In November 2018, El Camino Hospital Foundation allocated $128,000 of unrestricted donations to the El Camino Fund.
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Advance Care Planning Academy
Advance care planning helps health care professionals better understand the wishes of patients who are not in a position to make or communicate their choices. Over the past two years, with funding from El Camino Hospital Foundation, the hospital has been teaching community volunteers and hospital staff how to educate patients and families about the value of an advanced care plan and prepare advance care directives. This new allocation will enable the program to be tailored for physicians, so they can be trained in small groups on the advance care planning topics most important to them. The sessions will also give the doctors a chance to practice and engage with their colleagues for support and professional development. “Empowering our patient community to have the knowledge and skills to navigate health care decisions is giving back to the community at the highest level,” Chief Nursing Officer Cheryl Reinking says.
Home Meal Delivery
Malnutrition among older adults is becoming a health crisis in the United States and other developed nations. It negatively impacts health outcomes following discharge from the hospital and is increasingly recognized as a major readmission risk factor. This allocation from the Foundation will fund a pilot project to test whether or not delivering a standardized package of groceries shortly after the patient is discharged, followed by the delivery of two medically-tailored meals a day, five days a week for four weeks, will improve the health of these vulnerable patients and reduce readmissions.
Care for the Hospital Caregiver
Hospital caregivers may need care themselves after a traumatic or adverse event that involves serious, unintentional patient harm. This grant will help the hospital formalize its process and policies, and train a caregiver response team of peers, managers, and administrators that can provide immediate psychological first aid and other support.
Unrestricted donations to the El Camino Fund are allocated twice a year to support the hospital’s strategic priorities. “These gifts give us the flexibility to help the hospital meet critical needs as they arise,” says Foundation President Jodi Barnard. “Every proposal our Allocations Committee carefully reviews is first vetted by the hospital’s executive leadership team to ensure it will enhance patient care, strengthen the organization, and improve the health of the community.” You can make a donation to the El Camino Fund online at www.elcaminohospital.org/donate.