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City Health Center great resource for families

admin — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 09:27:38 +0000

Established in October, the Gloucester Family Health Center at 302 Washington St. offers a broad scope of services uniquely tailored to care for the local community.
The new Gloucester center is the fourth site of its parent company, North Shore Community Health Inc., which operates three other locations in Salem and Peabody. The non-profit organizations receive both Medicaid and Medicare funding and are overseen by a board of directors, half of whom are consumers. “It’s a beautiful facility,” says Dr. Robert Hendershott, Ed. D. who oversees all four practices. “It’s the kind of spot people can come to and feel comfortable.”
The Cape Ann site has become one of a network of 1,200 Federally-qualified health centers that serve up to 18 million persons throughout the country. These companies have been designated by the government as “their healthcare system” and are situated in underserved and rural regions, Hendershott said. He added that one of the first centers in the country was founded in nearby Boston, and that President John F. Kennedy signed in the first Family Health Center that served migrant workers.
Locally, “there has been a need in Gloucester for a long time,” Hendershott continued. “There’s a large uninsured population that’s medically underserved in this area. We are trying to grow this system and become a more vital organization.” Family Nurse Practitioner Christine Malagrida agrees “the Center has been much anticipated and we are here now to serve anyone.”
The Center cares for persons of all ages and incomes, from newborns to elders, and accepts most insurance policies, including MassHealth, Health Safety Net and CommonHealth products. In addition, the Center has benefit specialists on staff to guide uninsured persons through the application process for these programs. “Our financial counseling is one thing that makes us unique,” Malagrida said.
Another special service that reflects the Center’s commitment to its new community is that it is “linguistically competent,” Malagrida pointed out. Most of the staff is multi-lingual, and can converse in English, Portuguese and Spanish, so there are no language difficulties to overcome.
The Center focuses on primary care, and the supervising physician and nurse practitioner are skilled in family medicine. The facility also hosts a full service dental clinic. “It is huge for any community to have more dental services,” Malagrida said.
Another distinctive facet of care is the Center pilot program that integrates primary care and behavioral health, which encompasses mental health and substance abuse concerns. Behavioral Health Consultant Lisa Schott, LICSW, works exclusively with Center clients and provides immediate, on-site support, which eliminates any waiting periods for appointments and transportation barriers. “It’s a great resource,” Malagrida said. “We’re bringing her in to primary care visits right when the patient is being seen to address behavioral health issues of our clients.” She said the patients have been very receptive to this service, because “in general in primary care, behavioral health issues account for a large number of visits.” Anxiety, depression and sleep disorders are the most common complaints, she related.
“We are very mission oriented, work hard, and have a really good staff that really wants to serve the people,” Hendershott said. He said that the community and local partners such as Northeast Health Systems, the Gloucester Health Department, Health and Education Services and the Mayor’s office have been very supportive of the Center and put in a great effort to help launch the project. An open house was held last fall and was well attended by local citizens and professional partners, he said.
The Center hopes to expand the availability of primary care throughout Gloucester and contribute to better health region wide. It offers same day sick appointments on a walk-in basis, but the staff also emphasize that the Center will strive to serve as a “medical home” for patients. “When you come here, you are choosing us to be your primary care provider,” Malagrida says. The Center offers 24 hour call service as well.
The group works with area pharmacies for prescription needs, and has already cemented a partnership with Eaton Apothecary to offer low-cost prescriptions to those who subscribe to Health Safety Net. The Center hosts a laboratory for blood work, and also works with next door neighbor Addison Gilbert Hospital to process x-rays and other diagnostic tests.
“We’re very proud of our facility and those who work there,” Hendershott said. “We are very excited and will continue to grow and expand.” For an appointment at the Gloucester Family Health Center, please call 978-282-8899.
This article is part of a regular health education series provided by the Gloucester Health Department and Addison Gilbert Hospital.

