Environmental Stewardship

Using Data Analytics to Help Patients Prepare for Extreme Weather Events The needs of our communities are constantly evolving, and people are facing new and worsening health chal- lenges due to environmental factors. In particular, due to a changing climate, we have seen a noticeable uptick in extreme weather events in the last several years, both in frequency and severity. These events and their aftermaths have motivated Providence to rethink and adapt data collection mechanisms to better reach those who are disproportionally impacted by these events, including people with underlying health conditions such as diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and renal failure. "We have to ensure we aren't missing those people who are struggling, the elderly, people with chronic conditions or those who lack access to transportation and technology," says Hale. Equipped with a big idea and passion for preparedness, Hale reached out to Ivy Bond, Senior Business Partner, and Sheila Joyce, Director Care Management Optimization, both on Providence's Enterprise Care Management and Coordination (ECMC) team, to determine if her idea had any merit. "We partnered very closely with our care man- agement teams across the system and have fostered a culture of collaboration and sharing of ideas," says Joyce. "When Betty brought this idea to us, we immediately understood the possibilities of viewing and understanding our populations through this lens and the potential it had." Betty Hale has been a nurse for 38 years, a case manager for 20 years and has disaster response planning in her blood. Raised by a mother who volunteered with the Red Cross, Hale learned from an early age to always be prepared. When extreme weather events, including intense temperature changes, wildfires and floods became more frequent in her home of Oregon, Hale knew more needed to be done to proactively care for those hard-to-reach residents who face myriad risk factors. With this concept, Sarah Ramelli, ECMC Senior Business Intelligence Analyst, was able to quickly expand on Hale's idea and stand up a dashboard visualization tool within the existing Community Pathways to Health (CPH) platform. Within HIPAA compliance for patient privacy, this leading-edge tool enables Providence caregivers to identify patients most at- risk and compare and analyze data across 16 different risk factors and social determinants of health. Those factors are then cross-referenced with patient zip codes and predictable climate-related events to identify people who live in "hot spots" and have complex health concerns. For example, as wildfires become more prevalent in the Pacific Northwest, Providence caregivers are acutely aware that people who face mobility issues or suffer from respiratory conditions such as COPD, need additional assistance if an evacuation is ordered. The CPH platform enables Providence to identify those people before fires become too unwieldy and get them the transportation or other resources they need to stay safe and healthy. This innovative tool is in its early stages but shows great promise and possibility for improving the health and well-being of those most impacted by environmental events such as heat waves, extreme cold weather, power outages, poor air quality and earthquakes. In 2021, the groundwork was laid for a comprehensive strategy for pro- actively reaching people most at-risk before a situation becomes dire. "We have to ensure we aren't missing those people who are struggling, the elderly, people with chronic conditions or those who lack access to transportation and technology." Betty Hale, RN In 2021, what started as a proactive attempt by one nurse in Oregon led to the development of a complex and innovative dashboard supported by and accessible to multiple divisions across the Providence system. 7

• Cover