Main Line Health hosts healthcare disparities event

Every year, Main Line Health employees join community leaders and health care partners to discuss research, initiatives and ideas aimed at addressing disparities in care. On Friday, May 29, Main Line Health hosted its ninth annual Healthcare Disparities Colloquium. The event was a virtual event this year.

“Each year, we are proud to present this information to the team across Main Line Health and to leaders in our region,” Jack Lynch, president and CEO, Main Line Health, said in a press release. “This is a true demonstration of Main Line Health’s collective dedication to identifying and addressing disparities in care and our commitment to advancing an environment of cultural competence and universal respect.”

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s topics included the disparities among those diagnosed with COVID-19, including percentages of those admitted to Main Line Health based on race, age and other social determinants of health.

Additionally, CEOs from hospitals across the region participated in a discussion about the disparities faced at each of their organizations. Among the participants were: Kevin B. Mahoney, CEO of University of Pennsylvania Health System; James Woodward, president and CEO of Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic; and Stephen Klasko, president of Thomas Jefferson University and CEO of Jefferson Health.

The regional discussion was followed by a session focused on disparities in health across the nation, with perspectives from speakers David A. Ansell, Rush University, Chicago; and Kimberlydawn Wisdom, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit.

“I am incredibly grateful to each of our presenters this year who made our Colloquium so impactful,” Barry Mann, MD, chief academic officer, Main Line

Health, said in the release. “Each year, we work to identify disparities and to eliminate them. This year’s colloquium brought unique challenges and a sharpened focus for us in light of COVID-19. We are all pledged to work towards the amelioration of the disparities identified through the blight of this pandemic.”

The goal of the annual event, according to Mary Kate Coghlan, a spokeswoman for Main Line Health, is to share what the health system and the organizations that presented are doing to address and eliminate disparities.

“This work is critical, and there is a long road ahead to accomplish these goals, so it certainly doesn’t end here,” she said.

Next steps, she said, are to continue to identify disparities and work to provide research to inform and assess initiatives to improve the health status and quality of life in communities served by Main Line Health. That research is a significant focus of the Center for Population Health Research (CPHR) at the Lankenau

Institute for Medical Research, which is a collaboration between Main Line Health and Thomas Jefferson University’s College of Population Health, according to the release.

A focus on Together for West Philadelphia — a collaboration of organizations to improve the health, education and opportunity for West Philadelphia community members — rounded out the final session of this year’s colloquium, with an update to the group about steps the organization is taking to provide virtual services to the community members of West Philadelphia in light of COVID-19. Deon Vigilance, MD, MBA, Trinity Health MidAtlantic and Penn Medicine; and Rev. Donald Moore, Mount Carmel Baptist Church, shared that Together for West Philadelphia has introduced a new “Helping Hubs” project. Through “Helping Hubs,” residents can connect to resources like nutritious food accesses, housing, childcare and preventative health care services.

“I appreciate the continued commitment of Main Line Health and the Together for West Philadelphia partners to addressing health disparities,” U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (PA-03), said during closing remarks of this year’s event.

Main Line Health operates four acute care hospitals: Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital — as well as Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital. Main Line Health also includes Mirmont Treatment Center for drug and alcohol recovery; Main Line Health HomeCare & Hospice; Main Line Health Centers, primary and specialty care, lab and radiology and other outpatient services located in Broomall, Collegeville, Concordville, Exton and Newtown Square; Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, a biomedical research organization; and Main Line HealthCare, one of the region’s largest multispecialty physician networks. For more information visit mainlinehealth.org.