CEO of Casa Colina. “Patient navigation services
extend this important mission to our patients even after discharge. It
is with great sincerity that we express gratitude to the UniHealth Foundation
for its generous support of these much-needed services in our community.”
While patient navigation is common in oncology, the concept of patient
navigation for individuals with chronic disabilities is still unique.
This funded program, titled
Promoting Discharge Success with a High-risk Transitional Navigation System, is an innovative approach to providing additional support to all patients
who are identified as “high risk” for complications during
the important transition from hospital discharge back into the community.
It especially addresses potential gaps in services experienced by many
individuals who have made significant progress in medical recovery and
rehabilitation, but find obstacles in self-managing their needs upon discharge.
Emily Rosario, Ph.D., Director of the Casa Colina Research Institute, will
oversee the project and track the program outcomes, including measuring
such factors as frequency of patients at post-discharge experiencing urinary
tract infections (UTIs), pressure ulcers, pneumonia, depression, loss
of functional gains made in rehabilitation and other complications that
lead to re-hospitalizations, limitations in personal and life opportunities,
decreased quality of life and increased non-productive behaviors (drug
abuse, etc.).
According to Dr. Rosario, “Patients make incredible gains while they
are at Casa Colina. However, their functional abilities are often not
maintained after discharge. This program will aim to ensure continued
success for all patients, especially those at higher risk for negative
outcomes.”
To minimize these negative outcomes, key program activities include care
coordination, psychosocial and medical support and providing connections
to community resources for financial assistance, transportation, family
needs, translation services and referrals for individual and group therapeutic
support, weekly/monthly educational sessions and community activities.
Jennifer Vanore, Ph.D., senior program officer at UniHealth Foundation,
stated, “Increasing access to comprehensive, coordinated care across
the healthcare continuum is a priority for UniHealth Foundation. With
this grant, care transition services will be provided to Casa Colina patients
with chronic disabilities, enhancing wellness and improving their quality
of life. UniHealth Foundation is proud to partner with Casa Colina in
this important and unique program.”