Thank you for taking the time to readMid-Columbia Medical Center’sCommunity Benefit Report coveringactivities during 2015.

We share this report each year with youto describe some of the programs andservices we offer, and policies we have inplace, to support our mission as a not-for-profit healthcare organization.

Mid-Columbia Medical Center is amission-driven organization whosepurpose is:

• To lead and act as a catalyst inpromoting health for all people

• To recognize the individual as a wholehuman being with different needs thatmust be met enthusiastically

• To communicate a vision of health,art, education, technology and acenter for healing which willcontinually upgrade the quality of lifein the community environment inwhich we live

• To empower people to becomepartners in their healthcare

Board and senior executive leadership are actively involved in prioritization of community initiatives. A part-timedirector of MCMC's CommunityInitiatives department overseesimplementation of programs and acts asthe primary liaison in communitycollaborations. Discussion andrecommendation of community benefitfocus areas centers around five keycomponents: alignment with theorganization’s strategic plan; likelihood orfeasibility of having a measurable impacton the issue; alignment with coreorganizational competencies; efficientallocation of resources and alignmentwith partners who have resourcesallocated toward the issue.

Community Information Mid-Columbia Medical Center (MCMC)is located in The Dalles, Wasco County,Oregon, with the population of WascoCounty at 25,775. MCMC serves a widegeographic area of rural north centralOregon along the Columbia River.

This service area includes Wasco,Sherman and Gilliam counties in Oregonand Klickitat County in WashingtonState for a combined population total of50,340. Median incomes and ethnicdemographics vary by geographiclocation. 2015 census data shows medianincomes range from $39,960 to $46,490.

Wasco County has the largest ethnicdiversity with a distribution that is 78%white, 17% Hispanic/Latino, 4%American Indian/Alaska Native and 1%other, statistics which remain relativelyunchanged from 2014. Seventeen percentof the population lives below the povertylevel and 15% of the population underthe age of 65 is uninsured. Additionalpublished data from the Oregon HealthAuthority cites December 31, 2014Medicaid program enrollment in Wascocounty at 7,563, and 8,015 at July 15,2016, an increase of 6%.

In addition to the year round population,The Dalles experiences an influx of over15,000 seasonal workers in support of theharvest of its agricultural economy.

GIVING BACK TO

Our CommunityMID-COLUMBIA MEDICAL CENTER’S ANNUAL COMMUNITY BENEFIT REPORT 2015

MCMC | 1700 EAST 19TH STREET, THE DALLES | MCMC.NET

At Mid-Columbia Medical Center, ourCommunity Benefit priorities andexpenditures are directed by a detailedassessment process through which wegather data from internal sources as well as community partners.

In 2014, our organization, as a member of the Columbia Gorge Health Council(CGHC), participated in a collaborative needs assessment that gathered inputfrom agencies serving Mid-Columbia and Gorge-area communities, includingthree other hospitals, county healthdepartments, a local coordinated careorganization, social services agencies,healthcare providers and patients.

The results were compiled in theColumbia Gorge Regional CommunityHealth Assessment Agency report, whichidentified several primary needs in theGorge region. These included adequateincome, stable housing, food,transportation, prevention healthservices and both medical and behavioralhealth services. Access to care was anadditional region wide identified issue.

Health outcomes and other factors ofparticular concern in Wasco Countyinclude the following:

• A high rate of chronic disease

• Prevalence of adult and child obesity

• Teen pregnancy

• High school graduation rate

• Limited access to healthy foods

• Inadequate social support

Because this assessment identified needsthat are beyond MCMC’s role in thecommunity, the hospital is collaboratingwith other agencies to address the mostcritical needs. The areas MCMC willfocus on include:

• Re-enrollment assistance for those onthe Oregon Health Plan to increasethe insured population;

• Participation in a community-widecoalition addressing childhood obesityin an effort to decrease the early onsetof chronic conditions such as diabetesand hypertension;

• Offering individual case managementto some of our highest need patients;

• Exploring how to increase access todental care. Serious dental problemsare among the top 10 diagnoses ofemergency room patients.

Needs Assessment

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Poverty andUninsuredOur Patient and Visitor Services andPatient Accounts staff take an active role in assisting low-income and under- / un-insured patients (there are some exemptions in place to theindividual mandate required by theAffordable Care Act) with completingapplications for the Oregon HealthPlan. Applications (in English andSpanish) are available at registrationand in Patient Accounts in both thehospital and the outpatient clinics.This application packet outlines theprocess and provides phone numbersand contact information for assistance with enrollment.

SocialDeterminantsof HealthMCMC is involved in a variety ofcommunity and coalition building andhealth advocacy activities regardingsuch social determinants as: health as food security, housing andtransportation. The RegionalCommunity Action Council beganprioritizing an implementation strategyaround these topics beginning in 2014; MCMC is a primary partnerin those efforts.

