Community Benefits

Hallmark Health Community Benefits Programs

Hallmark Health works to identify the health care needs of the communities we serve and to help people gain the tools and knowledge they need to make healthy choices and lead healthy lives. In addition to a wide variety of programs focusing on basic health concerns, we also offer creative approaches targeting the specific health concerns of some of our most vulnerable populations.

The Tri-City Haitian Relief Task Force Planning Sessions.

Community Health Surveys

Please complete our Community Health Survey. Any personal information you share will be kept confidential. Your feedback is very important in helping us to plan future programs that best meet your needs.

On-Line Community Survey

Downloadable Community Health Survey

Download the Community Health Survey in one of the following languages:
Chinese
Vietnamese
Italian
Spanish
Portuguese
Creole

2011 Community Benefits Report

2011 Patient Family Advisory Council  Annual Report

Hallmark Health System Community Benefits Mission Statement

Hallmark Health System, Inc. is committed to building and sustaining a strong, vibrant and healthy community.  Hallmark Health dedicates appropriate resources to collaborations with community partners and the utilization of community member’s input toward improving health services.  Hallmark Health pledges to act as a resource and to work with the community during emergencies; improve access to care; identify, monitor, and address the unique health care needs within its core communities; and promote healthier lifestyles for residents through health education and prevention activities“Connecting and Caring for New Mothers”.  This MiniGrant project is funded through the Northwest Suburban Health Alliance/ CHNA 15 DoN funds from Lahey Clinic.

The primary areas of focus and the target populations for the Community Benefits Plan are detailed below:

Community Benefits Priorities, the Target Populations

*Due to the pervasive scope of these target populations, the focus area is primarily on the eight CHNA 16 communities including Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, North Reading, Reading, Stoneham and Wakefield.  Saugus is also included as a primary community.  Emphasis will be placed on serving those residents that are underserved due to socio-economic factors, age (elderly and children) or other health disparities such as cultural or language barriers.          

Community Benefits 2012 Program List

Supporting Health Care Reform:

In 2010, Hallmark Health Financial Counselors completed 2,220 applications for individuals. The system also continued its efforts to build community awareness around the opportunity for financial counseling and interpreter services through Hallmark Health, with a concentrated focus on uninsured or underinsured residents of the hospital’s core communities.

Another important component of supporting health reform was the need to educate and train high quality professionals to deliver health care. In 2010, Hallmark Health continued to operate the Lawrence Memorial/Regis College School of Nursing and Radiography Programs.  Discounted tuition for low-income nursing students from the Lawrence Memorial/Regis College School of Nursing/ Medical Radiology was offered. Continuing medical education was offered to physicians, nurses and other health professions, and community members; many of these sessions focused on topics related to the target populations.

Mentoring opportunities were made available for high school students, nursing students and other health professionals from a variety of colleges and high schools, offering the chance for young adults to explore health care as a career option, or to train as nurses, dieticians, pharmacists, physical therapists and in other health professions.  In addition, a Haitian medical student was provided the opportunity to continue her education at Hallmark Health after her school was destroyed in the Haitian earthquake of January of 2010. Cultural Conversation Classes through English at Large were also secured for area residents, students, and employees, allowing them to practice their language skills to assist them with health access issues and also helping them to secure future jobs. The first class was offered at Lawrence Memorial Hospital in September of 2010.

Reducing Health Disparities:

Hallmark Health programs that supported the needs of the diverse communities in our service area include programs such as the “Mothers Helping Mothers” clothing store. This program partially funded by the state Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition program, offers parenting support and education and free lightly used clothing and baby care items for an estimated 600 diverse families. Each family can access the store monthly by appointment and receive over $65.00 in items. This support allows them to use the additional unspent dollars in their budget to purchase other needed items such as food, fuel, or medicine. Families are comfortable using the WIC program and the store is a nice off-shoot of the program.

