PRESBYBULLETIN PENN PRESBY T ERIAN MEDICA L CENT ER
MARCH 2017
A GOOD NEIGHBOR
WITH A SHARED MISSION From left to right: Elizabeth Peto, Master of Social Work student intern, Shavaunne Goslee, MSW, LSW, and Ashley Sonson, MSW, LSW
Healing Hurt People LONG AFTER THEY LEAVE THE HOSPITAL
One of the first programs Sonson and Smith are hoping to partner with is the Eat Café, a new nonprofit eatery in PPMC’s neighborhood. Eat Café serves up dinners on a pay-what-you-can scale, with a suggested donation for those who can afford to eat.
The trauma team at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center will celebrate next month the first anniversary of the local Healing Hurt People program. Launched in April of 2016, the program offers victims of violence who come through the Trauma department a chance to connect with social worker who can arrange a wide range of support— ranging from psychological care to simple transportation—to help the patient recover outside of the hospital.
Smith said he discovered the dinner spot one day when looking for a place to eat online. He’s since held staff meetings there and hopes to form a formal partnership with them in the future.
Brian P. Smith, MD, an assistant professor of surgery in Trauma and medical director for Penn’s Healing Hurt People chapter, said the program is the first collaborative program of its kind across Philadelphia’s six trauma centers. HHP began locally 10 years ago and now has participation hospitals and health care groups including Drexel Medicine, Temple University Hospital, Einstein Medical Center and Hahnemann University Hospital. The effort extends medical care provided to trauma patients into a newer, more comprehensive realm.
IN THIS ISSUE »H ealing Hurt People Long After They Leave the Hospital »A Good Neighbor with a Shared Mission »P ennChart: In like a Lion… »N ew PPMC Award Recognizes Teamwork and Advocacy in Stroke »W hat’s Up at Presby?
“We’ve traditionally been very good treating injuries and we’ve done a good job in the immediate posthospital period of care, but we’ve maybe had a blind spot when it came to secondary care around trauma, things like psychological care or social services,” Smith said. Aside from Smith, HHP is primarily staffed by Ashley Sonson, MSW, LSW, the program’s manager and part -time case manager, and Shavaunne Goslee, MSW, LSW, a community intervention specialist with a full caseload of participants. The team is contacted by emergency room staff when a patient comes in that would fit the program. Sonson said having the Trauma department so close by has been hugely helpful for the HHP team. “When we initially meet them, we introduce ourselves and offer our services. Common needs include help with follow up appointments, counseling or access to legal advocacy, Sonson said. “Often they say they don’t know what they need, but ask for our number so they can call us later.” Sonson said it’s normal for participants to not identify any needs when still in the hospital, but instead call sometimes months after they are discharged looking for support, often looking for assistance in setting up primary care or seeking pain management. One of the first things on the agenda when meeting a new HHP participant is to get an understanding of their circumstances at home, on terms of safety, and to understand what their needs and goals are, and to educate these victims of violence about the psychological effects that a traumatic injury can have on a victim or the victim’s family. “We help people understand the impact of trauma, and that’s actually the hook for a lot of people,” Sonson said. “They’ll hear the case management stuff and may not look interested, but when I talk about how they might start having nightmares in the future, they’ll perk up. Family members might also experience similar symptoms so they listen as well.” In the next few years, the team hopes they can hire another full-time caseworker, but more importantly (continued on back)
Part of HHP includes SELF Group meetings in which participants of the program are brought together to share their stories and learn about the physical, emotional, psychological, and social effects of trauma. The groups focus on themes of safety, emotions, loss or letting go, and future (SELF) in a safe space. They’ve have been hosted in the at other HHP sites in the past with mixed success, but Smith thinks hosting them at Eat Café would be much more welcoming. “There is maybe a level of fear for the participants in coming back to this place where they had this traumatic experience,” Smith said. “It’s great to have a neighbor that which serves healthy, wholesome food and shares our mission of making our community a safer, better place to live.” The restaurant recently hosted a gathering of all Healing Hurt People staff from groups across Philadelphia.