The first group of pre-health students from a program at SUNY Potsdam and St. Lawrence University will be working with patients in their homes as part of a new health coach curriculum from St. Lawrence Health System’s Canton-Potsdam Hospital.

The immersive, experiential learning program is the first of its kind in the North Country. The program is St. Lawrence Health’s ongoing effort to improve the health of local people and to attract and develop talented healthcare professionals.

The students, who have completed a curriculum taught by senior CPH administrators and medical staff, serve as liaisons between the CPH healthcare team and people living with a chronic disease.

SUNY Potsdam biology major Sophie Ludlam, who was born at Canton-Potsdam Hospital, said, “When someone is diagnosed with a chronic disease, they may not fully understand that management of symptoms needs to be an ongoing, everyday project. They might think, ‘I’ll just take this medicine for a while and be all better.’ It’s important to have clinical knowledge and equally important to use people skills such as motivation, active listening, and flexibility in setting and achieving long-term goals for these patients.”

The students make one in-person visit and two telephone calls to their patient each week, during which they assess the home environment for health and safety risks, interview patients about their progress toward mutually established goals for symptom management, teach patients safe strategies for managing multiple medications, and coach patients on recognizing changes in symptoms and personal health milestones.

Modeled on a successful program at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., CPH’s collaboration with SUNY Potsdam and St. Lawrence University is aimed at building on classroom learning with practical application for pre-health students who may be considering careers in medicine, nursing, or healthcare administration.

The program addresses population health — the management of a population that shares a specific chronic disease diagnosis or geographic location — healthcare informatics, financing, workforce development, facilities development, utilization, healthcare technology, regulatory issues, and leadership, healthcare systems and models, and the clinical knowledge necessary for the management of chronic diseases prevalent in the North Country, such as diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, and certain cancers.

“The goals of the Health Coach Program are to improve health outcomes for people living with chronic diseases, reduce unnecessary and costly hospital readmissions, and provide experiential learning for future healthcare professionals,” said Susan M. Hodgson, vice-president for Quality Improvement and Chief Compliance Officer at Canton-Potsdam Hospital.

“Chronic disease is best managed holistically, within an outcome-oriented framework that provides the patient with tools to manage their condition,” Hodgson said. “Health coaches become an in-home extension of the healthcare provider. They help the patients learn self-management techniques, set attainable goals, improve their self-esteem and function with greater independence.”

“We’ve been impressed with the quality of students enrolled in the program,” she said. “They are not only doing well academically, they also possess a skill-set and aptitude for taking on the caring, teaching role so necessary to managing chronic disease.”

Medical staff who act as program faculty and preceptors for coaching clinical rotations included Jan S. Close, MD, emergency medicine specialist and medical director of Physician Practice Management, Eric D. Seifer, MD, FCCP, pulmonologist and medical director for population health management, Alecia A. VanWagner, primary care practitioner, Timothy K. Atkinson, MD, hospitalist, Alexandru A. Stoian, MD, cardiologist and assistant chief of the medical staff, T. Nick Knowles, DO, primary care practitioner, Mohammad A. (Aktaruzzaman) Zaman, MD, allergy, asthma, and immunology specialist, James E. Cerio, PhD, and Nancy G. Cerio, PhD, psychologists, Jason D. Lorenc, MD, emergency medicine specialist and medical director of the CPH emergency department, and Robert T. Rogers, II, MD, CPH medical director and internist.

David B. Acker, president and CEO of CPH and CEO of St. Lawrence Health System, Sue Hodgson, David J. Bender, vice president of Strategic Planning and Business Development, Elizabeth Isenberg, Registered Dietitian, Katherine M. Calcagno, RN, MSN, MPH, Diabetes Educator and Wound Care Coordinator, Robin L. Brickey, LSMW, Social Worker, Patricia A. Ellis, MSN, FNP, director of Transitional Care, Amy R. Nugent, RN, MSN, director of Professional Nursing Practice, Ellen A. Nichols, RN, BSN, CMC, assistant director of Quality Management and Case Management, Jackie L. Scanlon, director of Patient Safety, and several patients also serve as program faculty from the healthcare administration and patient experience perspective.

For more information about the Health Coaches Program, interested individuals should contact Patricia Ellis at 261-5550.

St. Lawrence Health System is the parent organization of Canton-Potsdam Hospital and Gouverneur Hospital. The organization was established in December 2013.

Canton-Potsdam Hospital is a not-for-profit community healthcare facility certified for 94 beds. Its core programs in emergency medicine, acute care, hospitalist medicine, and critical care are supplemented by outpatient health centers in Brasher Falls, Canton, Colton, Norfolk, Norwood, and Potsdam, and by specialist care in over 25 different specialties, including cardiology, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedic surgery and sports medicine, and the Center for Cancer Care.