Lourdes Health System - Outreach Programs

Outreach Programs

As a faith-based institution, Lourdes Health System devotes many resources to assisting the less fortunate. The outreach programs provided by Lourdes Health System have won numerous recognitions, including the 1995 Foster G. McGaw Prize from the American Hospital Association. Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center was the first Catholic hospital in the nation to win this award for excellence in community service. Those outreach programs include:

• Project H.O.P.E. (Homeless Outreach Program Enrichment): Started in 1993, this initiative provides medical, social and advocacy services for the homeless of Camden, N.J. through clinics, a mobile health van and other street outreach. Clients receive comprehensive medical care, physical exams, tuberculosis and HIV testing, STD evaluation and treatment, drug and alcohol counseling, employment counseling, housing referral services and food and clothing distribution.

• Community Health Practice: This all-volunteer clinic provides primary and specialty medical care to families who are uninsured or underinsured. The practice’s main objective is to provide care until patients acquire insurance coverage through employment, government assistance or other forms of aid. Some patients are formerly homeless who Lourdes helped find employment and housing. The practice serves more than 1,300 patients annually.

• Osborn Family Health Center: Founded in 1974 to provide optimal prenatal care to the women of Camden and primary care to their families, the Osborn Family Health Center offers family practice, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, lab testing and social services in a facility across the street from Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center. Osborn serves more 15,000 patients and handles 45,000 appointments annually. It is a private practice, treating individuals by appointment, rather than a walk-in clinic. Patients are seen by staff physicians who are employed by the health center, rather than by medical residents or a rotating staff. This allows for better physician-patient relationship and leads to better long-term care. Osborn distributes thousands of books a year to pediatric patients through its Reach Out and Read program and used-clothing through a boutique staffed by a volunteer.

• The Bridge: This program addresses the needs of at-risk teens in Camden and surrounding communities. The Bridge was founded in 1979 to provide a safe haven for young people to freely talk about their concerns and the issues they face and to help them develop leadership skills. The Bridge began with weekly drop-in sessions, but has expanded to offer programs in collaboration with schools, churches, businesses, community agencies and law enforcement. The Bridge works closely with the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, offering anti-violence and anti-bullying programs to schools.

• Senior Dining Program: This program at Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County offers discounts on meals provided in the hospital’s cafeteria. The program is designed to improve seniors’ access to nutritious meals, provide socialization and health screenings and information.

• Parish Health Nursing: The program works with congregations of various denominations to promote healthy lifestyles, provide information on available resources and encourage individuals to assume primary responsibility for their own health. Attendees of educational sessions include registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, parish health ministers and others who have a working knowledge of parish nursing and health ministries. Lourdes conducts these sessions in conjunction with La Salle University. Attendees are taught to focus on the whole person when emphasizing wellness, disease prevention, health promotion and healing, linking the interrelationship of mind, body and spirit. The successfully trained parish nurse can help congregants access and navigate the health system; institute programs to promote healthy lifestyles and support groups; provide education on health issues; provide selected medical screenings; and support hospitalized or homebound family members.