Nuvance Health's Mission Health Day

Launched in 2017, Mission Health Day has become a powerful symbol of hope and unity for the Danbury community.

Mission Health Day is a large-scale, mission-driven community health outreach led by Danbury Hospital / Nuvance Health to provide essential care to uninsured, underinsured, and housing-insecure adults in Danbury, Connecticut - ranked the fourth most diverse small city in the U.S. by WalletHub in 2024.

Success of the one-day event is driven by the annual mobilization of over 240 volunteers, including clinical and non-clinical Nuvance Health employees, who work with numerous community, municipal and philanthropic partners to deliver complimentary health assessments, diabetes screenings, vaccinations, mental health and substance abuse screenings, and primary care referrals, along with personal care packages, winter clothing, and haircuts.

Attendees are offered essential wellness checks and education. This provides an opportunity to access complimentary services, including health screenings and social supports. In addition to these, attendees receive a free meal, personal care packages, winter clothing and free haircuts. Children attending with their parents are able to participate in arts & crafts and face painting.

Nuvance Health recognized there were serious needs in the community. The event has helped Nuvance Health providers get in front of community members who might otherwise not seek care. The event proved to be very successful and became an annual event offered every fall. It has grown to include other organizations and vendors. The event involves a great deal of pre-planning by staff and volunteers.

Nuvance Health believes that healthcare is more than a service - it is a promise to care, to heal, and to evolve with the needs of the community. Mission Health Day at Danbury Hospital/Nuvance Health harnesses the power of volunteer engagement and management to fulfill their not-for-profit mission of improving the health of every person served through the efficient delivery of excellent, innovative and compassionate care regardless of circumstance.

Mission Health Day advances the mission by increasing access to preventive care, improving health outcomes for vulnerable populations, and reducing health disparities. Compassionate and dedicated volunteers are the backbone of these efforts to strengthen relationships, promote early intervention, and enhance the overall health and well-being of the community.

Both patient and employee satisfaction are enhanced by building community trust and reinforcing a culture of empathetic, patient-centered care. The event advances efforts to increase HCAHPS/CAHPS scores in areas represented by questions like "Would you recommend this hospital?" by fostering goodwill in the community, and "How often did nurses/ doctors treat you with courtesy and respect?" by emphasizing compassionate, volunteer-driven care. Additionally, it strengthens communication through health education and referrals, improving patient understanding of care, which can influence questions like "Was information about your recovery clearly communicated?"

Mission Health Day also enhances employee satisfaction by providing opportunities for staff to engage in meaningful, mission-driven work. Volunteers gain a deeper sense of purpose and connection to the organization's mission and values, while teamwork and collaboration beyond hospital walls can increase job satisfaction, morale, and retention.

Inspired by the leadership and vision of Nuvance Health President and CEO John Murphy, MD, the event not only provides critical healthcare services but also strengthens community ties in an era of economic uncertainty and heightened division.

Looking to the future, Mission Health Day will continue to serve as a beacon of compassion, collaboration, and resilience that reaffirms Nuvance Health's dedication to serving those who depend on them.

Mission Health Day continues to grow in reach and impact to foster a trusting environment that improves community health by encouraging at-risk community residents to access vital healthcare resources and support services. This case study reviews how VSys One supports Nuvance Health's Mission Health Day.

Many of the volunteers are current Nuvance Health employees, community-based volunteers, or retired health care workers. There are three categories of volunteers who participate in the event: Clinical, Non-Clinical (laypersons), Vendors / Community Partners.

To encourage employees to participate in events such as Mission Health Day, Employees get 25 points toward a reduction in their health insurance costs. Once they have earned 200 points for activities they complete as well as other submitted program components that allowed for a $400-$600 reduction in their health insurance cost.

Through the on-line application, the volunteer applicants indicate the category that fits them best. Each category has different volunteer roles. For example, non-clinical volunteer roles might be Navigators who serve as guides at the event. Nuvance Health looks for bi- or tri-lingual volunteers (Spanish and/or Portuguese speaking) to serve as Navigators, guiding participants through the event and answering their questions along the way. A Clinical volunteer might be monitoring glucose levels or administering blood pressure tests. Community partners (vendors) provide education to participants on subjects such as good nutrition practices or how to get a free mammogram.

