Tarrytown, NY - Linda Baker, RN, whose team leadership skills have played an essential role in caring for high-risk mothers enrolled in Hudson Health Plan's exemplary Mommy & Me program for the past seven years, was named Hudson Valley's 2012 Case Manager of the Year by the Hudson Valley Case Management Society of America.

 

The Hudson Valley Case Management Society of America is the local chapter of the prestigious national professional association, Case Management Society of America (CMSA).

 

Ms. Baker, a Patterson, NY resident, was honored June 6, 2012 at a White Plains dinner event, packed with colleagues from the health plan and peers from the CMSA chapter. Ms. Baker was praised for overseeing a model prenatal team that identifies and overcomes barriers that prevent Hudson members from seeking and receiving prenatal care. Her activities help improve the health of pregnant Hudson plan members and their babies while reducing costs.

Case management organizations such as the Hudson Valley CMSA usually choose to honor case managers working in clinical settings, so it is noteworthy that this time a managed care nurse case manager was selected. The award reflects not only Ms. Baker's singular achievements but also Hudson's commitment to case management as well. "Thanks to the clinical leadership of Hudson Health Plan, case managers who work for managed care organizations to improve the health of larger populations have been given the recognition that they deserve," points out Georganne Chapin, President & CEO of Hudson.

Ms. Baker says she was happy to be singled out for her achievement, noting, "I'm very honored to be part of a program that helps improve health outcomes and holds down admissions to neo-natal intensive care units."

The Mommy & Me program manages the care of 3,600 Hudson members throughout its service areas of Dutchess, Orange, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties. Nurse case managers focus much of their attention on about 200 at-risk pregnant women to be sure they receive the necessary early prenatal care.

Hudson's Mommy & Me works with high-risk mothers to help them choose a maternity care provider; make appointments with physicians; arrange transportation (in Westchester County only); understand prenatal and infant care through education; access health screenings; find emotional support, and learn about Hudson Health Plan's maternity services. The program also encourages mothers to choose a pediatrician to regularly conduct well-baby examinations of the child for the first two years.

As of result of its success, Hudson's Mommy & Me program is now well known and respected within the plan's membership, local community centers, the local chapter of the March of Dimes, and the New York State Department of Health.

"Linda's recognition is a wonderful validation of both an organization and an individual," Ms. Chapin points out. "This award, along with the recent local and national recognition of the Westchester Cares Action Program care coordination project and its wonderful staff, prove Hudson's work is making a difference," she says.