In a collaborative move designed to improve access to care, Saint Francis Healthcare has chosen Christiana Care Health System to provide emergency patient transport and cardiothoracic surgery for cardiac catheterization patients effective July 1, 2013.

Patients from the Saint Francis cardiac catheterization lab who require emergency cardiothoracic surgery will be transferred by Christiana Care’s emergency transport team to the cardiovascular operating rooms at Christiana Hospital. This model of care is being adopted by many communities in an effort to create value and best benefit the community.

Clinical and regulatory guidelines stipulate that cardiac catheterization labs make formal arrangements for emergency surgical care of patients having diagnostic or interventional procedures. Interventional cardiac catheterization procedures—different from open-heart surgery—include procedures to detect and reopen narrow or blocked arteries. Saint Francis will continue to offer cardiac catheterization and non-invasive testing.

Partnering with Christiana Care is a key step in Saint Francis’ strategy to meet community need. This agreement allows Saint Francis to focus growth in home care and its new LIFE (Living Independently for Elders) Center, while continuing to help meet the community’s need for women’s services, emergency care and home care.

“This collaborative effort will better meet the community’s changing health care needs,” said Julie A. Hester, president and CEO of Saint Francis Healthcare. “This community is fortunate to have a heart and vascular center of excellence at Christiana Care. Given the low volumes for cardiac surgery at Saint Francis, our leadership and board have decided the community’s heart surgery needs would be met best by partnering with Christiana Care. We will continue to treat patients in our Cardiac Catheterization Lab and non-invasive testing unit.”

“This collaboration continues our long-standing commitment to partner with our neighbors to provide access to the highest quality of care and deliver greater value,” said Robert J. Laskowski, M.D., MBA, Christiana Care president and CEO.

“As good stewards of the resources entrusted to us, Saint Francis Healthcare will continue to seek opportunities to align the provision of care to best meet community needs. We will refocus our resources on those health care services that the community relies on Saint Francis to provide, such as emergency care, home care and our LIFE (Living Independently for Elders) program,” said Hester.

Saint Francis, a member of Catholic Health East and Delaware’s only Catholic Hospital, has been serving Wilmington and Northern New Castle County since 1924. Services provided include the Saint Francis Heart Center, 24-hour Emergency Services, Ambulance Service, Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, Advanced Wound Center, Sleep/Neurodiagnostics Center, Pain Center, Home Care, Rehabilitation, Imaging Services, Comprehensive Women’s Services and three community outreach programs. Saint Francis Hospital is affiliated with the Saint Francis Foundation and the Franciscan Care Center.

Christiana Care’s innovative Center for Heart & Vascular Health is the only center in the region that integrates in a single location and under one roof cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, vascular interventional radiology, cardiology and interventional nephrology.

LIFE Is for Seniors

Staying independent and being able to continue living at home are important objectives for seniors; however, ensuring their safety and proper care are serious concerns. Saint Francis LIFE understands this and offers a total solution to help seniors stay healthy and live safely at home. Seniors in the LIFE program benefit from a wide range of healthcare services provided in our LIFE Center or in their homes, as needed, 365 days a year.

LIFE Is for Caregivers

Family caregivers want the best care for their loved one. Getting that care, however, can be frustrating. Driving to multiple doctor appointments, staying informed about medical issues, helping to keep track of medications, and coordinating care can be challenging for any caregiver. And leaving a loved one at home alone during the day can be worrisome. It doesn’t have to be this way. Saint Francis LIFE can coordinate all the care and services needed to relieve caregiver stress.

LIFE Is Good

Saint Francis LIFE offers many advantages for seniors, including:

• Seniors stay in control of their lives, remaining in the community and out of a nursing home as long as possible.
• A team approach to care that keeps the senior and the family at the center of healthcare decisions.
• Care is complete, preventative and ongoing.
• Help and relief for caregivers and family members.

Saint Francis LIFE Is the Newest Healthcare Choice for Seniors Living in New Castle County

LIFE is a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). This unique model of care helps seniors live safely at home with assistance from a team of compassionate healthcare experts.

LIFE offers a total solution for seniors who experience health problems that limit their daily activities. By providing complete medical, health and social services in a centralized location, as well as in participants’ homes, LIFE enables seniors to live independently. For the convenience of our participants, transportation is included.

LIFE services are available for eligible seniors within the following zip codes in New Castle County, Delaware.

The Saint Francis LIFE Center Is an Important Part of this Program

The LIFE Center provides one location where doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals offer treatment and monitor changes in participants’ health.

Here, participants can also receive nutritious meals and join in on a variety of activities to keep active and make new friends. We encourage seniors to do things for themselves so they can live independently as long as possible.

Saint Francis LIFE Center
1072 Justison Street
Wilmington, DE 19801

Phone 302.660.3297
1.800.676.3777 (TTY)

Saint Francis LIFE Offers a Total Solution

Participants receive all healthcare services from Saint Francis LIFE. With the exception of emergency care, all services must be authorized by the LIFE Care Team and be based on the personalized care plan that was developed for the participant. In addition, a provider within the LIFE network must deliver these services.

Saint Francis LIFE services include:

• Adult day health services, including meals, recreational & social programs
• Primary & specialty medical care
• Nursing care
• Prescribed & over-the-counter medicines
• Occupational, physical and speech therapy
• In-home services, such as light housekeeping, laundry, meal preparation, adaptive equipment, and assistance with bathing & dressing
• Social work services
• Foot, vision & hearing care
• Dental care
• Mental health services
• Personal care services
• Transportation
• Medical equipment & supplies
• Nutritional counseling & diet planning
• Home-delivered meals
• Caregiver respite & caregiver support group
• Spiritual care & counseling
• Personal emergency response systems
• Nursing home care
• End-of-Life support & care

In short, Saint Francis LIFE provides all the medical and nursing care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, nutritional services and social work support needed by a participant. If hospital, nursing home or home care is needed, it is coordinated through the Saint Francis LIFE team.

