AT&T Donates to Atlanta's Project ECHO
AT&T Donates $30,000 to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Project ECHO
AT&T Delivering on Commitment to Atlanta’s Westside with #BelieveAtlanta
Efforts to help Westside residents connect to wellness opportunities got a boost as AT&T contributed $30,000 to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta to support Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), a program that revolutionizes medical education and exponentially increases healthcare workforce capacity.
AT&T’s contribution helps Children’s expand Project ECHO, which works to reduce healthcare access disparities through virtual knowledge sharing. Project ECHO participants become part of a larger learning community where providers receive mentoring and best practice guidance from specialists at Children’s as they manage patient cases.
“There is a growing community need for collaboration and specialty care to reduce healthcare access disparities in Atlanta’s Westside and Georgia’s rural communities,” said Charlotte Guest, Project ECHO program coordinator at Children’s. “Project ECHO’s innovative model is one way to connect Georgians to more wellness resources.”
With shortages in sub-specialty providers, particularly in lower-income and rural communities, many kids have limited to access to the quality care that they deserve. Project ECHO is enhancing access to specialty care – working to ensure patients get the right care, in the right place, at the right time. Children’s joined Project ECHO in June 2016 and launched the first Behavioral Health ECHO program in September 2017. The program worked with 22 primary care practices and targeted the diagnosis and management of depression by pediatric primary care providers. Program evaluation demonstrated ECHO’s ability to drive positive results in provider confidence, tested knowledge and behavior associated with managing behavioral health in a primary care setting. AT&T’s gift will assist Children’s in their mission to expand the Behavioral Health ECHO program offerings in 2019
“Access to best practices in behavioral wellness and medical care is vital for child and an essential tool for building towards a successful future,” said Chantelle Morrison-Kourou, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Community Nurse Navigator. “It’s great to work with companies like AT&T who share the mission of uplifting our communities and connecting residents to resources that drive positive change.”
In addition to providing financial support, AT&T hosted an event for pediatric patients at Children’s at Hughes Spalding hospital and assembled wellness kits for delivery to youth participating in summer programs at the Atlanta Police Foundation’s At-Promise Youth Center.
“At AT&T, we are committed to helping people connect with opportunities that offer promise and a healthier tomorrow,” said Venessa Harrison, president of AT&T Georgia. “The connection between a community’s economic health and its residents’ health has been proven time and time again. With enhanced access to wellness opportunities, Atlanta’s Westside residents and communities can become and stay healthier.”
AT&T is passionate about the strength and success of Atlanta’s residents. And, as part of Believe AtlantaSM, the 20,000 AT&T employees who call the Atlanta area home are collaborating with key community leaders like Children’s and the Westside Future Fund on key programs like Project ECHO to help tackle the chronic challenges – including community health and wellness – in Atlanta’s Westside.
Believe Atlanta is part of the AT&T Believes℠ initiative, a nationwide commitment to engaging on issues critical to the wellbeing of the neighborhoods in which we work and live. And, the $30,000 contribution to Children’s brings the total of AT&T contributions since January 2018 to more than $1 million to numerous projects with key community organizations committed to Atlanta’s historic Westside.
For more information on Believe AtlantaSM , Children’s and the Westside Future Fund, please visit https://believeatlanta.att.com, http://www.choa.org/ and https://www.westsidefuturefund.org/ respectively.
