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HIBC Learning Collaborative #2
HIBC’s second Learning Collaborative brought health care providers together to join in a discussion about patient care, learning experiences, and how to further maintain the progress of the health care community. On Nov. 30 at the Courtyard Marriott King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel, representatives from hospitals, health centers, community organizations and other practitioners spoke openly about their goals and practices, sharing their knowledge about what has worked to help further the discussion about progressing patient care. HIBC and other Beacon Communities nationwide are working on building strong rapport within the health care industry to improve care through technology and collaboration.
“These relationships I’ve developed in a few months with HIBC would have taken me a decade,” said Mark Bergner, a nursing supervisor at Bay Clinic. “You can’t put a price tag on that.”
The Learning Collaborative was facilitated by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), a not-for-profit organization focused on building, identifying and testing new models of care in partnership with both patients and health care professionals. HIBC and IHI hosted this learning event to implement open discussion and collaboration to learn from one another about what is working and what is not.
Each organization that is participating in HIBC’s efforts is working on improving the coordination between providers to create an improved system. The topics discussed in breakout sessions included communication, funding, care management, IT enhancement, and patient support.
“The sheer size of the Big Island makes collaboration difficult,” Michelle Hiraishi with Hui Mālama Ola Nā ‘Ōiwi stated. “It’s an amazing thing that we’ve built these connections. HIBC demonstrates the Hawaiian value of inclusion, not exclusion.”
Uncle “Magic” Henry, who is a patient at Hui Mālama Ola Nā ‘Ōiwi, discussed his experiences with diabetes and how the program is continuing to educate him on healthy practices to improve his lifestyle. His enthusiastic advocacy of health care collaboration gave HIBC and the Learning Collaborative attendees a patient’s view, illustrating how important their work and progress is.
A panel of representatives from HIBC’s HEAL projects also spoke about how they are effectively connecting with their participants through healthy eating, active living and anti-tobacco programs. The examples they shared illustrated an expanded view of health care where community-based services play a critical role in instilling healthy behaviors.
“It’s not about ‘my’ patients or ‘their’ patients, but it’s all of our patients together,” said one participant. “It’s about people and helping them live quality lives.”
Ultimately, through Learning Collaboratives such as this one, HIBC and its partners are committed to enabling every facet of health care to work together to improve the quality of patient care.
