Release Date: March 31, 2008
Contact: Christine Patmon, Metro Health Public Relations Manager, 207-8638
Commonwealth Fund Commission to Review Health Care Model
National group with the potential to shape future health care system
to learn how City and County merged services
One of the nation’s leading authorities on health care reform – The Commonwealth Fund - is sending its Commission on a High Performance Health System to see how the City of San Antonio and Bexar County have created an innovative and more efficient approach to preventive health care.
Commission members will arrive on April 1 for a three-day visit. The prestigious group will receive a presentation on the recent City-County consolidation and tour one of the ten sites included in the integration. The tour of the Bob Ross Senior Multi-Service Health & Resource Center is scheduled for Wednesday, April 2 at 2:30 p.m.
Prior to and following the tour, commission members will hear from Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, Assistant City Manager Frances Gonzalez, fellow commission member and Director of Health Dr. Fernando Guerra, and UHS President and CEO George Hernandez. Members of the Joint Planning and Operations Council, which guided the integration, and other individuals with key roles also will participate. Commissioners will be briefed on details of the consolidation and how the local model can be applied to other communities across the country, especially large urban areas.
“Transitioning clinical preventive services from Metro Health to UHS represents a paradigm shift. Instead of each of us separately focusing on prevention and treatment, those two areas are now under one umbrella. This approach should improve access and outcomes for individuals in our community and could be effective in other health systems,” said Dr. Guerra.
The clinic at the Bob Ross Senior Center is one of the sites which transitioned to UHS on February 4 along with 125 City staff positions. It is the only clinic focusing on preventive services for seniors. The center is managed by the City’s Department of Community Initiatives and serves as another model for a successful City/County partnership with bonds from both entities funding the construction.
Seniors compose one of the groups of particular concern for the Commonwealth Fund Commission. Other groups at risk of not receiving affordable care include low-income families, the uninsured, minorities, youth, and people in poor health.
The Commonwealth Fund's board of directors established the Commission on a High Performance Health System in 2005, citing a need for national leadership to revamp, revitalize, and improve the U.S. health care system. The Commonwealth Fund is a private foundation which seeks to identify promising practices and contribute to solutions that could help America achieve a high performance health system.
