Guardian Angel Fund Breaking Barriers
With a generous gift from donors Tracy and Richard Wilken , St . Luke ’ s Foundation established the Guardian Angel Fund in 2014 . The fund provides qualifying , low-income CHI St . Luke ’ s Health patients in the Greater Houston Area with financial assistance to access much-needed care they might otherwise not receive . Since its creation , along with the ongoing support of the Wilkens and many other donors , the fund has had a life-changing impact on nearly two dozen patients in need of treatment . Patients with cancer , asthma , heart arrhythmias , joint disease , cataracts , and hypertension have all benefited from the fund .
Health Informatics Training Program Data Connections
With an ever-increasing volume of patient data now available , the need for specialized training to understand how to analyze and use that information to provide better care has become paramount . Now , a cohort of 21 doctors , nurses , and other CHI St . Luke ’ s Health professionals are learning to analyze and use data from electronic health records to improve patient outcomes , thanks to gifts from The Cullen Trust for Health Care and the MD Anderson Foundation . CHI St . Luke ’ s Health is partnerning with the UTHealth School of Biomedical Informatics to develop a unique Health Informatics Certification program . In addition to four online courses , the CHI St . Luke ’ s curriculum includes a practical , hands-on project . The yearlong certification program will continue with a new set of students in early 2017 .
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