Program:
Neighborhood Health Program
- Budget:
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$2,000,000
- Category:
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Health Care
- Population Served:
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Hispanics
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Female Adults
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Children and Youth (infants - 19 years.)
Program Description:
The Neighborhood Health Program seeks to effectively increase the clients’ ability to be personally responsible for his/her health by eliminating or reducing barriers (including financial, transportation, geographic and cultural barriers) to accessing the health care services they need. A key attribute of the Neighborhood Health Program is an emphasis on establishing ourselves as a primary care home for the clients we serve.
The services offered through our Neighborhood Health Program include: adult primary care, adolescent care, pediatric care, dental care, counseling, health education, social services, case management, laboratory services, limited radiology, and limited pharmacy. Our services are organized and supported by an inter-disciplinary team (social workers, MDs, dentists, physician assistant, nurses, health educators, outreach workers) that together provide care with attention to the client’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Our medical and dental services are provided on a sliding scale fee. Counseling, health education, social services and case management are provided at no charge.
Our programs seek to involve people to find the solutions to their own problems…to provide a hand-up as opposed to a handout.
Program Long-Term Success:
As a faith-based organization, our commitment is to serve those in our community who are poor and vulnerable. In order to overcome those factors that negatively impact client’s lives and, therefore their health, clients must gain the ability to overcome the cultural, societal, and economic barriers to obtaining care. In some instances, this necessitates understanding what community resources are available. The Neighborhood Health Program has numerous outreach initiatives to enhance the community’s awareness of our services and to address any questions clients may have about our programs, fees or other barriers. (Outcome 1: The number of unduplicated new clients that will overcome barriers to health care by accessing Neighborhood Health Services for the first time will increase from 30% to 35% by the end of the year.) Through outcome 1 we are trying to improving access to care for the poor and vulnerable in our community. The services we provide include assessment, diagnosis and treatment of the client’s condition. But it is the ability of the client to effectively participate in his/her care that best determines whether he/she can improve his/her health. Clients who consistently comply with treatment plans or provider instructions generally avoid complications and reduce the number of times that they are in crisis. (Outcome 2: The number of clients that will utilize La Misión Family Health Care as their primary care home by returning for health services more than once per year will increase from 65% to 70 %.) The intent of outcome 2 is to establish La Misión Family Health Care as a primary care home for the clients we serve. Clients that understand their health condition and their role in controlling their health see the value of preventive care. (Outcome 3: The number of preventive health services accessed by clients will increase by 5%. From July 1, 2008 – June30, 2009 clients at La Misión Family Health Care accessed 4,377 preventive health procedures.) By accessing preventive health services clients will increase their long-term quality of life.
Program Short-Term Success:
Short-Term outcomes
Outcome 1
Dental patients with a complete treatment plan will have no new decay at their recall visit. Goal: 75%
Outcome 2
Clients will report an improvement in their health and well being by the end of the grant period. Goal: 80% will indicate an improvement.
Outcome 3
The number of preventive health services accessed by clients will increase by 5%. From July1 – June30, 2009 clients at La Misión Family Health Care accessed 4,377 preventive procedures. (Improve long-term quality of life.)
Program Success Monitored by:
Outcome 1: Data will be collected by auditing client compliance tracking forms. Dental staff will document evidence of care plan compliance or non-compliance. Once a month the patient care coordinator, dental hygienist, and counselor will perform a chart review of approximately 20 percent of the clients served by the dental program to determine if there has been any new decay since the client’s last visit.
Outcome 2: A quarterly patient satisfaction survey will be administered to our dental clients. Among the questions asked, improvement in quality of life will be assessed.
Outcome 3: Preventive services including: PAPs, EPSDT/physicals, Spots physicals and Dental hygiene visits will be tracked through our electronic medical record information system.
Program Success Examples:
For the past 51 years, Daughters of Charity Services has been committed to establishing and maintaining neighborhood based programs that increase accessibility to healthcare and human services in south San Antonio and south Bexar County, particularly for poor and underserved populations.
Our integrated holistic model of care provides comprehensive primary care for children, youth and adults. La Misión Family Health Care is a health care setting that facilitates partnerships between individual patients, and their personal physicians, and when appropriate, the patient’s family.
Each patient has an ongoing relationship with a personal physician. The personal physician leads a team of individuals at the practice level who collectively take responsibility for the ongoing care of patients. This includes care for all stages of life; acute care; chronic care; and preventive services. Care is coordinated to assure that patients get the care they need in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner (e.g., subspecialty care, hospitals, home health agencies, nursing homes).
Furthermore, a social worker is available to help clients with their social and material needs. Assistance with food, clothing, and financial needs are provided through a modest thrift operation and participation with a food pantry program. Monetary assistance is occasionally provided for extreme emergency situations. Our social workers provide interventions that focus the clients on developing alternatives to their problems. Our licensed counselor provides counseling services that support family’s development and overall well being. In addition, a significant amount of effort is concentrated on assisting clients to navigate and satisfy the requirements of public assistance programs like Medicare, Medicaid, SSI, food stamps and child care. In FY09 (July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009) the percent of clients that returned to the Neighborhood Health Program for services was 60% in the prior year FY08 it was 57%.