IN JUST one month 668 new patients chose CHCB as their health care home. 83 new uninsured patients accessed health care with financial help from CHCB’s Sliding-Fee Scale. 21 new patients currently experiencing homelessness received the care they needed at no cost. 52% of new uninsured patients received sliding-fee scale help for dental care. 43% of new patients were between the ages of 16 and 35 years old. community IMPACT UPDATE 2012 FALL NEWSLETTER Guy just couldn’t figure out what was wrong with his arm. “I had these terrible shooting pains in my arm, but thought it must be tendinitis from carrying my watering can,” said Guy, a self-employed interior plant caretaker. Even though Guy wasn’t a patient at CHCB at that time, he had brought a friend here many years ago and knew that we gave great care and accepted people no matter their insurance status. “I walked into CHCB’s Urgent Care Clinic thinking I just needed a cortisone shot, but what they found was something entirely different!” Guy was actually having a heart attack. At 46 years old, Guy thought he was in terrific shape. He knew that being a smoker had health risks but, with such a hard-working, active lifestyle and no family history of heart disease, he never dreamed that a heart attack would be in his future. “I had no health insurance and didn’t think I qualified for state insurance, so I hadn’t been to a doctor in almost 20 years,” he admitted. “But I always worried I was one illness away from bankruptcy.” Fortunately for Guy, our new building on Riverside Avenue now has a walk-in center for urgent care needs and easy accessibility. “To be honest, I would have had to drop before I went to the ER,” he said. After his EKG at CHCB, and within an hour of his diagnosis, Guy was at FAHC having a stent put in. Guy now receives regular primary care and is an enthusiastic proponent of preventative health measures - he’s even quit smoking. “I wish I could tell everyone that, just because you look healthy, it doesn’t mean you are. CHCB makes it easy to take care of yourself.” Walk-Ins Welcome “I always worried I was one illness away from bankruptcy.” Guy, CHCB Patient OVER 40 YEARS OF COMMITMENT TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND HEALTH IN OUR COMMUNITY. HEALING IS POWERFUL
Transcript
IN jUSTone
month668 new patients chose chcB as their health care home.
83 new uninsured patients accessed health care with financial help from CHCB’s sliding-Fee scale.
21 new patients currently experiencing homelessness received the care they needed at no cost.
52% of new uninsured patients received sliding-fee scale help for dental care.
43% of new patients were between the ages of 16 and 35 years old.
c o m m u n i t yI M P a C T U P D a T E
2 0 1 2 Fa l l N E w S l E T T E R
Guy just couldn’t figure out what was wrong with his arm. “I had these terrible shooting pains in my arm, but thought it must be tendinitis from carrying my watering can,” said Guy, a self-employed interior plant caretaker. Even though Guy wasn’t a patient at CHCB at that time, he had brought a friend here many years ago and knew that we gave great care and accepted people no matter their insurance status. “I walked into CHCB’s Urgent Care Clinic thinking I just needed a cortisone shot, but what they found was something entirely different!”
Guy was actually having a heart attack.
At 46 years old, Guy thought he was in terrific shape. He knew that being a smoker had health risks but, with such a hard-working, active lifestyle and no family history of heart disease, he never dreamed that a heart attack would be in his future. “I had no
health insurance and didn’t think I qualified for state insurance, so I hadn’t been to a doctor in almost 20 years,” he admitted. “But I always worried I was one illness away from bankruptcy.”
Fortunately for Guy, our new building on Riverside Avenue now has a walk-in center for urgent care needs and easy accessibility. “To be honest, I would have had to drop before I went to the ER,” he said. After his EKG at CHCB, and within an hour of his diagnosis, Guy was at FAHC having a stent put in.
Guy now receives regular primary care and is an enthusiastic proponent of preventative health measures - he’s even quit smoking. “I wish I could tell everyone that, just because you look healthy, it doesn’t mean you are. CHCB makes it easy to take care of yourself.”
walk-Ins welcome
“I always worried I was one illness away from
bankruptcy.” Guy, CHCB Patient
o V E R 4 0 y E a R S o F C o M M I T M E N T T o I M P R o V I N g T h E Q U a l I T y o F l I F E a N D h E a lT h I N o U R C o M M U N I T y.
h E a l I N g I S P o w E R F U l
During our “community Day,” 16 free injury screens were given by Pt360, a physical therapy cooperative.
Fletcher allen dermatologists and surgeons from Associates in orthopaedic surgery help our patients access specialty care with free monthly clinics at chcB.
John koutras, MD, volunteers psychiatric care at our Pearl street youth health center. volunteer nurse practitioner students each gave 120 hours of volunteer time to CHCB to survey patients and develop health education programs.
waiting room volunteers provided over 250 hours distributing medical information to patients over the summer.
hElPINg
hands
What a time to be at CHCB! We’ve just completed the largest growth project in our history and we’re ready to meet the challenge of what could be very dramatic changes in our health care system. The new Riverside Health Center is finished and by all accounts is a remarkably welcoming and state of the art primary care facility. With construction finished, our real work has just begun.
By doubling the size of our former building, we are now able to welcome in an estimated 6,000 more patients. Events like Community Day and our Grand Opening Week help us bring people into care and teach them basic health skills by offering free classes such as yoga, healthy eating, and injury management and prevention.
The fact that we had 150 people walk through our doors on Community Day makes a statement about the need we are now ready to meet.