Gulf Coast Medical Center opening draws crowd

admin — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 09:44:00 +0000

Lines leading from the new Gulf Coast Medical Center in south Fort Myers looked more like the line for a ride at Disney World than for a hospital tour.
But, crowds came to take in all the new facility, walking around the 436,000 square feet of new construction in groups of 20.
Rose Digiorgio, 69, said she came to see it for peace of mind.
Nobody wants to go to the hospital, but its great to know its here if you need it, she said. Plus the building is beautiful.
The groups tours began in radiology and weaved around wide hallways offering glimpses of new technology and equipment in each area.
Denise Krause-Larsen, 53, a registered nurse of 28 years, was thrilled by the pre-operating rooms.
One of 10 that work in the recovery unit at Southwest Florida Regional Medical center, she will be transferred to Gulf Coast when the facility opens in March.
Its so big, and well be able to be right next to the patients, which is really good, she said.
Theyve really thought about what we need as a staff.

Centene Foundation for Quality Healthcare Awards Grant to Center …

admin — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 09:54:01 +0000

ST. LOUIS
,
Jan. 27
$7,500
grant to The Center for
Black Women’s Wellness, Inc. (CBWW) to support Journey to Wellness, a program
designed to address the disparity of mental health among black women.
Through education and advocacy, the program uses nontraditional modes such
as drama, movie nights with discussion sessions, and tea parties to provide
culturally appropriate opportunities for women to address fears associated
with accessing mental health services. Women who participate in the program
receive support through existing health resources and referrals to community
mental health services that are provided on-site by a professional licensed
counselor.
“Although mental health is crucial to overall health, its importance is
not always recognized, particularly in vulnerable populations,” said
, president, Centene Foundation for Quality Healthcare. “The
Journey to Wellness program provided by The Center for Black Women’s Wellness
is an innovative strategy to address the pressing disparity of mental health
in a safe and secure community.”
In addition to the Foundation support, Peach State Health Plan, another
subsidiary of Centene Corporation, works in collaboration with CBWW to
participate in a variety of community and member outreach events. These events
include serving as a sponsor and supporter of programs such as the Women’s
Health Expo, a community-based free health and wellness screening event.
“We are so pleased to receive this support from Centene Foundation for
Quality Healthcare to develop individual and community approaches to address
the issue of mental health in unique ways,” said Jemea Dorsey, Chief Executive
Officer of the Center for Black Women’s Wellness. “Strong partnerships are
critical to this work, along with a commitment to look at health
comprehensively and in its totality.”
About The Center for Black Women’s Wellness, Inc.
The Center for Black Women’s Wellness, Inc. (CBWW) is a non-profit (501c3)
organization that provides free and low-cost health services and programs to
empower women and their families, toward physical, mental and economic
wellness. Established in 1988, CBWW has assisted more than 10,000 metro
women. For more information, please visit
.
. The Foundation serves as a resource to identify and support innovative
approaches to improving and increasing the quality of and access to healthcare
for low-income individuals and families. This is accomplished through an
inspired philanthropic giving plan that seeks to promote efforts and
activities that identify and address core causes of unequal access and
treatment in healthcare. For additional information, please visit
.

