For Immediate Release
September 13, 2021
Contacts
Steve Greenberg (518) 469-9858 steve@greenbergpr.com
Bob Bellafiore (518) 928-8471 bob@stanhope-ny.com
New York eHealth Collaborative Launches Video Series; Highlights Regional Partners’ Work to Improving Healthcare in Communities
Participation in Clinical Information Sharing Network Cited as Major Reason for Improved Health Outcomes
First up … SHIN-NY Supports Delivery of Social Services in the Bronx!
The New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) today launched a video series to celebrate the work of regional partners across the state in improving the healthcare delivered to New Yorkers.
The first video in the series highlights the successful efforts of BronxWorks, a community-based organization that has been supporting people in the Bronx since 1972 with comprehensive services, including education and workforce development, eviction prevention, health and wellness, legal and immigration services, and more.
In the 3 minute 17 second video, representatives from BronxWorks explain how they use the Statewide Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY) via the Bronx RHIO to ensure they have the latest clinical information on their clients – such as hospitalizations, medication changes and other medical data – to inform the services they provide to vulnerable New Yorkers.
“Use of the SHIN-NY through the Bronx RHIO has significantly benefitted our work,” said Shauna Barry, Program Director at BronxWorks in the video. “It’s made it possible for our team to provide integrated, coordinated, comprehensive care that considers all the factors that affect a person’s health. This is particularly valuable to us because we serve a population that is often dealing with many co-occurring issues impacting individuals’ health and wellbeing.”
The SHIN-NY (SHY-nee) is a statewide network that facilitates secure and confidential electronic sharing of patient data across the healthcare system to improve outcomes. It is comprised of and connects regional networks, including the Bronx RHIO, that allow participating providers and organizations to quickly access and share comprehensive patient health information and medical records. Statewide, 100 percent of hospitals and more than 100,000 healthcare professionals are connected to the SHIN-NY, which facilitates the exchange of health information (HIE) for patients across the state regardless of health system or network within which providers are based.
“We are grateful to the dedicated staff and leadership at BronxWorks and for all the good they do for so many, and for helping us spread the message about the real world, positive impact the SHIN-NY and the Bronx RHIO have on the health of everyday New Yorkers,” said Val Grey, CEO, New York eHealth Collaborative. “This is just one example of how the SHIN-NY helps community-based organizations – as well as a wide array of medical and health professionals – do an even better job of serving their patients and clients. We look forward to sharing even more examples in the coming months.”
“The advice I would give other CBOs who are considering engaging with the RHIO is that they should absolutely move forward with doing it,” Nikki Bibby-Poe, LCSW, Program Director at BronxWorks’ Westchester Avenue Safe Haven, says in the video. “If they’re concerned with the continuity of care, with the quality of services and providing the best services that we can provide, it’s definitely something that’s beneficial to the organization.”
“Bronx RHIO has provided health information exchange services to BronxWorks since 2014. Over the years we have built customized alerting and analytics solutions to fit into existing staff workflows and meet BronxWorks’ evolving needs. It is exciting to see a health-oriented community-based organization actively using Bronx RHIO data to better support their staff and clients,” said Kathy Miller, Bronx RHIO Chief Operating Officer.
NYeC will be sharing this and forthcoming videos in the series with health care providers, community-based organizations, government, civic and business leaders, and the media as part of its ongoing education and informational campaign.
Future videos will focus on how the SHIN-NY has worked with other regional networks and a wide range of health care providers to improve community health in other parts of the state.
For more information about the SHIN-NY, see https://www.nyehealth.org/shin-ny/what-is-the-shin-ny/.
The link for the new video is here: https://www.nyehealth.org/bronxworks/.
About the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC)
NYeC is a nonprofit organization working in partnership with the New York State Department of Health and others to improve healthcare by collaboratively leading, connecting, and integrating health information exchange across the state. www.nyehealth.org
About the Bronx RHIO
The Bronx Regional Health Information Organization (Bronx RHIO) is a clinical information exchange established by the borough’s leading healthcare organizations. Participants include hospitals, health systems, ambulatory care centers, individual physician offices, long-term care, home care, and community and other organizations. Collectively, these providers deliver the vast majority of the healthcare received by the borough’s 1.4 million residents, including over 95% of the borough’s annual hospital discharges, over 600,000 annual Emergency Department visits and 4.5 million annual ambulatory care visits. The Bronx RHIO participates in the Statewide Health Information Network for New York (the “SHIN-NY”). www.bronxrhio.org.
About BronxWorks
BronxWorks helps individuals and families improve their economic and social well-being. From toddlers to seniors, we feed, shelter, teach, and support our neighbors to build a stronger Bronx community. In all aspects of our work, BronxWorks strives for the highest ethical and performance standards. We are guided by the belief that people must be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their present situation or past experiences. In 2020, BronxWorks made a difference in the lives of more than 62,000 Bronx residents. www.bronxworks.org.