The seventh annual Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) Golf Tournament drew more than 100 golfers to the Andover Country Club on August 16, generating over $75,000 for CHA’s community health initiatives. Supporting the Whidden Hospital campus, which serves approximately 200,000 residents across Everett, Malden, Revere, Chelsea, and Winthrop, the tournament has historically funded significant improvements. Previous fundraising efforts enabled a comprehensive Emergency Department renovation and expansion of Radiology and Cardiology services. This year’s proceeds will support CHA’s recently launched Patient Experience of Care initiatives at the Whidden campus.
Whidden staff has implemented several changes designed to enhance patient satisfaction. A new “intentional rounding” program ensures patients receive visits from a nurse or certified nursing assistant hourly during daytime hours and every two hours at night. Additional improvements include complimentary daily newspapers for patients, enhanced food and nutrition services, and whiteboards in patient rooms identifying clinical team members. The Patient Family Advisory Council, recently expanded, plays a key role in developing programs and refining operational processes.
Results from the Patient Experience of Care initiatives demonstrate measurable progress in key statewide performance indicators. Between the January-March and April-June reporting periods, CHA’s Press Ganey scores improved across nearly all categories, with particularly notable increases in patients rating Whidden a “9” or “10” as well as the scores measuring the “Responsiveness of Hospital Staff.” “We are extremely pleased that incorporating some of the comforts of home and enhancing communication with clinical staff have profoundly affected our patients’ experiences here,” according to Deborah Murphy, RN, Site Administrator of CHA’s Whidden Hospital campus. “The generosity of those who contributed to the golf tournament will allow us to continue these important patient-centered process improvements and staff training programs.”
Cambridge Health Alliance operates as an integrated health system providing quality care throughout Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston’s northern metro communities. The organization encompasses three hospital campuses, primary care and specialty practice networks, the Cambridge Public Health Department, and a network health plan. As a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate, CHA maintains partnerships with Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and Tufts University School of Medicine. Additional information is available at www.challiance.org.
