Peoria, Illinois-based OSF HealthCare is partnering with the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) to award six grants totally more than $460,000 to support projects funded through the Community Health Advocacy program, with a goal to improve outcomes and reduce health care disparities. The latest grants seek to generate solutions focused on new models of care that improve access and reduce barriers for individuals from all racial and ethnic backgrounds. The projects also explore prototypes that can transform care and community-based initiatives that address the social determinants of health. The CHA program is also aimed at improving outcomes and reducing health care disparities.

The CHA program is a partnership between OSF HealthCare and The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC).

The funding supports research involving clinicians, engineers and social scientists to rapidly develop technologies and devices that could revolutionize medical training and health care delivery. A requirement of the grant applications was for solutions that could be deployed quickly, within four to six weeks.

Spring 2023 CHA Grant Projects

Automated Seizure Detection in Ambulatory EEG

• Huan Huynh, MD, OSF HealthCare
• Biswajit Maharathi, PhD, University of Illinois Chicago

Ambulatory EEG is a powerful tool to evaluate seizure propensity in patients with epilepsy within natural community settings and residential environments. This goal of this pilot project is to build a semi-automated seizure screening system using modern machine learning-based computational approaches to significantly reduce the physician’s time evaluating these events by providing faster and more accurate screening methods and improving the patient care experience.

BRIDGeS (Building Resourceful Interactions Despite Grief and Stress)

• Eileen Knightly, MHA, RN, BSN, OSF HealthCare
• Carolyn Dickens, PhD, APRN, ACNP-BC, University of Illinois Chicago

This project addresses the growing issue of violence and incivility in the community and its impact on patient care in hospitals. It utilizes findings from a 2022 community health needs assessment to address cultural and communication barriers affecting nursing staff and patients. Nurse burnout, caused by prolonged stress, has worsened due to staffing shortages, documentation burden and increased violence.

Developing Tools to Empower Patient Understanding, Management and Communication of Condition

• Jonathan Handler, MD, OSF HealthCare
• Michael J. Scott, PhD, University of Illinois Chicago

This project will focus on social determinants of health (SDoH) and consider solutions that empower the patient to more accurately track and communicate their conditions before they reach the reactive state. The approach is to change the way patients engage with their health-related data and provide better tools to convey this information to their care provider.

Harnessing Mobile Technology to Diagnose Migraines in Rural Communities

• Hrachya Nersesyan, MD, PhD, OSF HealthCare
• Yelena Nersesyan, MD, PhD, University of Illinois Chicago

The goal of this project is to test and improve the MiGRO app that enables providers to quickly and accurately diagnose and treat migraines, resulting in better health outcomes and improved patient satisfaction. The app also streamlines the referral process, allowing providers to quickly refer patients to migraine specialists, reducing medical costs and improving access to care in rural areas.

Improving Cancer Screening in Underserved High-Risk Populations

• Lisa Barker, MD, FACEP, OSF HealthCare
• Elizabeth Papautsky, PhD, MS, University of Illinois Chicago

This project seeks to characterize the current barriers to completion of screening recommendations among patients at high risk for breast cancer, then use that data to create and pilot test an “intervention bundle” to optimize rates of breast MRI completion for eligible high-risk patients. With attention to the underserved communities within the OSF service population, this project will contribute to reduced health disparities by reducing barriers to care in the context of timely breast cancer diagnosis.

UI Health Pancreatic Cancer Screening Initiative

• Jason Bill, MD, OSF HealthCare
• Paul Grippo, PhD, University of Illinois Chicago

The project aims to develop an infrastructure of early community engagement with clinical trials for all types of cancer. The goal is to address the increasing technological development in screening modalities without simultaneously widening the gap in morbidity rates of cancer within underserved communities. With this health care protocol in place, the team hopes to increase accessibility of clinical trials using methods that are showing promising results in pancreatic cancer detection.

The latest round of grants will fund 10 projects, leveraging OSF Innovation expertise and faculty from 16 colleges and health sciences at UIC. Grant recipients are expected to create solutions that can be deployed quickly, within four to six weeks.

The projects will examine patient experience for at-risk individuals who use the emergency department at OSF HealthCare Little Company of Mary Medical Center in south suburban Evergreen Park, explore ways to build a pipeline for allied health and first-line health care providers, develop a plant-based diet that would appeal to Black men at risk for prostate cancer and expand communication tools for exploring social needs for patients, particularly for non-English-speaking individuals and those with special needs.

Other projects will launch a pilot in homeless shelters, use an artificial intelligence (AI) -based tool to check for diabetes-related vision problems and develop AI curriculum for medical students. Another will focus on creating the best strategies to communicate the risks of cannabis consumption on women of child-bearing age before, during and after pregnancy.

“Given the massive workforce shortages across the industry, our focus is on using technology and evidence-based approaches for strategies to serve our patients most effectively and solve some of the biggest challenges that prevent individuals from achieving better health and wellness,” says 
Dr. John Vozenilek, chief medical officer for Innovation & Digital Health at OSF HealthCare. “We’re also attempting to make sure we reach all populations that deserve a holistic approach to improving their health and their experience with health care.”

TJ Augustine, vice chancellor for Innovation at UIC says, “As Chicago's only public research university, we are uniquely positioned to address a wide range of community health challenges. Having OSF HealthCare as a partner is key to implementing solutions that make an impact. We’re proud that our partnership will yield best practices that help not only UIC and OSF, but that also support community medical providers who serve diverse populations.”

Here is a complete list and description of the projects receiving CHA grants.

Highlight Project: Prenatal Cannabis Exposure: Investigating Reasons and Messaging  
With cannabis laws changing at a rapid pace, traditional media and social media are saturated with positive messages about recreational or medicinal use of cannabis, and many people think it is safe because it’s marketed as being “natural.”  Dr. William Bond of OSF HealthCare is working with co-lead Erin Berenz, PhD, of the University of Illinois at Chicago on a Community Health Advocacy (CHA) grant to investigate women’s risk perceptions of using cannabis in pregnancy.  Read more.