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2005 Report to the Community
A Vision for the Chronically Ill
Thousands of Lehigh Valley residents live for years with chronic health conditions. Thomas Rowlands of Slatington (shown with his wife, Dolores, right) is one of them. To better help people manage such problems as heart failure, kidney disease, diabetes and chronic lung disease, we have a promising approach called Community Care for Complex Illness (3CI). It involves partnerships between primary care practices (like Parkland Family Health Center, where Rowlands goes for his care) and advanced practice nurses like nurse practitioner Gretchen Fitzgerald (above, left) of Lehigh Valley Home Care. These caregivers have special expertise in caring for people with advanced, complex illnesses. 3CI also includes a computerized registry to better track patients’ needs and a “tool kit” for physicians with symptom management guidelines, home monitoring systems and a network of community volunteers. “To our knowledge, no other hospital has such a program,” says family physician Lou Lukas, M.D. “We believe it can make a real difference in reducing the high costs of chronic disease and improving people’s lives.” This page last updated 2/12/08 04:08 PM
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