Centene Foundation for Quality Healthcare Awards Grant to Center …

admin — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 19:50:46 +0000

Recreation and Fitness Center receives award

admin — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:06:52 +0000

Locally grown materials, architecture and other design elements caused seven judges to choose the University of Maine Student Recreation and Fitness Center for the 2008 Athletic Business Facility Magazine award on Dec. 5. The award is given annually to new buildings throughout the United States and Canada.
The Rec Center, designed by Cannon Design of Boston, was one of 10 winning buildings that “demonstrate sound design principles in the areas of transparency, organization, detailing, sustainability, functionality and appropriateness to their surroundings,” according to Athletic Business Magazine.
A panel of seven architects judged the contest. The judges took special note of criteria including functional planning, design site and cost.
The judges commended the 87,919-square-foot building, which opened in August 2007, for its unique features.
“Locally harvested and manufactured wood structure and finish provide a unique aesthetic and appropriate connection to the surrounding wooded context,” judge John Kane said.
“I know the judges were very impressed with the use of materials, and the material selection; for example, they all noted the use of locally harvested wood, which (A) they liked architecturally, and (B) is kind of green when you are harvesting local materials like that. There were also lots of comments on how nice and clean the exterior and interior plans were,” said Nick Brown, associate editor of Athletic Business Magazine.
This award gives UMaine new recognition.
“It is one of the most prestigious awards you can win in the field. This gives us a lot of notoriety, and really puts us out there in a national way,” said Kenda Scheele, associate dean of students. “It really speaks volumes about our university.”
The Rec Center also helps recruit potential students.
“I think that this award gives us a level of prominence that is very helpful with us at Campus Recreation and University of Maine,” said Jeff Hunt, director of Campus Recreation. “The building is an attraction for students to come here because all open houses are held here, and the different groups that come here all visit the Rec Center, so it’s definitely been a help in recruiting.”
There has been an increase in traffic flow at the center, as more students and faculty members are making it a destination point.
“It has been much busier this year. You must swipe in, and we count all of the swipes, and right now we’re 20,000 short, but I’m going to say by the end of the month we will be at half a million,” Hunt said. “It’s upped the opportunity to be involved for students in that, we used to see 2,000 a week, and now we see 2,000 per day. It has brought an increased level of being active and healthy, and it’s helped promote a healthy lifestyle at UMaine.”
The award could boost student morale, Scheele said.
“I hope it makes them proud of being here on campus and being able to use such a magnificent facility. I hope it makes them realize that University of Maine is a great place to be and that they made a great choice in coming here,” Scheele said.

Taylor Care Center closure leaves void

admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:36:58 +0000

VALHALLA – The daughters of 72-year-old Shirley Centrillo are finding out how unique Westchester Medical Center’s nursing home is.
When they heard the hospital will close the Taylor Care Center, a 100-bed nursing home, come April 1, they quickly scrambled to get their mother admitted into a nursing home closer to Brewster, where they both live.
But because the new nursing home doesn’t have the expertise to care for a special kind of tracheal tube inserted in Centrillo’s windpipe, it is likely that the daughters will have to keep searching.
“I can’t believe the hospital is doing this to us. They know how vital that nursing home is. All along they gave us the impression that even if they closed the nursing home, they would keep the 02 unit,” Louann Centrillo said.
The ventilator unit, sometimes called “02″ because it is on the second floor, seems to present the greatest challenge in closing the 73-year old Taylor Care Center.
Medical center officials decided Monday to close the nursing home because it was losing up to $10 million annually.
Closing the home is part of a plan to save about $40 million this year. The medical center projects it will have a $70 million gap due to the lack of state funding in its 2009 budget.
The medical center will lay off 400 people, 190 of whom work in the nursing home, officials announced.
About 20 residents at the nursing home cannot breathe on their own and depend on ventilators to live.
Not all nursing homes have units that offer care to ventilator-dependent patients.
Outside of the Taylor center, there are 23 ventilator beds in Westchester County.
Michael Israel, the medical center’s chief executive officer, said there was talk of trying to keep the ventilator unit open, even if the hospital closed the rest of the nursing home.
The state’s Health Department, however, wouldn’t allow it, Israel said.
In April, medical center officials talked about possibly expanding the ventilator unit by adding four more beds that could also accommodate dialysis because they believed there was a need for the service in the region.
The closing plan for the Taylor center includes looking at ventilator units in 11 counties around Westchester, where there are 584 certified ventilator beds, said Jeffrey Hammond, spokesman for the state’s Health Department.
Because patients come from counties outside of Westchester, looking at other counties is appropriate, Israel said.
“We want to make sure that patients and patient families are satisfied with the alternatives,” Israel said.
At the Dumont Masonic Home in New Rochelle, where there are 15 ventilator beds, there was one vacancy yesterday quickly filled with a resident leaving Taylor Care, said Judy Fenster, administrator at Dumont.
But Fenster said that her nursing home is struggling with financial pressures as well and continues to run a deficit in excess of $1.1 million this year.
“We are all facing the same challenges,” Fenster said.
Growing financial problems for other nonprofit nursing homes may force more to close or downsize, said Dan Heim, a policy analyst at New York Association of Homes and Services for the Aging.
“We’re concerned that there are going to be more of these agonizing decisions over nursing-home closures,” Heim said.
Staffers at the Taylor center yesterday were still grappling with the news of the nursing home’s closure.
Nurse Nancy Lupo said she feels most for the patients who don’t have families.
“Most of our residents here don’t know anyone but the staff as their family,” Lupo said. “I think there should be public outrage over what we are doing to our senior citizens. I really think this is horrible.”
or 914-696-8229.

