CHI Saint Joseph Health Foundations Awarded Nearly $38,000 to Help Fight Kentucky’s Opioid and Heroin Epidemic - Berea - Archived

Berea, Ky. (September 5, 2019) – Saint Joseph London Foundation, Saint Joseph Berea Foundation and Flaget Memorial Hospital Foundation have been awarded a total of $37,500 in grants from the Kentucky Health Information Exchange (KHIE). These grants will support continued efforts in battling the opioid and heroin crisis in Kentucky. Saint Joseph London, Saint Joseph Berea and Flaget Memorial Hospital will each receive $12,500 to support their participation in the Syndromic Surveillance Data Improvement Project. The hospitals will use the grant funds to offset the cost of improving syndromic surveillance connections, upgrading connection feeds through modification or upgrades to Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, or other technical barriers identified by the hospital.

“Our teams are grateful for this show of support for our continued work in curbing the terrible plague of opioid and heroin-related overdoses and deaths,” said Leslie Buddeke Smart, CFRE, president, CHI Saint Joseph Health Foundations. “Advanced technologies funded by the KHIE grants will give each facility the capability to capture and communicate opioid and heroin-related data with national health organizations in real time.”

The grant is provided by funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to the Kentucky Department for Public Health.

The grant is part of a project that aims to increase rapid surveillance of opioid and heroin overdoses and improve hospital data received by the National Syndromic Surveillance Program. These improvements will also allow doctors to quickly recognize and respond to emerging medical threats that could affect the public.

About CHI Saint Joseph Health
CHI Saint Joseph Health, part of Catholic Health Initiatives, is one of the largest and most comprehensive health systems in the Commonwealth of Kentucky with 135 locations in 20 counties, including hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes and home health agencies. In total, the health system serves patients in 35 counties statewide. CHI Saint Joseph Health is dedicated to building healthier communities by elevating patient care through an integrated physical and behavioral health delivery system. CHI Saint Joseph Health embodies a strong mission and faith-based heritage and works through local partnerships to expand access to care in the communities it serves.

About Saint Joseph Berea Foundation
Saint Joseph Berea Foundation supports CHI Saint Joseph Health’s drive for excellence by inspiring donors to make a tangible difference through their philanthropic investment in outstanding patient care facilities and services, the education of caregivers, advanced clinical research and improved access to quality medical care.

About Flaget Memorial Hospital Foundation
Flaget Memorial Hospital Foundation supports CHI Saint Joseph Health’s drive for excellence by inspiring donors to make a tangible difference through their philanthropic investment in outstanding patient care facilities and services, the education of caregivers, advanced clinical research and improved access to quality medical care.

About Saint Joseph London Foundation
Saint Joseph London Foundation supports CHI Saint Joseph Health’s drive for excellence by inspiring donors to make a tangible difference through their philanthropic investment in outstanding patient care facilities and services, the education of caregivers, advanced clinical research and improved access to quality medical care.

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For More Information:
Mary Branham, Director, Communications
P: 859.313.2642
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