Albany Health Management Associates, Inc. (AHMA) was
founded by Patricia Fennell in 1988 as a multitask organization to address emerging healthcare
concerns. In the 21st century, global problems like chronic
disease, poverty, famine, war, and terrorism require the development
of new types of knowledge and competencies. In fact, chronic
illness is a life-altering challenge currently faced by more
than 50% of the United States population, according to the
Journal of the American Medical Association.
At AHMA, we focus on the impact these challenges have
on individuals, families and communities. We specialize in
addressing the issues of chronicity, trauma, grief, bereavement
that are inherent in these problems.
Our
mission is accomplished through four service areas that together
work to address the emerging global health concerns of the
21st century:
1. Theory & Research
Given
the growing epidemic of chronic illness, we recognized the
need for a new paradigm that addressed people's experience
of chronic illness over time. As a society we still tend to
look at illness from an acute, pathology-driven framework.
The acute model, however, is less effective in dealing with
chronic illness, in which each individual's experience is
driven by varying symptoms and degrees of severity. Chronic
illness demands a multidisciplinary approach, in which the
focus is not on finding a cure, but rather on integrating
the illness into the patient's life. To
address this need, Patricia Fennell developed the Fennell
Four-Phase Treatment (FFPT)™ and the Fennell Phase
Inventory (FPI)™ for understanding and treating chronic
syndromes, in which patients with chronic illness make their
way through a series of phases on their way to defining a
new self and a new life.
2. Clinical Service
AHMA
serves the needs of patients and clinicians dealing with chronic
illness and trauma and embraces the individual as an integration
of body, mind and spirit within a social environment. Through the utilization of Fennell
Four Phase Treatment (FFPT)™, AHMA endeavors to educate
each individual, and the community, to respect with compassion
the challenges of each person's unique path.
3. Education
Our goal
is to train clinicians who can address these challenges effectively
whether in South America, South Africa, or the inner city
of South Central Los Angeles. AHMA is involved in a wide variety
of educational projects and initiatives, including the development
of academic curricula in chronicity studies, continuing education
for clinical practitioners, and the support of research and
clinical study through our participation as a practicum site
for doctoral students.
4. Consulting - Organizational, Clinical, and
Empirical
AHMA
consults directly with both
for-profit and non-profit organizations so that they can effectively
meet the challenges of the 21st century. Consultation is provided
in three areas:
- Helping
employers respond effectively to the
needs of the chronically ill and disabled in the
workplace, utilizing Fennell's model for problem-solving
and as an agent of organizational change
- Working
with individual and organizational healthcare providers,
helping them address the assessment and treatment of the
chronically ill and disabled
- Providing
methodological and statistical consultation to organizational
and academic institutions.
Albany
Health Management Associates has assembled a multidisciplinary
team from the fields of economics, law, healthcare, organizational
development, communications, research methodology and statistics
in order to meet our mission. For further information about
how we can work with you, please contact
us.
|
