Healthcare Initiative to Support Rural Residents in Washington

WHITE SALMON, Wash., Aug. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Skyline Health (White Salmon, WA) has been awarded a four-year, $800,000 dollar grant to expand access, coordination, and quality across seven rural counties of Washington State through the development of Transitional Care Programs to improve care for individuals recovering from surgery or serious health issues. This project is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) under the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy through the Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement Program.

The Transitional Care Program project is a partnership that will bring together four public hospital districts to improve services for their patients. The four hospitals are all part of a rural healthcare network, the Rural Collaborative (Olympia, WA), and include Skyline Health (White Salmon, WA), Ferry County Health (Republic, WA), Willapa Harbor Hospital (South Bend, WA), and Lincoln Hospital (Davenport, WA). Together, these hospitals will be supported by Allevant Solutions, LLC in implementing an evidence-based Transitional Care Model that helps older individuals transition out of the hospital setting to home.  

"Rural hospital leaders are the first to raise their hands to work together on a project if it means providing better care for their patients. This project allows four hospitals in the Rural Collaborative to learn from each other and together make a huge positive impact on the health of their communities," said Dr. Elya Prystowsky, Executive Director of The Rural Collaborative.

"This project is exciting for Skyline Health. Not only does it help support our patients, it also supports direct peer-to-peer learning for Skyline's staff and the staff at the three other Rural Collaborative hospitals. This type of collective effort helps us all provide better healthcare to our communities," said Robb Kimmes, CEO, of Skyline Hospital.

The Transitional Care Program is modeled on Mayo Clinic's successful efforts in Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota, and was created by Mayo Clinic pulmonologist and Allevant Medical Director, Mark Lindsay, M.D. 

"Hospital-based Transitional Care Programs include important benefits such as strong team culture, the ability to address sudden changes in condition with on-site physicians, radiology, laboratory, therapists, other disciplines and most importantly, a patient-centered approach that includes bedside rounds with the care team on a regular schedule.  Hospital-based Transitional Care is the ideal setting for patients with complex health conditions," Lindsay said. 

With a strong focus on quality, outcomes, and growth, Allevant has worked with approximately 100 Critical Access Hospitals across 22 states. More than 60% of Transitional Care patients have primary complex medical or complex surgical conditions, which is a growing patient population.

The Rural Collaborative is 501c3 nonprofit corporation that operates in Olympia, Washington. The Collaborative is a network of 24 independent, public rural health systems in Washington State. We defend, create, and design the future of rural health care through collective strategy and action. We do this by leveraging the synergy and wisdom of our members, harnessing the value that a network of rural health system provides, and improving performance of our members and the health of the communities they serve. To learn more about the Rural Collaborative, please visit our website: www.ruralcollaborative.com

Media inquiries:
Heather Muller
Member Coordinator
360-726-2333
[email protected]

Allevant Solutions, LLC, developed by Mayo Clinic and Select Medical, offers consulting services to rural hospitals and skilled nursing facilities with a focus on organizational culture, methodologies, algorithms, processes, clinical education and preparation, collaborative relationships, and quality improvement approaches.   www.allevant.com

Media inquiries:
Mark Lindsay M.D. M.M.M
Assistant Professor, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
Medical Director, Allevant
715-577-8689
[email protected]

Jordan Tenenbaum
President, Allevant
314-302-5373
[email protected]

SOURCE Allevant