Why Care Transitions Communities Matter in Tennessee
Rhonda Robinson, pharmacist and owner of Pharma Care in Mt. Juliet, Tenn., is a member of the Nashville care transitions community, known as TPACC (Transitioning Patients Across the Care Continuum).
“This is the first time that I’ve ever been exposed to this plethora of disciplines to bring together ideas,” Robinson said at Qsource’s July 16, 2014, learning and action network (LAN) event.
The event brought together members from the Tennessee care transitions communities to celebrate the successes they have achieved within the last two years. Communities include Memphis, Jackson, Nashville, Columbia, Vanderbilt, Chattanooga, Knoxville, TriCities and Upper Cumberland.
“The greatest value of being a part of this community is networking,” Robinson added.
Networking with other professionals, seeing what others are doing in the community and understanding their needs, is what Robinson lists as the greatest benefits of being in the community.
“If your passion is your profession, if your passion is your patients, if your passion is problem solving, team-building and positive outcomes, then this is a great community to be involved in,” Robinson said.
Shelley Matthews, Assistant Director for the Southwest Area Agency on Aging and Disability (AAAD), is a member of the Jackson Community.
“If you’re able to collaborate with the partners in your community, you’ll be able to make a huge difference,” Matthews said.
The community, aptly named Connected Transitions, has helped her AAAD help older adults “make the connections that keep them at home and out of the hospital.”
And that is the goal of all care transitions communities; and they’re achieving it. At the end of the event, every community pledged on an interactive map their continued commitment to reducing readmissions in Tennessee.