Group Donates Fitness Center To Ala Moana Park

admin — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:06:30 +0000

The Honolulu 100, Ala Moana Park’s “Hoa Paka” or park partner, donated an $80,000 fitness center to Ala Moana Park Monday.
The upgraded fitness station is the first of two built at Magic Island, and is designed to encourage community support for the park’s recreational facilities.
“Whatever way we can assist the park in making it better for all of us in the community,” Project Recreation Director Les Chang said.
Park visitors can stop by the new center to squeeze in a few pull-ups or jump on the parallel bars for some extra exercise or play.
The station’s first honorary user on Monday — Mayor Mufi Hannemann– squeezed in a few sit-ups with his morning jog.
“I can tell already those who use the park for this reason are going to find this is much better than what we had before, because this is new and it’s put in here for the use of all people,” Hanneman commented.
The Honolulu 100 used proceeds from the group’s Honolulu Family Festival to fund the enhanced equipment. The festival is held annually at Magic Island.

Mundelein center offers a free fitness day

admin — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:57:22 +0000

The word “free” just seems to chase away some of that gloominess during these economic hard times.
If you’ve been dreaming of a chance to work out for free, that day has arrived.
On Saturday, Feb. 21, from noon to 4 p.m., you can use the track and swimming pool for no charge at Park View Health and Fitness Center in the Mundelein Park and Recreation District.
The free workout is part of national Heart Healthy Month. “This is an excellent opportunity for all ages to get heart healthy,” says Mary Priller, marketing specialist for the center. “February is heart month and even a little bit of exercise can go a long way,” she explained.
The center wanted to offer a free day to help break us out of our winter workout rut.
“This is a way for us to introduce and reintroduce ourselves to the community,” Priller says. “We want people to make themselves a priority and to be healthy and feel good about themselves. We offer swim lessons for both adults and children with a variety of ways to make them feel good in the water.”
If you try the free day and want to come back for more, the center offers a variety of classes including Zumba, Pilates and social dance lessons.
“People need to become more aware of heart health,” says Rose Nudo-Semsak, fitness manager at the center. “We have become a sedentary society where we sit at work then come and sit at home. Exercise is a great stress release both emotionally and physically and studies prove that it actually improves your productivity at work and helps you to become more effective.”
The center will also offer free diagnostics and snacks from 6 to 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 23.
Memberships cost $25 a month for residents and $37 for nonresidents. There is no fee to join. For more information, go to
or call (847) 566-0650.