The hospital also participates as amember of the Columbia GorgeHealth Council (CGHC) in providingoversight and governance of thecoordinated care organization formedby PacificSource CommunitySolutions (PacificSource.) CGHC is anonprofit corporation comprised of theMedical Center, Wasco and HoodRiver Counties, Central OregonIndependent Practice Association,Inc., One Community Health,PacificSource, Providence Hood RiverMemorial Hospital and at-largemembers of the community.

Adult & ChildhoodObesity / Diabetes• Mid-Columbia Medical Center partners

with those in the community seeking to improve or enhance their healththrough lifestyle changes and choices,particularly in the areas of obesity andheart disease

• MCMC has a robust diabetes educationoutreach focus providing educationalsessions throughout our community andservice area. In 2015, MCMC providedfour scholarships to low-income familiesattending the Healthy Weight Solutionsprogram. This program providednutritional counseling, healthy cookingdemonstrations, individual counselingand over 90 hours of group education

Patient RehabilitationServices• Patient rehabilitation services provided

community education and assistance in the decision-making process forcommunity members considering totaljoint replacement

• 70 participants attended the freeMommy Wellness classes; aninterdisciplinary program for pregnantand new mothers with children up totwo years of age. Its purpose is to provideeducation and exercise designed topromote healthy lifestyle

habits for mother and child. Theprogram also addresses baby signlanguage and development, pelvichealth for mothers, baby-motherbonding and lactation support. Mommywellness targets low-income, minorityand under-served women and theiryoung children

• Persistent Pain Education Program is an eight-week class which provideseducation on pain neuroscience, adaptivecoping strategies, nutrition, mindfulness,proper medication and sleep hygiene topeople who are dealing with chronic painissues. Over 130 community membersattended the series

• Steps to Wellness, two 90-minute and three 60-minute talks given tocommunity members and providers tohelp them better understand painmanagement and the importance ofeducation and exercise to reach the goal of lessening reliance on opiates. The series targeted Medicaid andMedicare recipients as well as theHispanic community.

Go Red for Women'sHeart Health• MCMC sponsors this event each year.

In 2015, 255 registrants participated in a Heart Expo/Heart Walk; over 150 registrants participated in the Heart Truth Walk/Run

Planetree HealthResource Center• In addition to issuing thousands of

free admission packets to inpatients,PHRC provided 60 blood pressurescreenings in 2015

• 7,064 community members tookadvantage of free services at PHRC

• 181 people attended the free PHRClecture series which introduced thefollowing topics:

u Living With Chronic Pain: Tools for Management

u Mental Illness and the Family: How to Cope

u This Aging Body

u Could You Repeat That? Hearing Loss and Prevention

Female & Fabulous Fair• Now in its second year, this free health

fair for women was attended by 278participants; the fair provided yogatherapy classes, healthy cooking classes,circuit training, skin checks with an on-staff Dermatologist, breast care,hormone replacement therapy, weightloss and nutrition, genetics,communication, skin care and skin cancer prevention andmindfulness/self-care classes

Prevention and Education

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Other Meaningful Contributions • Annual community drug-take back:

Mid-Columbia Medical Center, in partnership with local lawenforcement, Youth Think and Tri-County Hazardous Waste &Recycling, offers free drop-off ofhousehold prescription, over-the-counter,vitamin/supplements and pet medicines

• MCMC produces a quarterly healthmagazine (Well Aware) distributed toover 17,000 households throughout thesurrounding community, at a cost ofapproximately $95,000

• MCMC provides mentoring andinternship programs designed to helptrain existing and future care providerssuch as pharmacy technicians, medicalassistants, health informationmanagement students, child careproviders, radiological technicians,nurses and rural health EMS providers

• Provides support for the American Red Cross Blood Drives

• MCMC facilitates a variety of support groups on a regular basis,including:

u Monthly Stroke Club

u Monthly Family Support Classes

u Healthy Weight Solutions

u Monthly Prostate Cancer support group

u Reach for Recovery – breast cancer support group

u Parkinson's Support Group

• Car seat evaluations, bike helmetprograms and Trauma Nurses Talk Tough are offered annually at major MCMC and other community events

• Physicians and nurses provide access to free or reduced-cost primary care;MCMC also provides school nursingservices at the elementary age level for local schools

• With a widely diverse ethnicpopulation in the service area,interpretation services are in highdemand. MCMC implemented audio /video remote interpreting technologyto meet language needs in the hospital24/7 to assist patients seeking carethroughout our organization and to any other local health service provider,regardless of affiliation with MCMC.Spanish speaking staff remain availablefor non-medical interpretation servicesat both the hospital and outpatientclinics. MCMC is working to certifyqualified staff as medical interpreters inorder to meet specific state regulationsand guidelines

• Encourages staff to volunteer to make a difference through service to members of the community

• Provides free meeting facilitiesfor various charitable, civic and support groups

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