Executive Committee on Community Health (ECOCH) Timeline of Accomplishments

ECOCH is established—first meeting held on 5/28/14
Three subcommittees are formed around the three other pillars of the hospital's mission: Clinical Care, Education and Research

ECOCH embarks on a learning journey, inviting presentations from other health systems and engaging with national experts on community health
Education subcommittee begins an awareness campaign on the social determinants of health (SDOH) and produces a video that is required viewing for all Mass General staff
Clinical subcommittee develops guidelines (PDF) for clinical departments to engage in community mission
Research subcommittee develops recommendations for incorporating SDOH into Epic medical record system

Partners HealthCare and Mass General leadership support for Anchor Institution strategy is gained
Community Health Champions from clinical departments meetings convene
Boston hospital collaborative on SDOH is formed as a result of 9/28/16 presentation "Social Screening for Population Health" by Boston Medical Center physician Megan Sandel, MD, MPH
ECOCH awards first community health/health equity grants ($30K each) to five clinical departments (2 Psychiatry, 1 Medicine, 1 Cancer Center, 1 Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery)
Research subcommittee holds its first Community Research Symposium on 11/10/16

ECOCH awards three new community health/health equity grants (Pediatrics, OB and Dermatology) and renews three ongoing grant projects (Psychiatry, Medicine and Cancer Center)
Research subcommittee holds its second Community Research Symposium on 11/14/17

Strategic planning retreat is held on 1/29/18 and top three priorities are determined: SDOH, Access to Care and Race Equity
Three new subcommittees are formed (SDOH, Access, Race Equity) and meet throughout the year to develop goals, objectives, strategies and implementation plans
Education subcommittee holds symposium on SDOH with keynote Sandro Galea, MD, MPH, DrPH, Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor, BU School of Public Health on 6/4/18
ECOCH awards five new community health/health equity grants (3 Medicine, 1 Emergency Medicine, 1 Surgery) and renews two ongoing grant projects (Pediatrics and Dermatology)
ECOCH co-sponsors an event on 10/24/18 where hospital leadership and community partners learn about an initiative to reduce health disparities on the West Side of Chicago from Darlene Hightower, JD, Associate Vice President, Community Engagement and Practice, Rush University Medical Center

ECOCH awards four new community health/health equity grants (1 Medicine, 1 Psychiatry, 1 Ophthalmology and 1 Patient Care Services) and renews one ongoing grant project (Medicine)

ECOCH Access Subcommittee forges a collaboration with MGH/MGPO Ambulatory Management to create a dashboard to monitor patient access to specialty care across multiple demographics (race, ethnicity, preferred language, disability and payer)
ECOCH Race Equity Subcommittee explores pathways for race and structural equity senior leadership trainings at Mass General
ECOCH Race Equity Subcommittee supports creation of an (anonymous) race incident reporting system pilot at Obstetrics/Gynecology department
ECOCH SDOH Subcommittee collaborates with Medicaid ACO team to embark on a Social Determinants of Health Status Report depicting state of SDOH screening and patient levels of health-related social needs (i.e. food, housing, financial insecurity) across the institution

ECOCH Race Equity Subcommittee’s three objectives (senior leadership training, reporting systems, policy review) is adopted into the Mass General Structural Equity 10-Point Plan under oversight of Executive Committee on Diversity and Equity (ECODE)
Health Equity/Access Dashboard is established, depicting patient access to specialty care across multiple demographics (race, ethnicity, preferred language, disability and payer), in collaboration with Mass General/MGPO Ambulatory Management
ECOCH Access Subcommittee advocates for the reduction of Mass General Brigham Health Plan premiums for low-income patients
New Subcommittee on Policy & Advocacy formed to advise on the endorsement of external state and federal policies that impact patient care
Policy & Advocacy Subcommittee develops a policy review workflow and elevates two state bills for ECOCH endorsement—Safe Communities Act and Safe Facilities Act
ECOCH SDOH Subcommittee drafts a Principles & Recommendations document to guide universal SDOH screening, referral, and Community Health Worker (CHW) expansion at Mass General

ECOCH Grants Program launches Request for Applications (RFA) to fund Community Health/Health Equity proposals focused on addressing disparities in access to care through use of the Health Equity/Access Dashboard
ECOCH SDOH Subcommittee drafts a Principles & Recommendations document to guide universal SDOH screening, referral, and Community Health Worker (CHW) expansion at Mass General
Policy & Advocacy Subcommittee becomes a joint subcommittee of ECOCH and ECODE to address endorsement of external Community Health and Health Equity

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