Centering® Healthcare Institute Announces Second

Boston, MA, May 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Centering® Healthcare Institute (CHI) announced today its second wave of awardees to expand the Centering model of group care. The twelve awardees representing twenty healthcare sites will expand the Centering group medical visit model into communities where evidence-based group care can have the biggest impact.

The awardees will receive CHI’s high-quality group facilitation training and consultation support throughout a two-year implementation process. Over the next four months, the following sites will begin or expand Centering group care, including the prenatal model, CenteringPregnancy®, the pediatric model, CenteringParenting®, and/or the adaptable model, CenteringHealthcare® into their practices:

• Watts Health Care Corporation, Los Angeles CA
• Alameda Health System, Hayward CA
• Santa Rosa Community Health, Santa Rosa CA
• Community HealthNet, Inc., Gary IN
• Brockton Neighborhood Health Center, Brockton MA
• Lincoln Community Health Center, Inc., Durham NC
• Carolinas Healthcare System, Charlotte NC
• Hunterdon Healthcare System, Flemington NJ
• Los Barrios Unidos Community Clinic, Inc., Dallas TX
• Asian American Health Coalition of the Greater Houston Area, Houston TX
• Tyler Family Circle of Care, Tyler TX
• Aurora Family Medicine Residency Program, Milwaukee WI

“We have an incredible opportunity to improve lifelong health by transforming birth outcomes, early childhood and family health in the U.S. through Centering,” says CEO Angie Truesdale.  “We are thrilled to add these committed and innovative healthcare sites to our growing list of passionate partners changing healthcare and improving health outcomes in their communities.”

In October 2017, CHI announced an aggressive expansion plan focused on underserved communities with poor health outcomes. With the generous support of Valhalla Charitable Foundation, CHI can provide these awards to eligible sites - primarily in community health centers and academic medical centers - eliminating the financial barrier to those in resource-limited communities. CHI will launch another request for proposals in Fall 2018.

CenteringPregnancy group care follows the recommended schedule of ten prenatal visits, but each visit is ninety minutes to two hours long—giving patients ten times as much time with their provider team. Patients engage in their care by taking their own weight and blood pressure, recording their own health data, and have private time with their provider for belly check.

CenteringParenting provides family centered well-child care for the first two years. Parents are actively involved in their child’s assessment at every visit: tracking their growth, development, immunizations and oral health. Individual well-child health assessments, immunizations and developmental screenings follow the Bright Futures™ nationally recognized guidelines. An emphasis on self-care, wellness and women’s health is woven throughout.

CenteringHealthcare is the group care framework for other health conditions and patient populations (i.e. diabetes, HIV, opioid addiction, transgender, etc.). CenteringHealthcare offers medical care in a group setting following nationally recognized care guidelines.

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CHI is improving health by transforming care through Centering groups. With over two decades of experience as the go-to resource for group healthcare, it has developed and sustained the Centering model in 500 practice sites and within some of the largest health systems in the world. The combination of health assessment, interactive activities and community building allows learning from the provider and from one another. Working with many dedicated individuals and organizations, CHI is building a future where group healthcare becomes the standard of care.

Nicole Lewis Centering® Healthcare Institute 8572847570 nlewis@centeringhealthcare.org