A blueprint for community benefit. A CHA-AAHA (Catholic Health Association-American Association of Homes for the Aging) document helps long-term care providers plan for and implement needed services.
A collaborative effort of the Catholic Health Association (CHA) and the American Association of Homes for the Aging, The Social Accountability Program: Continuing the Community Benefit Tradition of Not-for-Profit Homes and Services for the Aging helps long-term care organizations plan and report community benefit activities. The program takes long-term care providers through five sequential tasks: reaffirming commitment to the elderly and others in the community; developing a community service plan; developing and providing community services; reporting community services; and evaluating the community service role. To help organizations reaffirm commitment, the Social Accountability Program presents a process facilities can use to review their historical roots and purposes and evaluate whether current policies and procedures are consistent with the organizational philosophy. Once this step is completed, providers can develop a community service plan by identifying target populations and the services they need. For facilities developing and implementing such services, the program suggests ways of measuring and monitoring them for budgetary purposes. Once they have implemented services, not-for-profit healthcare organizations must account for their impact on the community. The Social Accountability Program lists elements to be included in community service reports. It also provides guidelines for evaluating these services' effectiveness and the organization's overall community benefit role.
St. Leonard Center, Centerville, OH.
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D000368:Aged; D002410:Catholicism; D003153:Community Health Services; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006707:Homes for the Aged / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D010934:Planning Techniques; D016730:Program Development; D012941:Social Responsibility; D012954:Societies, Hospital; D014481:United States