Enhancing Community Health, Advocacy and Education
While access to excellent healthcare is essential, social, economic and environmental factors largely determine a community’s health, and UH identified several unmet needs contributing to health inequities in our own city.
In response, a team at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital designed a novel healthcare model, offering multidisciplinary care and social services all under one roof. “Our emphasis on equity, inclusion, outreach and partnership with patients and community stakeholders underpins the center’s innovation,” said pediatrician Aparna Bole, MD, a key participant in the center’s development.
In July, UH opened its new $26 million, 40,000 square-foot UH Rainbow Center for Women & Children, providing medical services for women, teens and children in Cleveland’s MidTown neighborhood.
The community partnership was intrinsic to the identification and planning of services, explained Patti DePompei, RN, MSN, President, UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s and UH MacDonald Women’s hospitals. “From the first conceptual design of this center, the team pledged to address the overall well-being of the people we serve. And we had very committed partners who shared our vision, including our donor community.”
Fundamental to the center’s innovation is its integrated services. For example, patients can receive necessary behavioral health services at the time of their primary care appointments. Other on-site services include optometry, nutrition and pharmacy.
Additional group programs promote supportive social connections, including CenteringPregnancy, a group prenatal care program to reduce preterm birth rates which contribute to Cuyahoga County’s high infant mortality rate. Other services include medical-legal, social work, Rainbow Connects (joining families with community resources) and a WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) office.
And for its sustainable design, the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program recently awarded the center its highest platinum designation for its urban location and accessibility, excellent energy performance and optimal indoor air quality.
Since opening, the center has received over 41,000 clinical care and pharmacy visits from women and children, and has been described warmly by community partners, neighbors and patients as “our” Center for Women & Children.
The LEED® certification trademark is owned by the U.S. Green Building Council® and is used with permission.