Not Just Any Doctor
The Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley will never be the same once one of their most well known doctors leaves for retirement. After more than 30 years of working at the health center in San Jose, CA, Dr. Ann Verstraete will retire and leave behind a long-lasting legacy of care.
According to an article written in the Mercury News, Verstraete has been an essential part of serving over 20,000 American Indians living in Santa Clara County. Verstraete recalls her early days as a young doctor working at a health center in an overcrowded schoolhouse,
“There were partitions that divided the patients that were waiting, and I sat on the other side so I often knew what patients had before I saw them.”
Over the years, the health center has become more than just a health center to the patients who have been coming for years and for several services including a diabetes program, traditional healing practices and drug outreach programs. Verstraete concludes,
“What has kept me here is that the clinic is just not a medical clinic…families, second and third generations, are who I am attached to because you see them grow. The elders are so sweet and they’re so grateful and thankful for what you’re doing and that’s very rewarding.”
Social Media: It’s Here to Stay—Be Prepared!
By Angie Stewart
Mayo Clinic is opening its Center for Social Media, which will train health care organizations on using social media, such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. This new initiative was brought on by the increasing popularity of Web 2.0—it seems everyone is on Facebook these days! According to a Star Tribune article, Mayo Clinic has “embraced social media, which it sees as an extension of old-fashioned word-of-mouth marketing.” This new center will offer consulting and coaching, host conferences, provide speakers, and lead training courses.
Regarding social media, Mayo Clinic’s Web site asserts, “it is our responsibility to help [health care organizations] use social media to get the best information, connect with providers and with each other, and inspire healthy choices.” Mayo Clinic is a very popular health care organization on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.
It hopes to speed up the adoption of social media amongst the health care industry and facilitate better communication between physicians, patients, and health center employees.
NACHC estimates there are about 20 primary care associations (PCAs) utilizing Web 2.0 technology, and approximately 90 Community Health Centers. Is your PCA or health center using any kind of social media? Tell us about it!
Medical Residency Programs: Can Your Center Afford Not To?
By Angie Stewart
The Lancaster Eagle Gazette in Lancaster, OH published a great article on the importance of medical residents to any health center. Fairfield Medical Center has established a residency program that promotes the benefits for medical residents, physicians, patients, and the community as a whole.
Residency programs keep doctors sharp and current since they need to train incoming residents on the job. These programs benefit residents by giving them the much-needed on-the-job training they need right out of medical school; and residency programs benefit communities by providing more care that remains true to the high-quality standards of Community Health Centers, and by bringing more doctors to the area. Medical residency programs provide a win-win-win situation!
Does your health center have a medical residency program? Tell us about it!
Are You Ready for National Health Center Week?
As National Health Center Week (NHCW) approaches (August 8th - 14th), health centers are eager and looking forward to several events that will take place at their centers and other locations. A host of events are being planned across the country that include Members of Congress vists to health center sites, press conferences, health fairs, and much more! To help spread the word, health centers can take advantage of the various tools on the NHCW web site. There’s even a NHCW badge (upper left of this post) that can be used for web sites. Also, NACHC has launched a health center advocate video contest. Great videos from health center advocates from across the country are coming in and ready to be uploaded for judging, so keep checking the NACHC Facebook page for updates and get ready to vote for your favorite!
Clearly, this year’s NHCW is different now more than ever as health centers gear up for the changes ahead. Anita Monoian, CEO of Yakima Neighborhood Services and Board Chair for NACHC, called this year’s celebration “different.” She also adds in the recent issue of the the Northwest Regional Primary Care Association newsletter:
“Our theme, Turning Vision into Reality, reflects the enormous task before us. Change is coming to the health care landscape and health centers are charged with the responsibility to lead and show the way forward. Enactment of (the health care reform bill) placed immense trust and confidence in our model of care. Now it’s up to us to define the future of primary care and demonstrate how it should be directed, paid for and delivered with quality, innovation and excellence. “
For more information on the health center videos please visit National Health Center Week Videos. Please also let us know what events your health center is hosting for NHCW!
Health Centers Help Kids Get Back-to-School
It’s almost that time of year again when the sounds of children splashing in swimming pools and jumping rope are replaced with the sounds of bells and school buses. While this time of year is especially busy for students, parents and teachers, health centers are also preparing for the number of students and parents that will come through their doors with several requests including immunizations and physicals.
International Community Health Services (ICHS), located in Seattle, WA, is amongst many health centers that are thinking ahead and ensuring that kids are well prepared for the upcoming school year. ICHS is currently gearing up to host two back to school fairs at two of their health centers. The back to school fair will be a special event for the whole family and will include several games and prizes as well as free health information and dental screenings for kids.
ICHS is the largest Asian and Pacific Islander Community Health Center in Washington state. ICHS operates medical and dental clinics in the International District and Holly Park with modern facilities and on-site laboratories and pharmacies in both locations. ICHS clinics offer a full range of primary medical, dental, and preventive health education services.