Community Participants: 340 (260 adults / 80 children)

Total Volunteers: 240

Hospital/Health System Volunteers

• Event Navigator/Guides: 45 Advanced Clinicians l(MDs, APPs, PAs, APRNs)
• Nurses: 12+
• Medical Assistants/PCTs: 15+
• Pharmacists: 12
• Non-clinical staff and volunteers: 80
• Prayer Partners: 4
• Pet Therapy Teams: 4

Community Volunteers

• Community-Based Organization Reps: 40
• Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) Nursing students: 15
• Baseball Team members: 12
• Police and Police Cadets: 6
• EMS and Fire Department: 6

Once a volunteer signs up using the Mission Day application form, they see an onboarding checklist (referred to in VSys as an eligibility checklist) specific to their volunteer role (clinical, non-clinical or community partner). Each individual works through the required training and agreements through VSys One to complete the Mission Health Day onboarding. All agreements are vetted by Nuvance's risk and legal departments.

Volunteers are required to complete online training prior to the event which is offered through VSys's Online Training Module. Completion of training is automatically recorded in VSys One for the event organizers. The topics covered in the training range from details of the day to HIPAA compliance and cultural considerations when working with participants.

Returning volunteers are made inactive after the event and reactivated the following year. Because they are already in the portal, they sign in as a current volunteer and apply to serve. They then can update any expiring certifications on their eligibility checklist.

Volunteers aren't approved until all onboarding steps are completed.

When the applicants apply to be a Mission Health Day volunteer, they receive a welcome letter that contains instructions on how to login to the VSys Live Portal and how to check their onboarding requirements. Volunteers are provided with detailed instructions on the order in which to complete their training and onboarding steps.

In 2024 Nuvance staff worked with the VSys One team to set up automatic notifications (emails) in VSys One. Previously all notifications were done manually. Now participants who haven't completed training receive notifications at various intervals (30 days/15 days/10 days/7 days/2 days out) to ensure they have completed their training before the day of the event. Team supervisors are assigned to each volunteer once they have been tasked with a primary role, making it easy for supervisors to send personalized welcome letters and say in touch with volunteers for seamless communication.

Amy Lionheart, one of the event organizers, commented "We were initially challenged with concerns over whether or not volunteers might be bothered by having to complete an online application, but most of the volunteers embraced it." And, she says, "This removed a lot of the guesswork and helped us to eliminate so much manual work." Previously Amy had to enter this information into VSys manually for all these volunteers. This included many hours of keying in applications and having to chase after staff and volunteers who had not completed the onboarding process. Amy added, "Automating this removed a lot of my workload and helped us keep organized. We couldn't continue to grow this meaningful program without VSys One's support."

Reports are generated ahead of time to use on the day of the event. Volunteers show up and checkin at a Welcome Table where they sign in on paper. A sign-in sheet is generated by downloading a VSys report into Excel. Volunteers are color-coded on this sheet by volunteer role. At this time volunteers also pick up their tee shirt and caps. Different volunteer roles wear different colors. For example, Spanish speakers get one color hat to indicate they are a Spanish translator. Portuguese speakers get another color hat.

A Process Improvement Board is kept at the check-in table where suggestions from volunteers are recorded. This provides continual feedback on how to improve the event. Next year it was determined that two check-in tables should be used: one for clinical volunteers and another for community partners and non-clinical volunteers as check-in is usually very busy with everyone arriving at the same times.

While this event has been wildly successful, as the program grew the workload to administer it increased. A lot of time was spent tracking, scheduling and communicating with volunteer applicants. Staff needed to keep constant watch over what applications came in and communicate with the applicants. Every year more functionality is setup in VSys to reduce administrative and manual tasks.

Getting buy-in to use the VSys Live portal initially presented a challenge. A lot of time was spent getting participants comfortable using the VSys Live portal. This included reminding returning volunteers on how to lookup their login and password in VSys (using the "forgot my password" button).

There will always be a learning curve for new applicants. Staff have become accustomed to providing easy-to-use instructions for both new and returning applicants.

On the day of the event, check-in remains a challenge. iPads were piloted one year but these proved too slow. Too many people were trying to checkin at the same time and the Wi-Fi at the location was not strong enough. Cell phones were also piloted but did not work well as too much handholding was required to assist with online check-in.

This case study showcases how VSys One can be used to manage one-time events such as fundraisers, community races or fairs.

A customized application and automatic notifications were setup in VSys One to reduce workload and improve the applicant's experience. Applicants use VSys Live to complete onboarding steps and training.

Not only has this event proved very successful for Nuvance, but this event also provides a pool of potential year-around special event volunteers. Nuvance reaches out to these episodic volunteers inviting them to become recurring volunteers by sending an automatic email messages from VSys thanking them for their help and saying "We'd love to have you join us during the year."