Keeping Brevard Well
What began as a simple idea has sparked the desire to become the best in the nation regarding the path to improving a community’s health. More than 80 years ago, a group of dedicated citizens ignited a phenomenon with the modest idea to make health care local and founded Brevard County’s first hospital in Melbourne, Florida. With turbulent fluctuations in regulations, the economy and the political landscape, one commitment has remained – Brevard deserves an organization committed to putting residents’ health first.
Their success story began in the 1930s, when Brevard Hospital – now Holmes Regional Medical Center – opened on U.S. 1 with 27 beds. Over 30 years later, in response to the emerging space industry, another group of residents had the courage to develop Cape Canaveral Hospital in Cocoa Beach. And as the city of Palm Bay grew, the needs of the community were met with the establishment of Palm Bay Hospital in 1992.
This visionary leadership created the basis for a national success story in 1995, when Brevard joined these three hospitals together and welcomed Health First. On this foundation, bricks were laid to create a network of providers, hospitals and outpatient services, but what makes this journey unique is the daring decision to create Brevard’s only locally owned health plan.
In 1996, the leaders of Health First took a giant leap to provide affordable health insurance to meet the needs of their community by launching Health First Health Plans. This single decision is why Brevard has earned national recognition for providing health and wellness services. Health First is Brevard’s hometown, not-for-profit, Integrated Delivery Network (IDN).
Where Care Means Caring
“The part of the story many Space Coast residents don’t realize is that Health First’s not-for-profit status enables it to invest back into the community, rather than paying dividends to Wall Street shareholders, as is the case with for-profit hospitals,” observed Health First Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Drew Rector. “Last year alone, we invested more than $158 million in mission-driven community benefits, including programs like Bright Star.”
Rector explained that this program is one example of how Health First gives back to the community. Illness and death are a part of life, and so is the grieving process. But for a child who has lost a loved one, the road can be filled with a silent pain that others may forget. Bright Star – partially funded through the Health First Foundation – is a specialized children's program that encourages the expression of grief through creative, positive play within a peer group setting.
“In the last five years, the charitable investment Health First has made to Brevard reached more than $637 million,” Rector said. “Most of those dollars go to provide care for uninsured or under-insured residents who come to our hospitals and clinics.” He continued to explain that Health First’s charitable investment includes providing a wide range of educational and training programs like its “Stop the Bleed” and CPR training programs.
Investing At Home
As the county has grown, Health First has continued to grow and meet Brevard’s needs. Today, this distinctively Brevard IDN has become one of the primary economic development drivers in the region. Companies and individuals look at quality of life, infrastructure and educational systems when making their location decisions. However, in that continuum of selection, one of the first considerations is an area’s healthcare system. With an investment of more than $366 million in capital investments in the last five years, Health First has been able to repeatedly tip the scale in Brevard’s favor.
A true testament of Brevard is how the community continues to show their support. Through the Health First Foundation, Brevard residents have proven their commitment to Health First’s desire to keep health care local by financially supporting programs and services. For example, donations provided to the Foundation brought 3D mammography to Brevard. This service offers a 41 percent higher detection rate and reduces false positives by 40 percent, thus significantly reducing the need for callbacks for abnormal mammograms. Together, Health First and Brevard residents save lives.
Managing Risk to Expand Services
According to Rector, who oversees Health First Health Plans, a lot of the company’s success in expanding offerings and opportunities to Brevard residents is because of the Health Plans’ growth.
“In 2012, we had 62,751 members, and by September 2016 we had 150,809 members,” he explained. “In an Integrated Delivery Network like Health First, we promote the health of our members first, whereas a traditional hospital system is only able to be on the treatment side – they’re essentially what you could describe as ‘sick care,’ not ‘health care.’”
“Everything Health First does is to make Brevard healthy and to make health care more consumer-friendly and cost-effective. Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of our families, friends and neighbors, and to ensure no one has to leave home to get world-class medical care,” Rector said.
One thing is clear: Health First is Brevard. Stronger today than it was 80 years ago, the idea to make health care local is the continuing commitment of Health First. Their commitment stretches beyond the words outlined in their mission and vision statements and are the guiding principle on which all decisions are made. Health First will improve the health and well-being of our community. Every person, every time.
Map It
