Can paramedics prevent discharged patients from landing back in the hospital? Can teens be trained to help peers seek primary care? These are some of the questions community organizations are trying to answer using new funds awarded by the Montefiore Hudson Valley Collaborative (MHVC), a group of providers, community based organizations and government officials whose goal is to improve the quality of life of Hudson Valley residents. This effort is part of New York State’s $8 billion investment to advance care for people receiving Medicaid, while also decreasing preventable hospital readmissions by 25 percent over five years.

“We are overhauling healthcare delivery,” said Damara Gutnick, medical director, MHVC. “By mobilizing local resources to focus on disease prevention, rather than the Band-Aid approach of short-term solutions, we are responding to what matters most to our community.”  

The funds will benefit organizations along the Hudson River from Westchester County to Albany. Groups receiving the most funding from MHVC include:

• Rockland Paramedic Services: awarded more than $350,000 to train paramedics so they can expand their role to post-hospital visits. After patients leave the hospital, paramedics will visit them in their homes to make sure they understand their discharge instructions, including how to take their medication. They can also arrange visits with social workers and have calls with doctors.

• Nyack Hospital: awarded $275,000 to be the first New York hospital to use a new privacy protected smartphone app called Twiage. Twiage enables first responders to send live data about patient symptoms through videos, photos, voice memos and text messages to Nyack’s emergency room. With real-time information and GPS-tracking for incoming ambulances, Nyack can prepare for ambulance’s arrival in advance and accelerate life-saving emergency care. 

• Maternal Infant Services Network: awarded $250,000 to connect teenagers to primary care and instill a lifetime of healthy habits. Part of this campaign involves focus groups with teens to learn what they care about most. Teens will meet with local doctors and even be trained as Wellness Ambassadors.

Each organization receiving funding has a rich history of successfully motivating people within the Hudson Valley to make positive lifestyle changes. The goal of the Innovation Fund is to build healthier communities within and beyond the Hudson Valley.