New life in Chicago brings refugees to health center's doors

admin — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 02:16:43 +0000

Differences in culture, religion and language pose daily challenges at the West
health center, where the waiting room might find Iraqis standing next to refugees from Myanmar, or Burundis sitting alongside Somalis and Bhutanese.
On a recent snowy, bitterly cold day, 77 refugees from various countries were treated at the clinic. Among the patients seen by Dr. Gary Kaufman, the clinic’s medical director, were two young sisters from Myanmar who needed immunizations and a 55-year-old man, also from Myanmar, who needed a checkup after recent heart surgery.
Since 1975, about 130,000 refugees have resettled in the Chicago area, and many pass through the doors of the Touhy clinic, which opened in the early 1970s. Except for the physicians, the staff members are themselves former refugees.
The health center is bracing for a new wave of clients this year, as Illinois expects an increase in refugees moving to the state, and most are headed to Chicago. In 2007, Illinois resettled 1,877 refugees. Last year, it was 2,412. By the end of September, an estimated 2,800 more are expected.
Refugees often land at the Touhy clinic shortly after they arrive because they are required to undergo a health assessment. But some of the center’s patients choose to get their primary care there long after they have met federal government requirements.
Most new arrivals in the Chicago area are Iraqi, Bhutanese and Burmese (from Myanmar, formerly known as Burma), said Marie Jochum, case manager for the refugee resettlement program at Catholic Charities of the
.
Some natives of Myanmar and Bhutan arrive after spending years in refugee camps in Nepal or Thailand, she said.
“We’re still getting a smattering of Africans,” said Edwin Silverman, chief of the bureau of refugee and immigrant services for the Illinois Department of Human Services. “Ethiopians, Eritreans, Sudanese and Somalis are the biggest groups.”
Jochum praised the clinic as a good resource.
“I can’t say enough good things about them,” she said. “Especially their understanding of the whole picture [of refugee health]—the mental health needs as well.”
Common health problems among the refugees include diabetes, high blood pressure, tuberculosis, hepatitis B, post-traumatic stress disorder and poor nutrition.
All disabled refugees are referred to Touhy because of its relationship to Sinai’s Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital, Silverman said.
In fiscal year 2008, Mt. Sinai spent more than $700,000 running the center and received about $322,000 from a government grant earmarked for refugees.
Each day, staff members navigate cultural divides that can complicate medical care. Many of the refugees, for example, grew up in countries that are socially conservative and insist on modesty.
Gittler recalled treating a Muslim woman who had been living in a Kenyan refugee camp for a number of years.
The Arabic interpreter at Touhy is a man, and he translated for the patient while standing behind a screen that shielded the woman. But it wasn’t easy.
The woman was an amputee, and at one point Gittler needed the translator to ask the woman if it was OK to lift her skirt and look at the site of her amputated limb. The woman needed to be fitted with a prosthetic leg—and the prosthetist also was a man.
At Schwab, most of Gittler’s patients are native-born Americans. “I’m used to having people stand up and drop their pants and show me their limb,” she said with a laugh.
In addition to an Arabic translator and a Karen-Burmese translator, the center uses Language Line Services, a company that provides interpretation in more than 170 languages over the phone.
But not all translators are trained in medicine, opening up the possibility of misunderstandings.
That was the case with Younan, whose translator was interpreting over the phone and couldn’t see her.
But even with all the challenges, refugee health care can be rewarding work.
“I’ve been here for eight years, and I still love it,” said Kaufman, who earlier in the day conversed with a deaf Polish patient in sign language. “You really feel at the end of the day that you’ve helped people.”

Convention Center & Medical Mart Location Chosen

admin — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 23:36:22 +0000

Cuyahoga County Commissioners have agreed upon a location to build the new Convention Center and Medical Mart showroom.
The Convention Center will be built at 500 Lakeside Avenue, the current location of Cleveland’s now standing Convention Center.
The decision was announced by the Cuyahoga County Commissioners at a 5:15 p.m. press conference.
The decision came after a day of closed door meetings involving Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, County Commissioners Jimmy Dimora, Timothy Hagan and Peter Lawson Jones, Cleveland City Council President Martin J. Sweeney, Fred Nance, the attorney hired by the city of Cleveland in an effort to broker the deal, and Medical Mart Properties Incorporated officials.
According to Commissioner Hagan, the entire project will cost an estimated $433 million dollars.
Cuyahoga County taxpayers have been paying a quarter-cent sales tax for over a year to fund the project, even though until today, a site had yet to be chosen.
Hagan says the price tag is $108 million dollars less than originally estimated.
The City of Cleveland and MMPI,
the private investor in the Medical Mart, still have to reach a development agreement. Ownership rights and the design of the facility
still have to be agreed upon as well.
In early January, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson headed to Chicago to speak with MMPI officials to find out what was delaying the project.
Upon Jackson return from that meeting, Cuyahoga County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones said the county was going to have a development agreement with MMPI by mid-January on a location.
Several sites were considered, including a location behind Tower City, which was recommended by a site selection committee over the site chosen by the commissioners, primarily because it was thought to be cheaper.
Stay with MyFOXCleveland.com for more details on this developing story as they become available.