Hallmark Health System, Inc. is also proud to have been awarded a generous grant from the Massachusetts affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure in 2010.  “For the Best Health, Remember Breast Health”, is a three-part educational and support program designed to serve diverse women in Burlington, Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, North Reading, Reading, Stoneham, Wakefield, Wilmington, Winchester and Woburn.  The program allowed the staff of Hallmark Health to educate young women, aged 20 to 39 years about the importance of breast health and breast cancer prevention strategies, provide state of the art training to health care staff at Hallmark Health’s six local mammography sites, and offer navigation services to any woman in the community needing support in scheduling her annual mammogram.  The program was offered in partnership with other local agencies serving diverse women such as the Malden YWCA Encore Plus program. Education programs were offered at WIC sites, the Housing Families Shelter in Revere, Tri-Cap Head Start locations in Malden, Medford, and Stoneham, and Healthy Families.

Improving Chronic Disease Management:

In the Hallmark Health service area cardiovascular disease; diabetes; long-term cancers; bone and joint diseases; such as osteoporosis and arthritis; substance abuse and mental illnesses, such as depression are factors faced by area residents every day.   To assist residents in identifying and coping with these diseases, Hallmark Health offers a variety of services and programs such as support groups for elder caregivers, caregivers of Alzheimer patients, diabetics and those faced with respiratory illnesses such as asthma and chronic bronchitis. 

In addition the hospital provides education and screening, including self-management programs for diabetics through the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and other self-management programs for chronic diseases through the tested My Life, My Health program, developed by Stanford University. In the Hallmark Health service area, Cambridge Health Alliance, Mystic Valley Elder Services, and Hallmark Health have collaborated to offer the My Life, My Health programs in a strategic way to residents.

 One of Hallmark Health’s signature programs, the Senior Citizen’s Outreach Program offers nursing services such as nursing assessments and referrals, blood pressure screenings, and individual health conferences to area residents. Education programs are provided on topics ranging from healthy aging to diabetes management. The program is staffed daily by a registered nurse specializing in the chronic diseases facing older adults.  

Promoting Wellness in Vulnerable Populations:

For the past thirteen years, Hallmark Health has provided the Healthy Families home-visiting program for first-time parents age 20 and under living in Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, North Reading, Reading, Stoneham, and Wakefield. Funded by the Children’s Trust Fund and supported by Hallmark Health, Healthy Families offers free services for participants and their families during pregnancy and until the child turns three. Services include home visiting, mentoring, role modeling, prenatal and parenting education, parenting activities and groups for young parents, and connecting families with community services and resources. In addition, educational classes such as prenatal classes, infant care, CPR, and First Aid are also provided. The Healthy Families program served 94 unduplicated families and had 54 referrals in Fiscal Year 2010.   Measures for the program impact include, but are not limited to, tracking referrals and enrollment; reducing second pregnancies of enrolled teens; attendance at education and group programs; continued enrollment in high school, college or other education programs; decrease in child abuse and neglect in this population (measured against state data); up-to-date child immunization rates; child development consistent with age for enrolled children; and parents and children having a primary care provider.

Another successful Hallmark Health long-term prevention program is the North Suburban Child and Family Resource Network (NSCFRN), a community-based parenting education and support program that serves families living or working in Melrose, Stoneham, and Wakefield as well as other local communities. In 2010, the Network, funded by a grant through the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care, consolidated services with the Community Partnership Program of Melrose, Stoneham, and Wakefield as a result of state funding reductions. This new entity offered parent/child play and learn groups focused on improving literacy, parenting education programs, support groups, family fun activities, as well as information on resources and referrals. Specific programs were also offered for grandparents and fathers. The Network is administered through a partnership between Melrose, Stoneham, and Wakefield Public Schools and Hallmark Health. This year services have been expanded to families with children up to age fourteen (14) years and also includes support for childcare providers. Parents and community representatives assist with fundraising, community outreach, and program development. In 2010, the program served over 900 unduplicated families. The measurements of the program include, but are not limited to, tracking enrollment, attendance at programs, library materials utilized, referrals made to social service providers on behalf of participants, and understanding of material presented during educational sessions.

