Urgent MattersWho We AreUrgent Matters is a $6.4 million national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation launched in 2003 to help hospitals eliminate emergency department crowding and to help communities understand the challenges facing the health care safety net. The program has three specific goals:
The Center for Health Services Research and Policy in the Department of Health Policy serves as the National Program Office (NPO) for Urgent Matters. What We DoThe Urgent Matters initiative provides resources to ten communities across the country to engage them in activities designed to increase their understanding of the health care safety net and to improve the timeliness and availability of emergency department care. Ten hospitals in those same communities formed a Learning Network to promote information exchanges as they develop and implement best-practice strategies to maximize patient flow and relieve emergency department crowding. Four of those hospitals received additional funding as part of a demonstration project to explore highly innovative strategies to improve patient flow. All sites participated in a safety net assessment and community education process, in conjunction with identified community partners, to raise awareness about the state of the local health care safety net. During the second phase of this project, which began in February 2005, Urgent Matters is sponsoring web-based seminars, conferences and a new Learning Network to foster innovations in patient flow. FacultyContact UsUrgent Matters National Program Office Director: Bruce Siegel, MD, MPH |
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