GNYHA and the United Hospital Fund (UHF) held the 32nd Annual Symposium on Health Care Services: Research and Practice last week. This annual event furthers understanding and collaboration around current health care practice and research in New York, connects and aligns health services researchers and practitioners, and highlights New York’s health services research community.
American Medical Association (AMA) Senior Vice President and Chief Equity Officer Aletha Maybank, MD, delivered the keynote presentation. Dr. Maybank discussed theories of change that guide the AMA’s health equity efforts, which other health care providers could adopt for use at their own organizations. She noted that health care workers early in their career could unite in solidarity and collectively work to nurture positive change at their organization. Dr. Maybank said, “We can bind with other people who feel the same way and come up with suggestions for leadership.”
Brooklyn Community Foundation Vice President of Programs and Partnerships Marcella Tillet moderated Perspectives on COVID-19 Vaccinations, a panel discussion on hospital, long-term care (LTC), home health, and community responses during the initial rollout. David Russel, PhD, Research Scientist, Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, said that surveys and focus groups found that home health aides—despite feelings of being undervalued, undertrained, and without adequate resources—were highly motivated by their belief that they were providing their patients with essential services.
Global Trauma Research Inc. (GTR) Executive Director Florence Saint-John, PhD, attributed GTR’s success to its historic reputation for being trusted and culturally responsive. The organization held in-person and online vaccine events, such as a spa day, that were not overtly labeled as being vaccine-related.
Richmond University Medical Center Chief Operating Officer Rosemarie Stazzone, RN, noted “people will gravitate to people they know.” The hospital made short videos featuring its own pro-vaccine physicians “to give a sense of comfort to people they work with.”
Jasmine Travers, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor of Nursing, New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing, said a major dynamic was that LTC staff who didn’t feel part of the team during the pandemic prior to the vaccine rollout tended not to trust the vaccine when it came time to get their shot.
Specific Populations Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic, a series of research presentations, consisted of “Leveraging Geographic Information Systems for Hot-Spotting During COVID-19” by Kushboo Shah, Director Data Solutions, Innovative Management Solutions; “Social Determinants of Health Outreach to Veterans” by Michael Matthews, Director of Veterans Programs, Staten Island Performing Provider System; and “BMI Changes in the Pediatric Population of NYC with the COVID-19 Pandemic” by Renee Bargman, MD, NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island.
The Symposium also included a virtual poster session during which participants viewed recorded poster presentations and engaged with poster presenters. The poster presenters were from the NYU Wagner School of Public Service, NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln, and the Center for Health Workforce Studies.
A recording of the Symposium and the poster videos are available here.