In South Central Pennsylvania, WellSpan Health treats a large population of Plain People, or Amish and Conservative Mennonites. To provide the best care for these communities, the York, Pa.-based system had to get creative.
They "don't receive healthcare in the same way that a traditional population receives or seeks healthcare," Chief Quality Officer Michael Seim, MD, told Becker's.
So, the system built a program and facility for the Plain community at its Philhaven behavioral health hospital.
"Everyone who works there is part of the Plain community except for the physicians, and the behavioral health teams structured the program to be similar to their home," he said, adding that the bishops helped design the facility. "So, behaviors that are totally expected and normal within the Plain community — like doing morning chores and other things — those are part of their behavioral health journey."
About 20 years ago, the system began offering bundle payments since Plain People tend to not have or use insurance, Dr. Seim said.
Other services and projects at the nine-hospital system include:
- A walk-in substance abuse and behavioral health clinic.
- Partnerships with food banks and grocery stores to expand access to food.
- Initiatives to increase screenings for breast cancer, colorectal cancer and lead. The breast cancer screening work cost the system $3,600, leading to $600,000 in savings for seven patients because they received an earlier diagnosis.
- A community team that is working to decrease risks for trauma.
- Sponsorships of group violence initiative work.
- Car seat distributions.
"It's not just one size fits all to address disparities," he said.
Editor's note: This article was updated Aug. 15 to clarify WellSpan's Philhaven hospital was already treating the Plain community before the program's development.