‘We’re Changing the Landscape of Health Care’; Owensboro Health Foundation Turns 30

By Josh Kelly, Owensboro Times

The Owensboro Health Foundation turns 30 years old this year, and since its inception in 1993, they have raised $30 million in grants toward the health system’s clinical and non-clinical services.

Executive Director of the Foundation Tracy Naylor said the Foundation works to eliminate barriers that arise in healthcare. These barriers could involve patient’s access to care, safety for the family or equipment for the staff at the hospital.

“We often say unless you’re coming in to have a baby, you’re not really here for a good reason. Most people don’t get excited about coming to the hospital, and so to remove some of those hurdles is important,” Naylor said.

And in doing so, Naylor said the Foundation is innovating the entire system and health care. She has sights that as the Foundation grows, it continues to meet those needs in the ever-evolving industry.

“I’m hopeful that we shift to where we’re changing the landscape of health care through the support that we provide,” she said.

One of the recent developments involved support for mothers and babies in the NICU. Naylor said that the system has increased technology, equipping the emergency department to serve preterm deliveries and other ways fully.

Actions like this make a difference in the way a family interacts with health care during their time.

One story that she heard specifically about their hospitality suites in the NICU was through their hospitality suites, a family was able to stay close to their baby while the staff was monitoring the newborn.

Naylor said that the parents were overall appreciative that they still could bond with their child while they were receiving appropriate care.

Another area for natal and partum care that the Foundation has worked toward is the Mammograms for Life campaign, which works to help women pay for mammograms. Even if they find something during the mammogram, the Foundation ensures that they have a way for the patient to be able to pay through Medicaid or the Affordable Care Act.

Naylor has been in the position for four years, and during her time, she has seen how the Foundation has adapted to meet the needs specific to each hospital in the Owensboro Health system.

“We want to walk side by side with our healthcare system and what the healthcare system is working towards. We now have focal points on our community health needs assessments,” Naylor said.

 With the health needs assessments, each of the three hospitals has to complete an in-depth process every three years that details the needs of the time. While the hospitals may be in different areas, Naylor said that almost all needs are identical.

“Those are almost the same in all three counties because we live in Western Kentucky. It’s tobacco and tobacco-related diseases, it’s mental health, it’s substance abuse, and obesity and obesity-related diseases, those four cross the gambit in all three of our communities,” Naylor said.

With the assessment completed, she said they can appropriately align funding priorities with how to help the communities best.

One of the programs that came out of the assessments is the Diabetes Prevention Program, which works to expand services and potentially have the staff teach about diabetes prevention in other counties.

With 30 years behind them and more ahead, Naylor said she wishes they could create endowed funds to sustain the programs the system has historically offered. Specifically for Mammograms for Life, Naylor said they spend between $50,000 to $60,000 annually covering the costs.

“If we can come up with a grant or have a donor come alongside with a substantial gift and say, ‘I’m gonna give you a million dollars,’ and that way we then endow that million dollars, and we have the proceeds from the dividends of that investment that can support mammograms for life,” Naylor said.