The Bridge Program

Description

Geographic and travel barriers, poverty, lack of providers, and lack of medical insurance all negatively affect the health status of rural Kentuckians in Bath, Menifee, Morgan, Rowan, and Montgomery counties. This region located in Western Appalachia has a high rate of death from chronic disease that directly relates to high rates of risk-related behaviors and conditions such smoking, obesity, lack of physical activity, and lack of regular preventive medical care.

To help improve access to care, especially for the uninsured and underinsured, the Montgomery County Health Department created the Western Appalachian Health Care Access Consortium. This program utilizes a home visitation model, employing Community Health Workers (CHWs) to help clients navigate the healthcare system, find a medical home, and establish a payer source for services in both local and immigrant populations. The CHW program is known as The Bridge.

This program received support from a 2012-2015 Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Rural Health Care Services Outreach grant. This program is currently funded by state programs with a special interest in the CHW model.

Services offered

Community Health Worker outreach efforts include:

• Conducting home visits with clients
• Connecting client with resources including prescriptions, food, and assistance with utilities
• Making appropriate referrals to meet clients' needs and accompanying them to appointments when necessary
• Providing classes in community settings
• Enlisting existing volunteer community members to serve as CHWs
• Advocating on behalf of the clients for needs within the community
• Providing culturally and linguistically-appropriate education

CHWs are educated on numerous chronic conditions, home visitation safety, communication, literacy, documentation and data collection, and community resources through a curriculum developed and approved by the Appalachian Kentucky Health Care Access Network. In addition to training, the program provides technical assistance in developing, sustaining, and evaluating CHW Programs across the state to those who are interested.

All CHWs must participate in the evidence-based Stanford Chronic Disease Self-Management leader training to learn how to help clients increase their self-efficacy in managing their own chronic diseases.

Results

The Western Appalachian Health Care Access Consortium has increased the visibility of CHWs, healthcare access, and the health status of clients as a whole. Below are specific results from patients treated by CHWs through this program:

• 59% referred to CHW by family, friends, or word of mouth
• 41% met their care plan goals
• 39.2% of clients are meeting all their goals in their care plan
• 29% increase in medical adherence over 9 months
• 20% increase of clients who have a primary care provider
• 9% increase of patients who have medical coverage
• Overall, there is 100% client satisfaction with a CHW. The average score for client satisfaction is 4.92 where a score of 5 indicates highly satisfied

Western Appalachian Health Care Access Consortium is featured in RHIhub's Rural Diabetes Prevention and Management Toolkit Program Clearinghouse.

Challenges

Challenges faced by the program include:

• Lack of public transportation system
• Providers' understanding of CHWs being a part of a value-based payment system
• Lack of providers willing to serve an uninsured or underinsured population
• No coverage for certain vision and dental procedures for the Medicare population
• Eligibility of Latino patients for insurance coverage under ACA, but grant dollars were shifted to provide coverage after eligible patients were enrolled

Replication

• Establish an evaluation plan and know what you want to measure to prove impact and success. Evaluation results in sustainability.
• Be aware of the following before creating a program:
  • Data on population demographics and health disparities
  • Knowledge and awareness of CHWs by local providers
  • Community resources for both healthcare and social services
  • Healthcare delivery systems in the region

Contact Information

Gina Brien, Network Director
Appalachian Kentucky Health Care Access Network
Western Appalachian Health Care Access Consortium
859.497.2441
GinaL.Brien@ky.gov