Hearst Health, a division of Hearst, and Thomas Jefferson University’s College of Population Health today announced Nationwide Children's Hospital, Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families program as the winner of the 2020 Hearst Health Prize for outstanding achievement in population health. The program is recognized for its improvements in health outcomes for children and families impacted by neighborhood effect syndrome in the South Side community of Columbus, Ohio.
The $100,000 award was announced by Gregory Dorn, MD, MPH, president of Hearst Health, and David B. Nash, MD, MBA, dean emeritus of the Jefferson College of Population Health, during the 20th annual Population Health Colloquium. This award marks the fifth consecutive year of the Hearst Health Prize and adds Nationwide Children’s Hospital to a distinguished list of past winners, including: Community Care of North Carolina (2016), Intermountain Healthcare (2017), Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance (2018), and Sharp Transitions (2019).
Kelly J. Kelleher, MD, MPH, vice president for community health at Nationwide Children’s Hospital commented: “It’s an incomparable honor to be recognized by Hearst Health like this, and I appreciate the thoughtful consideration that the judges gave to all the entries. It is our hope at Nationwide Children’s that new thinking like that behind Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families can be brought to population health so that children and families living in communities that have been economically marginalized and traumatized can experience their best health outcomes. Part of the Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families value proposition is its unique way of approaching the neighborhood like we would a patient, which naturally means it requires many partners to succeed. Rev. John Edgar and Community Development for All People, the city of Columbus, the United Way, my colleagues at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and especially the South Side residents are the heartbeat of this effort. The other finalists’ inspired efforts are impressive and transformational. They are lifting the work of population health and I applaud their dedication and ingenuity as we all move forward in this important mission.”
Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families works to create positive health outcomes for children by targeting affordable housing, education, health and wellness, safe and accessible neighborhoods, and workforce development. It has improved the health status and reduced unnecessary health utilization and costs for South Side neighborhood children. Relative to two propensity matched neighborhoods, those in the program experienced greater decreases in rates of emergency department use and probability of inpatient admission, as well as a smaller increase in the average length of stay for those admitted.
