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Access To Care - Community Health Center Is Major Milestone
Following several years of collaboration and
planning, this year brought us to a major
milestone: approval of a Federally Qualified
Health Center for Howard County. With the
clinic’s opening, it will mark the first
time the
county’s low income and uninsured residents
will
have ready access to primary health care with
diagnostics, basic pharmaceuticals and
regular
physicians, nurse practitioners and other
staff
under one roof.
The new community health center will be operated by Chase Brexton Health Services of Baltimore and arose out of a planning partnership with The Horizon Foundation and the Maryland Community Health System. It will treat many classes of patients, from people with comprehensive insurance plans to Medicare and Medicaid recipients and patients who are uninsured.
The Foundation has been concerned about access to healthcare since its inception. Consequently, approximately $650,000 was awarded over a seven-year period to the Health Alliance, a free clinic providing chronic medical care. Health Alliance volunteer physicians and nurses were able to support 250-300 adult patients annually. While essential, we knew that this was only a first step towards providing access to care for all county residents.
There was a critical need to take another second step.
Need Amidst Affluence
Over the past six years, the Foundation has held planning sessions with a variety of stakeholders and has funded targeted research in order to better understand medically underserved people who reside in the county. This included secondary data analysis and face to face surveys of the county’s Hispanic, Korean and low income populations. The Foundation has also collaborated with Howard County General Hospital in helping define its access to care agenda, monitoring Hospital use by uninsured and underinsured patients and assessing patient demand for Hospital services.
Although we live in one of the most affluent jurisdictions in the nation, 15,000 Howard County residents are uninsured, and that number is growing. Over 41 percent of the uninsured earn less than $25,000 a year.
But lack of insurance is just one obstacle to obtaining healthcare. Many of the county’s uninsured residents face language barriers and are unaware of community resources. When they require medical care, they often turn to the Emergency Department at Howard County General Hospital.
As the
Foundation worked to select a partner, it
identified Chase Brexton which is known for
inclusiveness and “culturally relevant”
healthcare.
The organization considers each patient’s
lifestyle
and culture. Successive meetings and
consultation
with the Maryland Community Health System
demonstrated that Chase Brexton’s
management
capabilities were excellent. The Foundation
financed planning to effect a “change in
scope”
proposal, which was ultimately approved by
the
Federal government. We also provided funding
to
outfit the new clinic and meet other start up
costs.
The new Columbia Center of Chase Brexton Health Services is located in the Knoll North Building in Oakland Mills. It has eight examination rooms and build-out space for substance abuse treatment, dental care, mental health services and more. In its first year, it will offer primary medical care, mental health services, nutritional counseling and case management services to thousands of individuals. Patients who are uninsured will pay fees on a sliding scale based on income.Health Alliance patients have already been transferred to the new community health center.
Chase Brexton executive director David Shippee says the diverse client base will make the health center “a viable resource for all and not a 'clinic of last resort.'"
The new community health center will be operated by Chase Brexton Health Services of Baltimore and arose out of a planning partnership with The Horizon Foundation and the Maryland Community Health System. It will treat many classes of patients, from people with comprehensive insurance plans to Medicare and Medicaid recipients and patients who are uninsured.
The Foundation has been concerned about access to healthcare since its inception. Consequently, approximately $650,000 was awarded over a seven-year period to the Health Alliance, a free clinic providing chronic medical care. Health Alliance volunteer physicians and nurses were able to support 250-300 adult patients annually. While essential, we knew that this was only a first step towards providing access to care for all county residents.
There was a critical need to take another second step.
Need Amidst Affluence
Over the past six years, the Foundation has held planning sessions with a variety of stakeholders and has funded targeted research in order to better understand medically underserved people who reside in the county. This included secondary data analysis and face to face surveys of the county’s Hispanic, Korean and low income populations. The Foundation has also collaborated with Howard County General Hospital in helping define its access to care agenda, monitoring Hospital use by uninsured and underinsured patients and assessing patient demand for Hospital services.
Although we live in one of the most affluent jurisdictions in the nation, 15,000 Howard County residents are uninsured, and that number is growing. Over 41 percent of the uninsured earn less than $25,000 a year.
But lack of insurance is just one obstacle to obtaining healthcare. Many of the county’s uninsured residents face language barriers and are unaware of community resources. When they require medical care, they often turn to the Emergency Department at Howard County General Hospital.
| |
| Dr. Karen Konkel and
Horizon Foundation President and CEO Rich Krieg
meet at The Columbia Center of Chase Brexton
Health Services at Knoll North in Oakland
Mills. Dr. Konkel is Chief Medical
Officer for Chase Brexton Health Services and
physician manager for the Columbia Center.
|
The new Columbia Center of Chase Brexton Health Services is located in the Knoll North Building in Oakland Mills. It has eight examination rooms and build-out space for substance abuse treatment, dental care, mental health services and more. In its first year, it will offer primary medical care, mental health services, nutritional counseling and case management services to thousands of individuals. Patients who are uninsured will pay fees on a sliding scale based on income.Health Alliance patients have already been transferred to the new community health center.
Chase Brexton executive director David Shippee says the diverse client base will make the health center “a viable resource for all and not a 'clinic of last resort.'"