July 20, 2006

Dear Colleagues,

The combination of soaring temperatures and rising utility bills is nothing short of a recipe for disaster for the very young, the very old, those who live alone and others who are particularly vulnerable to heat-related illness.

That is why the Baltimore City Health Department last week announced a new initiative that facilitates access to energy assistance eligibility screening for city residents. The new program does not guarantee assistance, or replace current programs, but is an added safety net for those in need. Those found eligible may get help from city agencies and from Baltimore Gas & Electric to prevent utility cutoffs.

Through the Baltimore City Energy Assistance Initiative, health care providers at Hopkins and other sites in the city can report patients at risk for heat-related illness to the Health Department. The information will be relayed to the Housing Department’s energy assistance team. The Initiative calls for the team to contact patients within five business days and evaluate them to determine whether or not they are eligible for an array of programs already in place. Seniors will be referred to the Commission on Aging and Retirement Education (CARE), which will offer services such as access to senior centers. In some emergency cases, screening may be speeded up.

Any health care provider can fax patient information, 24 hours a day, seven days a week to 410-558-6710 or 410-396-1571. Fax forms now are available in our emergency rooms, adult and pediatric outpatient clinics, and nursing units at Hopkins Hospital and Hopkins Bayview. They are also available at JH Community Physicians clinics throughout the city. Individuals can also self-refer by calling the Housing Department at 410-396-5555.

Disclosing patient information in this way has undergone legal review and is allowed under HIPAA regulations covering public health needs. If you report any such information to the Health Department, you must remember to track the disclosure for HIPAA purposes.

It’s important to emphasize to patients you tell or who inquire about this initiative that the Johns Hopkins Health System is not directly providing energy assistance. Rather, it is facilitating access to the city’s new screening/evaluation plan, one that promises to be especially helpful in the winter months as well, when excessively low temperatures can cause hypothermia and heating is the issue.

We urge physicians, nurses and other health care providers to help with this important safety net and refer patients who are at risk for heat related injuries and in need of energy assistance to the Health Department. We can help make this summer a safer one in Baltimore.

Sincerely,
Judy A. Reitz
Executive Vice President/COO
The Johns Hopkins Hospital