Baptist Health earns highest designation as national Spirit of Women Premier Hospital System

Baptist Health has been selected as a Spirit of Women Premier Hospital System for exceeding National Standards of Excellence in providing health care and community outreach to women.

As part of a comprehensive evaluation process, Baptist Health demonstrated innovation and excellence in women's programming across the board and earned the designation as a Premier Hospital System by meeting or exceeding at least 80 percent of the standards.

The National Standards of Excellence in Women's Health require focus on women-centered care, call-to-action education, and access to care in the following seven areas:

• Community Assessment and Targeted Women's Programming
• Comprehensive Life Stage Programming
• Sensitivity to Community Diversity and Cultural Differences
• Strategic Alignment of Women's Service Lines
• Leading Innovation and Outreach Initiatives
• Managing a Process for Quality Improvement
• Multidisciplinary Approach to Care

"We are honored to receive national recognition for our commitment to be the 'go-to' health and wellness resource for women in northeast Florida," said Audrey Moran, senior vice president of Social Responsibility & Community Advocacy at Baptist Health.

Josh Davis, president of Spirit Health Group, a national network of hospitals dedicated to community health and wellness, said Baptist Health provides an impressive array of educational outreach and services available to address key health issues for women of all ages in the Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia area.

"Baptist Health is one of a very small number of health systems in our country that provides exceptional women-centered medical care, and as a result has been identified as a community leader for women's health excellence in the United States," Davis said.

True to its long-term commitment to provide comprehensive women's health services, a dedicated women's health strategy team at Baptist focuses on initiatives which help advance the health and wellness of women throughout their lives. For example, a nurse coaching program for women was piloted in 2015 to provide personalized coaching sessions in areas such as stress management, nutrition, exercise and lifestyle changes.

Last year, Baptist also introduced the Sisisky-Kleppinger Annual Endowed Lecture for Women's Health which gathers national and local experts to discuss important women's health care issues. The upcoming 2016 lecture scheduled during Women's Health Week in May will focus on postpartum depression and mental health.

Baptist Health also provides an everyday wellness resource to women and their families through its Good for You program, which includes interactive blogs on medical topics ranging from stress management to probiotics, as well as a series of educational events for women year-round. The largest Good for You event is the Girls' Day Out Conference, which includes a full day of talks from medical professionals, inspiring national keynote speakers, plus relaxation activities and health screenings for nearly 1,000 women each year.

Among the many services at Baptist Health that are designed with women's comprehensive health care needs in mind are the Margaret and Robert Hill Breast Center, the only dedicated breast center of its size in the region; the Baptist HeartWise program, which provides personalized one-hour screenings and consultation services, and Baptist's AgeWell Institute, which specializes in serving older adults with complex needs.

Multiple community partnerships, such as the Y Healthy Living Centers with YMCA of Florida's First Coast and the Wellness Connexion at the Jewish Community Alliance, also enhance health care services to the community through screenings, health coaching and educational sessions by physicians on disease prevention and other medical topics.

"We are fortunate to have leaders who recognize the fact that women often serve as the 'health CEO' of the family, and that focusing resources on women is a key strategy to improving not only their own health but also the health of the whole community," said Sung Balester, RN, MBA, executive director, Women's Health Strategy at Baptist Health.