When the world’s largest brain found its way to Elizabethtown, Kentucky, it was hard to ignore. And that was the point. The giant inflatable brain exhibit, dubbed the Mega Brain, was the cornerstone of Baptist Health Hardin’s stroke awareness event this spring.
And it did the trick. More than 100 people—including patients and their families—walked through the Mega Brain, learned about what happens to your brain during a stroke and received a free stroke-risk screening, which included blood pressure, glucose, lipid and cholesterol checks.
Patients and families also enjoyed complementary services and education from local behavioral health specialists and yoga studios that emphasized the importance of health and wellness when it comes to brain health.
This lively community event was just one piece of Baptist Health’s 100-year anniversary celebration.
Leaders at Baptist Health are marking the occasion with a yearlong “100 Days of Service” initiative to celebrate 100 years of providing care to Kentucky and Southern Indiana communities.
“Our 100 days of caring is a representation of who we are and who we will continue to be at our core,” said John Godfrey, MD, an internist and vice president and chief medical officer at Baptist Health Hardin. “We cover health care for almost the entire state of Kentucky, as well as Southern Indiana. We have a wide presence and part of our vision is to continue to grow and meet the needs of our communities.”
Baptist Health is a member of the AMA Health System Program, which provides enterprise solutions to equip leadership, physicians and care teams with resources to help drive the future of medicine.
100 days of service
Throughout the year, Baptist Health physicians and care teams have touched thousands of lives in their communities through this campaign.
They’ve screened more than 2,500 people for heart disease, colon cancer and stroke, with screening events like the stroke event at Baptist Health Hardin. They’ve also donated resources to the community, including $36,000 of food, 82,000 baby-care items to new moms, and more than 650 items such as backpacks and shoes for kids in need.
“We’re celebrating the commitment our health system has made to the community as we look back at the multiple generations of lives and families Baptist has touched,” said Robert James Learch, DO, an internal medicine physician a Baptist Health. “It’s a great opportunity to recognize and to bring attention to the great care and compassion that we have and continue to provide.”
Baptist Health organized its 100 days of caring by focusing on a specific health-related topic each month. The goal was to organize events that increase awareness and provide care, support and education to the community.
Some of the ways Baptist Health physicians and care teams have supported the community in these 100 days of services include:
- Flu-shot clinics.
- Blood drives.
- Screening events.
- Food drives.
- Health care career fairs.
They’ve also headed directly into the community through cleanup efforts at local schools and parks. In all, 313 volunteers from Baptist Health staff and families worked a total of 852 hours and collected 258 bags of trash during these cleanup efforts.
Focus on community needs
“We used our community health needs assessment as our North Star to determine what our communities need and how we can help to meet those needs,” said Dr. Godfrey, noting the assessment is conducted every three years at Baptist Health.
Based on this effort, the systemwide monthly themes are:
- Maternal health.
- Heart health.
- Colon cancer.
- Barriers to health.
- Stroke.
- Health care career exploration.
- Neighborhood cleanup.
- Falls prevention and improving balance.
- Behavioral health.
- Preventive care.
- Lung cancer.
- Blood drives.
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Personalized services
With 10 hospitals, Baptist Health has a broad footprint across rural, suburban and urban communities in Kentucky and Southern Indiana. And each of these diverse communities has its own distinct needs.
Therefore, each hospital in the system had autonomy to organize activities tailored to their specific community—all under the shared monthly theme.
“Each hospital implemented their activities by working with community partners and asking, ‘What do you need? How can we support you?’” said Annabelle Pike, system director of Community Health and Engagement at Baptist Health. “Then they worked with our physicians to make sure that everything we were doing was an evidence-based appropriate approach.”
Throughout the 100 days, Baptist Health hospitals have partnered with more than 70 community agencies. For example, to address the April theme of barriers to health, Baptist Health Hardin partnered with Feeding America to address food insecurity, which is one of the most critical social drivers of health in its community.
Together, Baptist Health Hardin and Feeding America organized a food drive and delivered food to those in need. Employees donated over 2,500 pounds of canned goods and food products to the local food pantry, donated monetary support and helped make local food deliveries.
Focus on prevention
One of the common threads running through the 100 days of service is an emphasis on disease prevention.
“Being able to prevent diseases is something that doesn't get enough attention,” said Dr. Learch. “It’s great to have a chance to really focus on some proactive things we can do to improve individuals’ health and also community health at large.”
Some of the ways Baptist Health is leaning into prevention is through flu-shot clinics, health screenings and risk assessments.
“Although these screening events are not diagnostic, they can uncover issues,” said Dr. Godfrey.
Additionally, screening events and immunization clinics help keep the community engaged with—and committed to—their health.
“These small touch points help build trust and bring people back in contact with us to receive care,” said Dr. Learch. “Health care is not something we can do with just one or two appointments a year—it's something that has to take place longitudinally over years and years.”
As an influential institution in Kentucky, Baptist Health is poised to help build the long-term relationships needed to improve health. And that starts with increasing prevention awareness and action at all levels, from overall diet and exercise to health screenings and vaccinations.
“We all know we should be doing these things but making it a priority is where Baptist comes in,” said Dr. Learch. “Improving health often requires a community, societal and cultural shift—and we can help drive that change.”
Caring for the community
Overall, the 100 days of service is a clear reflection of Baptist Health’s mission and values, “allowing us to care for people in different ways, while still showing that we are a caring organization that puts people first,” said Dr. Godfrey.
The initiative has also helped further strengthen Baptist Health’s roots by becoming an even more visible and engaged partner to the community.
“Being able to meet the needs of our patients outside of the office, clinic and hospital, has been really special,” said Dr. Learch. “It has built trust among the community. They know that Baptist is here for them and that we haven’t—and aren’t—going anywhere. We’re committed to improving our communities for the long run.”
Finally, the 100 days of caring has also sparked engagement and enthusiasm among clinical and nonclinical employees alike.
“Taking care of people and being part of some of the best and worst moments of people's lives is a huge honor, and it’s not something that I take lightly,” said Dr. Learch. “Connecting with the community and having more opportunities to deepen that level of trust and care is what we’re all here for.”
