As a not-for-profit health system, Providence is committed to health care beyond the walls of our California hospitals.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when health inequities in communities of color became most evident, Providence committed $50 million across the seven states it serves to provide innovative solutions to address disparities in care.
As a not-for-profit health system, Providence is committed to health care beyond the walls of our California hospitals. We believe that by assessing and addressing community health needs, often with the help of like-minded partners, we can help stop disease in its early stages before it progresses to serious illness.
The range of Providence-funded outreach programs across California include everything from partnerships with local barbers to tackle hypertension in Black and Brown communities to mobile health clinics deployed across the region that meet the needs of vulnerable populations while allowing them to stay close to home.
“For centuries, Providence has served the poor and vulnerable in the traditions of our founding religious Sisters,” said Laureen Driscoll, chief executive of Providence South, which encompasses California. “Over the decades we have carried the torch, expanding their outreach in new and creative ways.”
Some of these efforts include:
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Partnering with the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science to train community health workers to serve as trusted, culturally aware caregivers who guide participants on the journey to good health and link them to care and supportive services.
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Operating a Mobile Health Clinic for daily visits at local churches and day-labor centers, as well as homeless shelters and encampments to provide real-time service to those who may not have access to health care.
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Engaging pastors and other trusted leaders to help encourage colorectal cancer prevention among Black residents, who suffer higher rates of the deadly disease.
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Partnering with tribal communities to incorporate cultural-specific birthing practices and aesthetics into rural childbirth centers, ensuring health equity for indigenous families.
Reducing hypertension rates in Latinx communities
These local efforts are also expanding. After funding a successful two-year partnership with community-based organizations in Los Angeles’ Black communities to address high rates of hypertension and other prevalent health conditions, Providence is bringing the program to Latinx communities in Orange County and the High Desert.
Embracing the knowledge of the American Heart Association and other experts, the partnership is committed to simplifying access to care for Latinx residents, one in four of whom suffer from hypertension. Also called high blood pressure, when hypertension goes untreated, it can cause heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and heart failure.
Ensuring safe outcomes for Black women through pregnancy and childbirth
In Southern California, Providence also sponsors Black Mamas Glowing, an initiative committed to supporting Black women through pregnancy, birth and beyond. Just 5% of maternity patients across California are Black, yet these mothers account for 20% of the state’s maternal deaths.
“It is so important that there is a culture within the hospital for safety of all mothers,” said obstetrician and gynecologist Nbalia Soumah, D.O., of Providence Facey Medical Group. “Black moms really want to hear that from the health care system they’re involved with. They want open conversation. They want to hear we’re doing something. That’s why this program is so special.”
Ensuring health care for all, especially those who are most vulnerable
In Northern California, Providence hospitals send teams of nurses, social workers and community health workers into communities to support people struggling to manage complex medical and socioeconomic conditions. Through the CARE Network program, patients receive comprehensive whole-person care, including disease management education and support, social services and connection to critical basic needs like housing and food.
“The overall goal is to address health inequities by addressing the barriers to managing health and chronic conditions — what we call health-related social needs, such as housing instability, food insecurity and transportation,” said Dana Codron, senior director of Community Health Investment for Providence.
The CARE Network team also coordinates with inpatient discharge planning, the emergency department and other community-based organizations to work with patients outside of the hospital setting.
“The care and services provided by the team embody the definition of health equity. We provide the support they need to attain their optimal health regardless of race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status. Services are person-centered and focused on a community-based, multi-disciplinary approach,” said Joy Victorine, manager of Care Management for Providence in Humboldt County.
Beyond this community-based work, partnerships with educational institutions and organizations across the state aim to steer young people toward health care careers and diversify our workforce by expanding the cultural backgrounds of doctors, nurses and others to better meet the needs of our diverse communities.
“We know that it takes partnerships to make a difference,” Driscoll said. “By sharing expertise and resources, we multiply our impact.”
