Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, through its New Jersey health initiatives program, awarded Princeton HealthCare System (PHCS) a two-year $300,000 grant to support the Partnerships for PIECE (Patient-Centered, Integrative Elder Care and Empowerment) initiative, while the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation awarded $15,000 to this program. These grants will help PHCS move toward our vision of setting new standards for a comprehensive geriatric care continuum. PHCS is grateful to both foundations for their generous support, which enhances visibility and our ability to bring this vital program to timely fruition.
The focus of this grant is to help fragile, elderly patients through their journeys from the hospital to the next level of care, whether that be to their own home or to a skilled nursing facility. The Partnerships for PIECE program functions in three areas: (1) training and working closely with partners across care transitions, (2) navigating patients through the move back into their home, and (3) streamlining electronic communications through a new data registry system.
“The Partnerships for PIECE program integrates all that PHCS already does so well for our frail, elderly patients and then takes it to the next level,” said Kathleen Seneca. “I have been working directly on navigating patients, and I have found this role to be remarkably rewarding because of the chance to contribute to the recovery of patients beyond the hospital, as they return home. It’s also great to collaborate with all of our skilled nursing partners to help our patients who need that level of care to have better transitions and ultimately to return home whenever possible. Through these program efforts, we expect to improve long-term recovery of some of our most vulnerable and at-risk patients.”
Article as seen in Foundation News Winter 2011.