PAHF Assists Discharged Patients

Pictured is the Health Equity Team from PHSI, back row, Karlie Nelson and Abbi McDaniel; front row, Huaquin Laurido, Vonda Hamill, PAHF Director, Haley Ehlers and Ashley Slovek.

Imagine yourself in the emergency room of an unfamiliar community. You have experienced an accident. Your personal belongings are stranded in a vehicle that is no longer with you. Thankfully, your injuries are minor, and the staff has taken diligent care of you. You are lucky! However, you are being discharged and have no immediate availability for family members or friends to assist you for the next 24 to 48 hours.

The Hans P Peterson Memorial hospital is categorized as a critical access hospital (CAH), a designation that comes from its isolated geographical location. Because it is a CAH, this described scenario may play itself out several times a year, particularly in the summer months when traffic is heavy on the state’s highways.

The emegency room (ER) staff at Philip Health Services (PHSI) often use their personal resources to ease the immediate inequities for food, shelter, and lodging that strike travelers who are brought to the hospital for care. Haley Ehlers, RN, and Case Manager for PHSI, invited colleagues to help establish the PHSI Health Equity Team in February 2024.

“Because transportation needs and food insecurities often accompany patients in the ER upon discharge, we decided to form a committee to assess and alleviate those situations whenever possible,” she stated. The team identified several areas that can utilize assistance, but chose to start small, utilizing donations to buy gift cards to local businesses for food, gas, and lodging until such time as a discharged individual can get back on their feet and family can arrive, or make financial connections for them.

The Health Equity Team contacted Philip Area Health Foundation (PAHF) for seed money to proceed with the purchase of gift cards from local businesses that can provide food, fuel, and shelter. These cards will begin to be distributed to discharged patients in need in July.