School System Receives National Healthcare Award from Health Industry Leaders
Healthcare Leadership Council Honors Metro Nashville Public Schools with the Redefining American Healthcare Award
NASHVILLE, TN – The Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC) honored Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) with its Redefining American Healthcare Award at a ceremony in Nashville on Friday, October 20th.
MNPS is one of the largest and most diverse school districts in the United States. Its 14,000 teachers and staff educate more than 80,000 students in Metro Nashville-Davidson County, preparing them to excel in higher education, work and life. Committed to the health and well-being of its employees, MNPS has taken steps to remove access and cost barriers for its teachers and staff. At no out-of-pocket cost to the employees, the school system partnered with Vanderbilt Health Employer Solutions to offer MyHealth Bundles to address high-cost, high-incidence conditions such as weight loss, maternity care, hip and knee surgery, hip and knee osteoarthritis, shoulder pain, select spine surgeries, cochlear implants, kidney stones, and substance use disorder.
“At Metro Nashville Public Schools, we firmly believe that providing exceptional benefits is pivotal to truly valuing and taking care of our dedicated educators and staff,” said Board Chair Rachael Anne Elrod. “Their well-being is our success, and we appreciate the recognition of the Healthcare Leadership Council of the efforts of the MNPS Board and staff to create opportunities for our team to access high-quality supports.”
“When we learned more about this program, it was apparent that it addresses multiple national health priorities,” said HLC executive vice president Michael Freeman. “It is showing dramatic results not only in pounds lost, but in the impact on illnesses like diabetes and heart disease. It is a shining example of what coordinated care should be, assisting patients with care navigation. It is enhancing health equity by making these services easy to access, and at no cost to employees. And we believe that other organizations can replicate what you’ve done here and, when they see the success metrics, should definitely do so.”
“MNPS worked to address critical health issues facing their workforce, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and prenatal care in partnership with Vanderbilt Health Employer Solutions. The success of that partnership cannot be overstated”, said Congressman John Rose. “Congratulations to MNPS for your leadership in finding these trailblazing solutions.”
“We are truly grateful for our long-standing partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools,” said David Posch, executive vice president for Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Office of Population Health. “Together, we embarked on a shared journey to transform the way health care is delivered and received. It’s an enormous honor to care for the dedicated public school teachers and support staff in Davidson County. They deserve all we can do to help them be healthy and vibrant in their work as they are a backbone of our community preparing our children for the future.”
Sarah Carpenter, a math teacher for MNPS, provided a testimonial of her experience utilizing Vanderbilt’s MyHealth Bundles for weight loss. She said, “I started looking into surgical weight loss a couple years ago but it wasn’t something offered through other employers.” Sarah was amazed to find out she was not responsible for any of the cost due to the school system’s partnership with VUMC. She was assigned a patient navigator and reported a seamless experience.
The Healthcare Leadership Council created the Redefining American Healthcare Award to recognize best practices and programs in communities and organizations across the nation that optimize care for vulnerable patients. Award recipients are organizations developing and activating cost-effective, measurable community programs promoting a patient-centered approach to care that considers outside social factors to achieve the best outcomes.
For Immediate Release: October 20, 2023
Contact: Kelly Fernandez, (202) 449-3452