We were very lucky to have dedicated volunteers and community health partners generously offer their time and services for these events. I couldn’t help but think that it showed the true meaning of “community” - groups working together to keep everyone healthy, educated and inspired. We look forward to all that is now possible for the health of our community.
Expanding our Reach Since the opening of our new building, we’ve been able to do things we had only dreamt of, and what better way than hosting a Community Day to tell the world about it.
In August, we welcomed one and all to get to know us by offering free blood pressure/sugar checks, injury screens, kids’ activities like face painting, as well as free dental advice, building tours and a raffle. It was a comfortable and easy way to connect with people and fulfill our goal of ensuring a health care home for all within our community.
During the month of November, two groups are gathering items to keep our homeless residents dry and warm this winter season. new england Federal credit union is hosting a “sock Drop,” collecting adult-sized, preferably wool, socks at NEFCU locations. www.nefcu.com
Join Creative Habitat’s “Knit for Your Neighbors” event by making wool adult hats, gloves and scarves. Bring them to creative habitat and receive store benefits. www.creativehabitatvt.com
“ . . . working together to
keep everyone
healthy, educated and inspired.”
Jack Donnelly, CHCB Executive Director
a Note from jack
2 0 1 2 Fa l l N E w S l E T T E R
gRowINg To
Meetthe
Needin 2012, we hired eight clinical, three dental and three behavioral health employees to meet the need for access to affordable health care.
with our new phlebotomy room, we’ve increased from nine to 24 available blood draw appointments every morning for our fasting patients.
we’ll serve over 15,000 patients this year.
in one week in July, we delivered six babies - a chcB record!
chcB will provide over 3,000 hours of clinical care in one month.
“Look how good he looks!” remarked Erin Ahearn, MSW, LADC, looking out the window of her office. “He’s walking much better!” Shelly Paquette, RN, confirmed. “He’s even got an apartment now!” Stefanie Comstock, MS, AAP, chimed in. Chalk up another success story for CHCB’s Safe Harbor Health Center.
Erin, Shelly and Stefanie are part of CHCB’s clinical effort to end homelessness. The only health care program for homeless individuals in the state, Safe Harbor is a small clinic that shoulders the big mission to improve the health of a very complex population. “We never give up on anyone,” says Erin.
Outreach is key to success. During the winter, Shelly and Stefanie sometimes trudge through three feet of snow to encampments and deliver small bags of medical supplies with CHCB information. “We softly make
our presence known. We know this works because of the phone calls we receive after we visit,” said Shelly. CHCB medical providers also visit the family shelters to ensure no child goes without immunizations and parents get the secure health care they need to be productive and stable.
Whether it’s treating mental illness, giving vaccines or providing low-cost prescriptions, access to health care changes lives. “Many people think that being homeless is a choice,” said Erin. “But if they’re mentally ill or have substance abuse problems, they need clinical treatment,” she continued.
Despite the sometimes tough exteriors of people struggling with homelessness, gratitude is felt every day by the staff. Stephanie said, “I’ll never forget being told that I had angel wings under my jacket.”
The Right Thing to Do On June 1, CHCB quietly opened the Keeler Bay Health Center in South
Hero. Its predecessor, Keeler Bay Family Practice, was lovingly grown by Dr. David Hobbs over the past thirty years. Nearing retirement, Dr. Hobbs asked CHCB to secure his practice for the future and ensure access to care for rural Vermonters in the island towns of North and South Hero and Grand Isle. CHCB tried, unsuccessfully, to secure federal funding for the site. Looking ahead at the potential for available funds, and the lengthy timeline, CHCB opted to move ahead without additional federal funds to ensure this practice would indeed stay open to serve Vermonters. Simply put, it was the right thing to do. So we’ve tightened our belts, are working with generous donors to develop sustaining funds, and Dr. Hobbs is now providing care under our CHCB umbrella.
Ending homelessness with health Care
C o M M U N I T y I M P a C T U P D a T E
“I’ll never forget being told that I had angel
wings under my jacket.”
Safe Harbor’s Erin, Shelly and Stephanie
The Community Health Centers are funded in part through a grant from the U.S. Health and Human Services Administration.
All CHCB programs and services are accessible to people with disabilities. This newsletter is available in alternative formats upon request.
Notice of Privacy The Community Health Centers of Burlington protect the health information of our patients and gift information of our donors in all of our activities including our fundraising work. If you no longer wish to receive newsletters, fundraising appeals, or event invitations from us, please contact the CHCB CR&D Department at 617 Riverside Avenue, Burlington, VT 05401, [email protected], or call (802) 264-8190.
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The Community health Centers of Burlington Newsletter Jack Donnelly, M.B.a.
Executive Director alison calDerara, M.eD.
Community Relations & Development Director, Editor
kiM anDersonDevelopment Manager, Contributing Editor
Board of Directors Peter Gunther, M.D., President eileen elliott, esq., Vice-President Gary BerGeron, M.B.a., c.P.a., Treasurer steve yurasits, Secretary sharon alaJaJian, M.P.a. sonaM choPhel toM Dettre, c.P.a. Paul Fontaine Phil lavoie, D.D.s. MeG o’Donnell, esq. kelley newell chris Perrera richarD taylor
ChCB Special/Clinical Programs homeless health care Program Prescription assistance Program
with the community health Pharmacy sliding-Fee scale Program surgery clinic: Peter cataldo, M.D. &
Fahc surgery Dept. transgender clinic Mother & child clinic school-Based Medical & Dental
centersDermatology clinic: Fahcorthopedic clinic: associates in
