Pottstown Hospital — Tower Health Community Wellness Activities
• Pottstown Street Medicine — Pottstown Street Medicine launched in January 2021 and has continued every Tuesday since. The team goes out from 10 am — 2 pm to bring healthcare to the homeless in Pottstown Borough.
• Youth Grow Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program: Pottstown Hospital partners with GreenAllies, a local environmental sustainability non-profit organization, to create a 100% subsidized CSA program. The program takes place on a 1-acre farm in our community that is managed by local high school students that volunteer with GreenAllies. The Hospital pays for the shares of produce and works to identify low-income families in need of free produce in our service area. In the summer of 2022, the Hospital provided biweekly produce to 50 low-income households which totaled more than 2,500 lbs. of organic produce.
• Community Connection Project: Pottstown Hospital works to address the social determinants of health (SDOH) and health equity. This project screens patients for 5 social determinants of health including housing, food, transportation, utilities, and safety. If a patient screens positive for a SDOH need, a community navigator works with the patient for up to a year to connect them with community resources to address the need.
• Medicine on the Move: This program is a walk-and-talk style program that works to bring healthcare providers out into the community to provide health education while taking a walk around a local park. Previous topics include Parkinson’s Disease, Cancer Prevention, primary care and preventive health, Heart Failure and Heart Attacks, stroke education, and diabetes and physical activity.
• School Wellness Initiatives: Pottstown Hospital continues to work with local school districts to provide health education to staff, students, and families. The Hospital participates in the local School Wellness Collaborative as well as on individual school districts’ wellness committees. We have provided education and wellness activities for both students and staff on topics such as mental health, body positivity, heart health, and cancer prevention. In addition, we have partnered to offer free health screenings.
• TriCounty Health Council: Pottstown Hospital participates in TriCounty Health Council (TCHC), a collaborative composed of the 4 main health organizations in our community. This group works to ensure that the health providers in our community are working together rather than in silos. We also participate in several sub-workgroups addressing the Social Determinants of Health, Behavioral Healthcare and COVID-19.
• Community Fridge: Pottstown Hospital launched a community fridge in Pottstown Borough at the end of FY21. This fridge is open 24/7 and located on the main street of town. It allows anyone in need of food the opportunity to open the doors and help themselves. The Hospital continues to support the fridge and works to ensure food is readily available for the fridge. The fridge served more than 10,000 individuals in 2022.
• Collaboratives and Collectives: Pottstown Hospital participates in the following collaboratives:
· Pottstown Area Food Collaborative
· Montgomery County Health Alliance
· Pottstown Trauma Informed Care Coalition
· Rickett Center Community Advisory Board
· Homeless Services Committee
· Solving Challenges Task Force
• Community Herb Garden: In the summer of 2021, Pottstown Hospital established a community herb garden at the hospital for staff, patients, and the community to be able to encourage healthy cooking and eating. Educational sessions were provided where individuals could learn how to use the herbs to enhance the flavors of food and promote a healthier lifestyle.
• Pop-up Farmers Market: The Hospital hosted a pop-up free farmers market outside the main entrance for community members, patients, and staff to utilize. The market included various fruits and vegetables from a local farm and individuals could help themselves to the free produce.
• Return to Screening — Cancer Intervention: The Community Wellness Department partnered with the Cancer Center to participate in a return to screening study which focused on providing education to community members on the importance of cancer screenings due to the drop since the pandemic.
• Free Cancer Screenings: The Hospital hosted a free mammogram event in partnership with Community Health and Dental Care (local FQHC) as well as a free skin cancer screening event.
• QPR Training: The Hospital hosted a free QPR Training for community members and community partners. This training is for suicide prevention and educates individuals on how to Question, Persuade, and Refer someone who might be suicidal.
• Transportation Initiative: Transportation continues to be a challenge in Pottstown, yet there are no organizations actively working to address the immediate need. The Community Wellness department conducted an observational study on PART (local bus system) to identify who was riding the bus, at what times of day, and identify barriers and challenges. In addition, a survey was conducted to gauge community members’ feedback on the bus system. The Hospital hosted a community forum to share the results and continue discussions with community providers. These forums will continue to be led by the Hospital.
• Street Clean Ups: The Hospital conducts street clean-ups to pick up trash on High St. in Pottstown.
• Sponsorships — The Hospital provides Community Wellness Sponsorships to non-profit organizations, school districts and local government to help fund programs that align with the CHNA-identified needs.
• Health Education & Promotion: The Hospital partners with community organizations to bring health education and promotion events, programs, and activities to the community. A few examples of this include the Community Connections series with the Ministerium & Creative Health Services and Healthy Me Happy Me with ACLAMO.