New Campaign Starts Gathering Demographic Information

Ithaca, NY, March 22, 2023 – The next time patients visit a Cayuga Health location, they might notice a few new questions at registration to help them experience Health Equity. Cayuga Health is launching a new campaign titled “We Ask Because We Care”. The purpose of this campaign is to gather demographic information to inform health equity outcomes.  Research shows demographic factors can be tied to obstacles that block the opportunities and resources people need to live their healthiest lives.

Newly updated questions are more comprehensive to better reflect the patients seeking care.  Patients are asked to share standard demographic information, including information about their race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, legal sex, and sex assigned at birth, along with their preferred name and their pronouns. Participation is voluntary. Any information patients provide is confidential and protected.

Both hospitals in the Cayuga Health System, Cayuga Medical Center and Schuyler Hospital, have been recognized as scoring high in social responsibility and community benefit by the Lown Hospital Index. This campaign serves to bolster the impact we have on our communities and health outcomes.

“The title of the campaign says it all. We’re asking all patients to share this information because we care about the health of our community,” explains Julia Ressler, Manager for Community Health and Engagement at Cayuga Health. “With more demographic information for our patients, we can provide individualized care in the moment and also look at the big picture to find and address any obstacles.”

When patients provide demographic information at their visit or on their patient portal, it will improve their own care and contribute to improvements of care for everyone. With this information, Cayuga Health can better understand patient and community needs.  Additionally, the health system plans to use this information on a broad scale at the population health level to identify and address health disparities.

“If we are going to truly impact health equity in our communities, it is important to have quality data, understand it, and ensure we are using it to improve our patients’ experiences and outcomes of care,” stated Dr. Andreia de Lima, VP of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer for Cayuga Health. “By focusing on how we can address health disparities related to these demographic factors, we will increase that impact.”

“Cayuga Health is committed to improving the health of our community and providing the best possible care for all patients,” says Dr. Martin Stallone, President, and CEO of Cayuga Health. “Gathering complete patient demographic information helps us create a safe, welcoming, and respectful environment with high quality, person-centered care for everyone.”

With any questions, email [email protected] or call (607) 274-4011.