The back to school fair is a part of the country-wide National Health Center Week.
Is your health center hosting any events for National Health Center week?
*Photo courtesy of ICHS.
Dental Problems Could Land You at the ER
By Angie Stewart
An interesting story from KY3 News, Weather, and Sports out of Springfield, MO brings to light an important, often overlooked medical problem. According to a report from The Health Commission in Springfield and Greene County, one of the most common reasons for an emergency room visit is dental pain.
Unfortunately, emergency rooms are not equipped to do more than temporarily alleviate pain and contain infection for dental misfortunes. Some members of the Springfield community are experiencing an access issue, such as when a dental emergency happens on a weekend when their dental offices are closed. Others are uninsured, or have insurance that doesn’t offer dental coverage.
The community’s Community Health Center, Jordan Valley Community Health Center provides dental services, however it is already straining under the heavy patient load. Did you have a similar problem in your community? How did you resolve it? Let us know!
One Woman Making a Big Difference
By Yvette Ramirez Ammerman
While in California last week, I met a woman who exemplifies the commitment we at Community Health Centers have to the people we serve. Her name is Armida Aguiniga, and she runs the Homeless program at Central City Community Health Center in South Central Los Angeles. Sitting in their mobile health clinic, Armida speaks movingly of how, through providing basic necessities, she was able to gain the trust of homeless individuals living in an abandoned warehouse near the clinic.
Armida talks about the people she serves, “They’re so sick; there’s diabetics, patients with high blood pressure, people with TB. They’ll say, I don’t know what’s wrong with me and when we draw their blood and when we start giving them their meds [medications] … they are just so thankful, they tell everyone about us.”
She recounts how the homeless go out every night and pick up cans and bottles to earn the recycling fee. She says, “…they’ll do anything—just to survive.” Armida talks about the life-changing impact of a contract their clinic has with the UCLA School of Dentistry, “Some of them have no teeth or they are broken.” Once their teeth are repaired, she says, it gives them the confidence to go out and look for jobs. It changes the course of their lives.
At the end of the interview, Armida concludes by saying, “It’s beautiful, I am so glad that I am healthy enough to go out there, so glad that I have the opportunity to help our people.”
Watch a video clip from my interview with Armida Aguiniga.
Photo from left: Yvette Ramirez Ammerman, Gloria Lina, Armida Aguiniga, Arturo Mendoza
Health Reform Implementation and a 40th Anniversary Celebration!
By Angie Stewart
In South Carolina, Family Health Centers, Inc. gets recognition from the local newspaper, The Times and Democrat, as they celebrate their 40th anniversary. The article also touches on the health center’s preparations for health reform implementation. Check out the article!
Health Center Leader Honored in North Carolina
By Amy Simmons
It’s been a big summer at Piedmont Health Services (PHS) in Carrboro, NC. CEO Brian Toomey was honored with the Robert J. Greczyn Community Health Leadership Award from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of North Carolina. The award honors leaders who have worked tirelessly to make access to care a priority. Toomey – known for his commitment to community health and hard work across the state – is a sure fit. The award comes with $25,000 to PHS to help boost its efforts in providing preventive services (including dental, pharmacy, and nutrition counseling). PHS operates six Community Health Centers and a SeniorCare Center in the Tar Heel state. Brian was surprised with the award at the North Carolina Community Health Center Association conference held earlier this month in Asheville. That’s him in the center, with Benjamin Money, of the North Carolina Community Health Center Association and Robert Greczyn, for whom the award is named. You can also watch this cool video about the award.
Actress Andie MacDowell Supports New Patient-Doctor Dialogue Program
By Angie Stewart
This educational program, developed by the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation, in collaboration with Canyon Ranch Institute, and RIASWorks, Inc.; and underwritten by Merck & Co., Inc., emphasizes the importance of quality communication between patients and physicians.
This program doesn’t just assist physicians with their patient interaction skills; it also provides resources for patients who are looking to improve the quality of their doctor visits. For example, for patients who are introverted and nervous, this resource suggests writing down everything you want to talk about before visiting your doctor. This will ensure no issue will be left unaddressed by the end of the visit.
This free program, Time to Talk CARDIO (Creating A Real Dialogue In the Office) is available at www.timetotalkcardio.com, where there are hundreds of videos available that provide patient-doctor communication training. The program holds special significance for MacDowell, a resident of Biltmore Forest, near Asheville, NC. Her mother suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 53, and MacDowell believes that the primary cause of this ailment going unnoticed was her mother’s fear of going to the doctor.
Dr. Shannon Dowler, medical director of the local Community Health Center, Blue Ridge Community Health Center in Hendersonville, NC, has stated she intends to have the physicians in her practices undergo the training shortly.
Is this something you think should be instituted at all health centers? Why? Let us know!
