FARMINGTON – The Franklin Community Health Network was recognized Tuesday for its commitment to develop a model rural health network.
The Farmington network was named a finalist for the 2005 Foster G. McGaw Prize, one of the health care field’s most prestigious honors for excellence in community service, according to a news release from the Health Research and Education Trust in Chicago.
Foster G. McGaw founded the American Hospital Supply Corp. and established strict ethical guidelines for selling to hospitals and insisted on a high level of quality and service to shape the hospital supply industry and help create standards under which it operates.
The award, sponsored by Baxter International Foundation, Cardinal Health Foundation and American Hospital Association, recognizes leadership, commitment, partnerships, breadth and depth of initiatives and community involvement.
The network, affiliated with Franklin Memorial Hospital, operates a range of programs from helping people quit smoking to helping improve access to health care for those who are uninsured and financially disadvantaged.
It was one of four health systems recognized in the country for excellence in health care including winner Venice Family Clinic in California, which received $100,000. The Maine network and two other finalists in Indiana and North Carolina will receive $10,000.
Gold and green balloons bearing Franklin Memorial Hospital’s logo floated above the tables anchored by a gold paper-covered weight in the Bass Room at the hospital Tuesday.
People appeared on a projection screen telling about positive experiences at the hospital or other affiliated health organizations.
It was the second time the hospital was a finalist for the award, Rick Batt, president of the Franklin Community Health Network, said Tuesday.
It was really a collaborative effort by everyone involved, he said.
The network has moved beyond concerns for physical health to concerns of emotional health, Batt said.
The system’s purpose is to serve the community well, he said.
Network Vice President Leah Binder said those in the network not only care for sick people but help those who may need assistance paying their heating bill or quitting smoking.
“We care for people at all phases of their lives,” she said Tuesday. “It is our job to look out for the health of our community.”
The Foster McGaw award recognizes that “we get results” including reducing the smoking rate of pregnant women by 25 percent in two years, Binder said.
Jack Barry, regional executive of the American Hospital Association, called the health network a champion in its field.
“You’re an example of how to do it,” he said Tuesday.
The network not only has an impact on the local community, Barry said, but will have an impact on hospitals around the country that will emulate what the Farmington network does.
Hospitals and networks of healers care for people who are sick and at their most vulnerable, Steven Michaud, president of Maine Hospital Association, said Tuesday, and the Franklin Community Health Network does it better than others.
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