Company’s mobile-first platform empowers members of Northwell’s Business Enterprise Resource Groups with tailored approaches to caregiving, training and resource navigation
SCARSDALE, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–eFamilyCare, the industry’s leading digital platform solely focused on supporting family caregivers through technology and professional Care Advisers, today announced the results from its three-month pilot program with Northwell Health, New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer. In the first three months of the program, thousands of employees across Northwell Health’s various Business Enterprise Resource Groups (BERGs) gained exclusive access to professional Care Advisers through eFamilyCare’s mobile-first platform, which provides longitudinal support to employees as they navigate the many stages of family caregiving.
“We are thrilled at the participation and engagement of our BERG members with eFamilyCare”
“We are thrilled at the participation and engagement of our BERG members with eFamilyCare,” said Pat Flynn, Assistant Vice President of Employee Wellness/Employee and Family Assistance at Northwell Health. “In conducting internal research of our 80,000-plus employees, it was clear that the pandemic has amplified the immense effect of burnout and stress on health care workers. Combined with the stress that many of those same employees face when they go home and care for their own families — it doesn’t take long to see that we’re beyond a breaking point. By collaborating with eFamilyCare, our organization is offering an innovative and trusted network of support so that our employees have the right resources and advice when caring for their loved ones, helping them focus on patient care and ultimately improved patient outcomes.”
According to a study by the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and AARP, the role of family caregiver now falls to about one in five Americans. The study also revealed that the family caregivers themselves have seen an increase in illness and disability compared to five years ago, particularly as the demand for caregiving rises with an aging population.
Survey results from the eFamilyCare pilot program with Northwell Health indicated that participants were extremely satisfied, with an average satisfaction rating of 4.8 out of 5. All respondents indicated that they were provided with information or resources that they would not otherwise have known about. Additional survey results from pilot program showed that:
- 70% of caregivers indicated a high level of stress at the beginning of the pilot; within 3 months, 57% indicated a reduction in stress;
- 100% of enrolled participants felt that their Care Adviser was responsive to their needs;
- 65% of caregivers felt less stressed and more organized with access to the eFamilyCare app tools and its Care Advisers.
Valerie Burger, RN, MA, MS, and Assistant Vice President of the Cancer Service Line at Northwell Health, stated, “My elderly parents had just moved in with me, and as a nurse, you think caregiving is going to be easy, but it’s so different when it’s your own family. Having them in my home created new pressures on my marriage and entire social life. eFamilyCare is easy to use, accessible when I need it, and my Care Adviser asked me great questions that helped ground me, by giving me impartial feedback. I can say things to the Care Adviser I can’t say to people I know.”
“Northwell Health is a leading health care provider in an ideal position to understand that family caregiving is a critical component to assuring a patient’s safety and well-being,” said Claudia Fine, LCSW, MPH, Chief Professional Officer at eFamilyCare. “The organization recognized their own employees were struggling to meet the needs of their family members who have health problems and disabilities while also meeting work responsibilities. We’re thrilled to work with them to better support their employees and their family members.”
With the completion of the pilot program, Northwell Health and eFamilyCare have decided to continue their collaboration so that more Northwell employees can benefit from the eFamilyCare platform.
Added Eric Rackow, M.D., CEO of eFamilyCare, “We are delighted to expand our relationship with Northwell, a renowned institution in the Northeast that embraces innovation and recognizes the importance of providing human-centered, easily accessible support to its employees.”
For more information on eFamilyCare, visit www.efamilycare.com.
About eFamilyCare
eFamilyCare is an online family caregiving service that connects you with expert Care Advisers dedicated to helping you care for your loved ones. The Care Advisers help build a personalized plan that provides ongoing support for family caregiving. eFamilyCare’s Co-Founder, Dr. Eric Rackow (former President of NYU Hospitals Center) saw first-hand the need to better support family caregivers of patients who were unnecessarily experiencing frequent hospitalizations. His insights led him to develop a unique model of complex chronic care management and homecare solutions nationwide. His story, like the other founders of eFamilyCare, helped to create the industry-leading platform to connect family caregivers to medical experts anytime, anywhere. For more information about eFamilyCare, visit https://efamilycare.com/.
About Northwell Health
Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 21 hospitals, about 900 outpatient facilities and more than 12,000 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 83,000 employees – 18,900 nurses and 4,900 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We’re training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