LIFE accepts Medicare, Medicaid or private payment. There are no out-of-pocket charges if participants qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid or Medicaid only. However, participants must continue to pay their Medicare premium. For participants who do not qualify for Medicaid, there is a flat monthly fee.

Once enrolled, Saint Francis LIFE will handle all paperwork and claims with participants. With the exception of emergency services, participants may be fully and personally liable for the cost of unauthorized services, or for services that are outside of the LIFE program agreement.

Our goal at Saint Francis LIFE is that the cost will never be a barrier to receiving the care that is needed and the cost will not vary based on the participant’s changing needs.

Saint Francis LIFE does not discriminate in the delivery of services based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, mental or physical disabilities or source of payment.

Enrollment Is Easy

Our Enrollment Specialist will meet with an applicant and, if they choose, a family member or caregiver at home to provide a detailed understanding of the program. They will do an assessment and schedule a visit to the LIFE Center for a meeting with a doctor, nurses and other key staff.

Each applicant will receive a medical evaluation and a plan of care will be established. This care plan will include input from the applicant as part of the healthcare team.

The Enrollment Specialist will review the plan of care and the enrollment paperwork with the applicant and anyone they may designate as a representative. Enrollment is voluntary and participants may disenroll at any time by notifying the LIFE social worker.

Please Contact Us

For more information or to schedule a meeting please call, 302.660.3297 or 1.800.676.3777 (TTY)

The Foundation’s mission is to identify and secure charitable funds from public sectors to reinvest in the Hospital. These funds support the operating and capital needs of the Hospital’s community outreach programs, technology, and patient care.

Since 1997, more than $30 million has been donated by the community. Since then, Saint Francis Hospital has treated more than 10,000 patients through the community outreach programs each year. These patients are uninsured or without adequate healthcare insurance.

Your generous support will help provide critical outreach programs and medical services to those in need and assist in upgrading medical equipment and services through capital initiatives.

Make a Donation

On Tuesday, May 1, Saint Francis Healthcare will officially introduce its new brand identity and expansion of services through a comprehensive multimedia marketing campaign that will run through the remainder of the year. The new brand identity includes a change in the healthcare organization’s name, logo and tagline, all supported by the organization’s newly coined and trademarked concept of Care-ology™. Formerly Saint Francis Hospital, the integrated healthcare system is now Saint Francis Healthcare, with the tagline “We specialize in you.™”

“Saint Francis Healthcare is built on an 80-year legacy as Saint Francis Hospital,” said Julie A. Hester, president and CEO. “But now we are more than just a hospital in downtown Wilmington. We have grown to become an integrated healthcare system with a single-minded focus on meeting patient needs in a compassionate, caring way. Our new brand identity has been designed to reflect this message.”

“Care-ology™ is at the heart of how we work,” continued Hester. “It represents the perfect blend of today’s advanced medical technology, practices and procedures with the skillful application of highly individualized people care. It now gives us a way to sum up in one word why we have long been recognized by the community and the industry for having dedicated, caring nurses, top-rated physicians and a committed staff.”

Hester said that the overarching goal of Saint Francis is to be the mainstay of healthcare services for Wilmington, New Castle County and for Delaware and that, through its expansion of services, the healthcare system now offers greater access to quality health services for the people of Delaware. Saint Francis is already known for its comprehensive array of women’s health services and remains the sole provider of comprehensive obstetrics in Wilmington. The healthcare system’s expansion now includes:

• The first program of all-inclusive elderly care (LIFE) based out of a new facility on the Wilmington Riverfront by the end of the year
• An expansion of Saint Francis Home Care through service and technology to bring round-the-clock care to the homebound
• An expansion of the Family Practice, Women’s Health and Surgical networks
• Renovations and an enhancement of service at the Franciscan Care Center, which provides long-term care
• An expansion of the Saint Clare Van program, which meets the needs of the underserved in the community

Saint Francis Healthcare’s multimedia marketing campaign has been designed to introduce its new message to both its current patient population and beyond into the communities of north and northwest of Wilmington. The highly integrated campaign will feature traditional print, outdoor and radio advertising, along with digital advertising such as online banners, a redesigned website and social media marketing programs.

Jenifer Harris, director of marketing for Saint Francis Healthcare, explained that the new brand identity and marketing campaign arose as a result of an Image & Awareness Study that Saint Francis conducted through a third party in 2010. “The study revealed that the perception of Saint Francis was somewhat inconsistent with the range of services and locations we offer. At the same time, interviews with our employees and colleagues reinforced what we already knew: that we offer a unique type of care – compassionate care – that really sets us apart in our area,” said Harris. “What we needed was a market positioning that expressed the unique type of care we provide, along with a strategy that could deliver that message and raise awareness.”

“This is a very robust campaign, and we’ve designed it to be sure that we connect with the market quickly and gain awareness for all the great things happening here,” said Harris. “It’s a great time to be at Saint Francis.”

Saint Francis, a member of Catholic Health East and Delaware’s only Catholic Hospital, has been serving Wilmington and Northern New Castle County since 1924. Services provided include the Saint Francis Heart Center, 24-hour Emergency Services, Ambulance Service, Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence, da Vinci Surgical System, Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, Advanced Wound Center, Imaging Services, Sleep/Neurodiagnostics Center, Pain Center, Home Care, Rehabilitation, Comprehensive Women’s Services and three community outreach programs. Saint Francis Hospital is affiliated with the Saint Francis Foundation and the Franciscan Care Center.