Community Benefits Report 2010

Community Benefits Program Stories or linkages:

Community Benefits Advisory Council

• Dee George, RN, Ph.D., Trustee, Hallmark Health System.

• Loretta Kemp, Community Representative, Deputy Director of Tri-CAP, area resident.

• Joanne Lambert, Member of the Melrose-Wakefield Hospital Patient Advisory Council, retired Vice-Principal Malden Public Schools, active in many community groups, area resident.

• Diane Farraher-Smith MSN, MBA, RN, Executive Director, Hallmark Health VNA and Hospice. Sr. Vice President, Home Care and Community Services, Hallmark Health System, area resident.

• Richard Price, Senior Vice President, Fund Development

• Charles Whipple, Esquire, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer

• Richard Pozniak, System Director of Public Affairs and Marketing

• Marcella Rivard, Controller

• Eileen Dern, RN, CES, Director of Community Services

Community Partners

Collaborations are developed with other groups as needed to implement Community Benefits programming.

Community Teams

Six community outreach teams -- named for Malden, Medford, Melrose, Reading, Stoneham and Wakefield-- work to boost institutional involvement, identify community needs and otherwise reach out to local organizations in their respective towns. Their efforts have won Hallmark Health three major awards from local chambers of commerce and ensured that Hallmark Health is the organization that local communities look to when they face a health-related challenge or need.  Many Hallmark Health staff members live in our primary or secondary service area and participate on a team or a team-sponsored event each year. Teams solicit input from key community leaders including; superintendents of schools, state representatives and local health departments.  The community teams log hundreds of hours annually as active members in civic groups and service organizations throughout the North Suburban Region.

 

Team Programs Supporting Our Communities
Team Malden - “YMCA Healthy Kids Day”
Team Melrose – The annual “Healthy Melrose Day”
Team Medford - Supporting Medford Public Schools with a school supply drive
Team Wakefield- “Festival by the Lake”
Team Reading- Reading Town Day
Team Stoneham- Stoneham Town Day

Patient Advisory Councils

The Patient/Family Community Advisory Council of Lawrence Memorial Hospital (LMH):  In 2008 Hallmark Health strived to strengthen its relationships in the community by continuing to sponsor and facilitate the Community Advisory Council for Lawrence Memorial Hospital.  This group was created to assist LMH in becoming more knowledgeable about the diverse needs of the patients it serves, particularly as it relates to culture and race.  The group is comprised of a representative from physician services, a group of community members of diverse ages and backgrounds, and leadership from the hospital.  The group meets monthly. 

The Community Advisory Council of Melrose Wakefield Hospital (MWH):  Following in the footsteps of the LMH Community Advisory Council, in 2008, Hallmark Health convened the Community Advisory Council of the Melrose-Wakefield Hospital.  This Council is comprised of a representative from physician services, a group of five community members of diverse ages and backgrounds, and leadership from the hospital.  The group meets monthly. 
In the coming year, the Councils will assist Hallmark Health to strengthen collaborations around meeting the divergent health needs of the Hallmark Health communities and to provide input into the planning of future Community activities and initiatives.

"Professional Voices for Health" - Hallmark Health’s Community Benefits mission is to help build a strong, vibrant and healthy community. Let our engaging speakers assist your organization in providing presentations that focus on improving the health of residents in the workplace and in the community.

Presentation topics can be tailored to your organization’s particular interests, or we will be happy to consult with you to suggest topics for your group that focus on the health needs most common in our communities. Topics such as understanding your risks for heart disease and stroke, managing stress, osteoporosis prevention and managing chronic illnesses such as diabetes are
commonly requested topics. Child safety and growth and development are also popular.

For additional information or to schedule a presentation for your organization, please contact Nancy Ward in Community Services at nward@hallmarkhealth.org, call Nancy at (781) 338-7556 or fill out the request form below.

Please allow a minimum of four weeks for scheduling your program. There is no cost for scheduling a speaker.

Request a speaker online

View the speaker's bureau flyer here.