Maine Critical Access Hospital Collaborative Wins President's Award from New England Rural Health Roundtable
 The New England Rural
Health Roundtable has awarded its annual President's Award to a
collaborative of Maine Critical Access Hospitals focused on improving
medication practices and safety. The
collaborative will receive the award at the 12th NERHR annual
symposium October 30th at the Portland ME Marriott.
For nearly 18 months, fourteen of Maine's smallest, most rural hospitals have been meeting
in monthly sessions facilitated by Judy Tupper of the Muskie School of Public
Service. These hospitals face the same
challenges to medication safety as all hospitals nationwide, including implementing
new technology and other tools that assure the best possible care, and
systematically and accurately communicating with patients and community health
care providers about an individual’s medications and health.
Providing technical assistance, Ms. Tupper has guided participants to
assess organizational practices, learn from national best practices, candidly
share experiences, and plan and implement specific solutions to address the needs
of small, rural hospitals. "What made
this collaborative work," said Ms. Tupper, "is the trust built among members
and the information sharing and learning throughout. The work and approach has had a great,
positive impact on these rural hospitals and the communities they serve. With the national attention they are already receiving
for their work together, they will have the opportunity to expand their impact
outside the state."
The Maine Health Access Foundation
(MeHAF) provided funding for project planning, the technical assistance Judy
Tupper has provided to the Collaborative, as well as the specific
implementation projects at each of the fourteen hospitals. MeHAF is very impressed by the Collaborative
for taking on new and innovative projects and learning from one another in a
way that is already impacting their work.
MeHAF is thrilled that the hospitals have been recognized as national
leaders in implementing strategies that improve care in small, rural
communities. The Foundation intends to
help the collaboration disseminate solutions generated by the project including
medication reconciliation, interventions related to high-alert medications,
enhanced patient and staff education and tele-pharmacy plans that more closely
involve pharmacist in remote regions.
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