Collaboration Leads to Good Sam Free Health Center of Price Hill
April 15, 2011
Following more than two years of collaboration, a community needs assessment and visits to Baltimore and Pittsburgh, the Good Samaritan Free Health Center of Price Hill opened in January.
This is a new, unique center that utilizes volunteer physicians, incorporates the Medical Home model of care with electronic medical records (EMR) and plans to add group visits to address the need for education about chronic health conditions like diabetes.
The two-year pilot of the new health center is being funded through generous donations provided by the Castellini Foundation, Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation, SC Ministry Foundation, The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati, US Bank Trustee for the Maxwell C. Weaver Foundation, and James and Darla Wainscott.
The community needs assessment was conducted by Crossroad Health Center and funded by the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati. The assessment identified more than 12,000 uninsured people living in the Price Hill area who have difficulty accessing regular health care. They often wait three to six months for an appointment at a health clinic or go to the hospital emergency department to receive episodic care. This diverse community includes a large number of working poor who earn too much to qualify for programs such as Medicaid but too little to afford health insurance.
“The Good Samaritan Free Health Center of Price Hill exemplifies the TriHealth mission to improve the health status of the people we serve by providing a full range of health-related services including prevention, wellness and education,” said John Prout, president and CEO of TriHealth. “The care at the center is of the highest quality and is delivered with compassion that is consistent with Good Samaritan Hospital’s longstanding values rooted in Catholic faith.”
“The health center was sparked by the idea to bring medical mission work closer to home,” said Lori Uphaus, executive director of the Good Samaritan Free Health Center. “Our primary motivation for taking the lead on the project is to improve the overall health of the community,” she said.
Current resources in Price Hill provide health screenings but, as Uphaus points out, “The screenings identify more problems than existing medical facilities in Price Hill can handle. Many uninsured people are either not receiving care, or they are over-utilizing hospital emergency departments for care that could be avoided with regular primary care visits and preventive health support.”
The health center, which shares space within Santa Maria Community Services, provides adult primary medical care (no obstetrics) for people who have been pre-qualified and fall within poverty guidelines. The health center currently sets appointments on Wednesdays, from 2 to 8 p.m., and Saturdays, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Appointments are coordinated and pre-screened by Santa Maria and the TriHealth Parish Nurses, which leads to another unique aspect of the center: the engagement of social workers and health care workers who are already directly involved with the underserved community. Because patient referrals come from existing community programs such as Santa Maria and TriHealth Parish Nurses, the center is able to better reach those who need the care most.
Every facet of the plan to bring a free health center to the working poor of Price Hill has been carefully orchestrated by a collaboration of community organizations. In addition to the center’s medical director, nurse manager and core staff, volunteer support will be a key component of the center. The model calls for volunteer support from physicians, nurses and social workers. A total of 25 physicians have already signed-up to volunteer their time. If someone is interested in becoming a volunteer at the Good Samaritan Free Health Center of Price Hill, they can call the center at 513-557-2700, ext. 203.