COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC IS SEEKING BOARD MEMBERS

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1 Community Health Clinic, Inc. Primary Care for All Ages June 2017 Newsletter Inside this issue: CHC News in Brief 2 Health Center Week 3 Value of CHCs 4 Sickle Cell Disease 5 COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC IS SEEKING BOARD MEMBERS Hot/Warm Lines 6 CHC Services 7 CHC Partner Events 8 Outreach/ Enrollment 9 New Kensington Clinic 943 Fourth Ave. New Kensington, PA Medical/ Behavioral Health P F Dental 947 Fourth Avenue New Kensington PA P Vandergrift Clinic 179 Columbia Ave. Vandergrift, PA P Community Health Clinic is seeking community members who may be interested on serving on our board. Applicants must be residents of our service area and be actively involved in the community. Patients of Community Health Clinic are encouraged to apply. The board is tasked with making sure the clinic is responsive to the needs of the community. If you would like to serve your fellow community members by being involved in an organization that provides top-quality primary care for all ages please contact: Raji Jayakrishnan, Executive Director raji@communityhealthclinic.org Please Follow Us To unsubscribe from our list send an to: smcmannis@communityhealthclinic.org

2 COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC NEWS IN BREIF SLIDING FEE SCALE Community Health Clinic uses a slidingfee scale to make health care more affordable for our uninsured and underinsured patients. The slide applies to patients with income up to 200% of the Federal Poverty Line. A doctor visit starts at $15.00, a dental visit at $20.00 and behavioral health visit at $5.00. Please call to schedule an appointment WELCOME DR. ALLISON KLIBER Dr. Allison Kliber has joined Community Health Clinic as a family practice physician. She is graduate of the Medical College of Pennsylvania and has worked in the Pittsburgh area for 20 years. She has an interest in women s health. Dr. Kliber will have office hours at the clinic on Wednesday and Thursday. When not practicing medicine, she likes to spend time with her family and outdoors. COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC IS ON THE INTERNET Please visit us at: www. communityhealthclinic.org PARENTS: Summer is here, along with planning your vacation please don t forget to schedule your child s back to school physicals and dental exams. Medical: Dental: COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC DENTAL SERVICES In addition to our regular dental services Community Health Clinic offers dental laboratory services. These include: Complete Dentures-upper and lower Partial Dentures Flippers (temporary partial denture) Crowns Bridges Although these are not offered with our dental sliding fee, they are competitively priced. We do offer a payment program. Medical Assistance requires a benefit limit exemption. Of course, we continue to offer our basic services such as: Exams Cleanings X-rays Fillings and extractions We take almost all dental insurance, as well. To schedule an appointment call Page 2

3 NATIONAL HEALTH CENTER WEEK 2017 Tentative Schedule Monday 14th CHC Vandergrift Drug Prevention Tuesday 15th CHC New Ken Organ Do nor Registration Wednesday 16th CHC New Ken - American Cancer Society Thursday 17th CHC New Ken Open House & Meet and Greet Friday 18th CHC New Ken Children s Activities and Speckles the Clown Page 3

4 ADVOCACY - THE VALUE OF COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS Did You Know? Community Health Centers are dedicated to improving access to quality affordable primary health care. Community Health Centers are non-profit organizations created by individuals in a community coming together with a mission to improve access to primary medical care in underserved areas. Every Community Health Center is different, but they all care for patients in a community-oriented, culturally-competent setting. And they contribute to the local economy by employing area residents and purchasing products and services. They are not operated by government entities. (Article-Courtesy of Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Clinics PACHC) Did You Know? Community Health Centers are different from other primary care organizations. Community Health Centers have more federal standards and oversight placed on them than do other primary care providers. FQHCs must meet specific program requirements and offer core services to the people they serve. They must meet 19 specific program requirements set by the federal government that help promote the best care for their patients. These include specified hours of operation and staffing, mandated quality assurance and improvement programs, and public transparency of performance measures. HOW YOU CAN HELP 1. Become a health center advocate-you can sign-up at or text HCADVOCATE to Invite your elected officials to join us for our National Health Center Week Celebration August 14th-18th, On August 17th we will be hosting an Open House and Meet and Greet. You can invite your elected officials by sending an from this website: 3. Let your Senators know how important health centers and/or Medicaid are to you. You can them from this link: 4. Share your story: One of the most powerful tools we have are our stories. How have you benefited from services provided by Community Health Clinic or by having Medicaid? Stories change statistics into real people. You can share your stories at the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Clinics website or contact CHC s Outreach staff for help preparing and sharing your story 5. Share this with friends. Page 4

5 HEALTH TIPS-SICKLE CELL DISEASE JUNE IS NATIONAL SICKLE CELL AWARENESS MONTH Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders. Healthy red blood cells are round and move through small blood vessels carrying oxygen to all parts of the body. In SCD, the red blood cells become hard and sticky and look like a C-shaped farm tool called a sickle. Sickle cells die early, which causes a constant shortage of red blood cells. Sickle cells can get stuck in small blood vessels and block the flow of blood and oxygen to organs in the body. These blockages cause repeated episodes of severe pain, organ damage, serious infections or even stroke. SCD affects 90, ,000 people in the United States, mainly Blacks or African Americans. It affects millions of people worldwide especially those from Sub- Saharan Africa, South America, Central America, India and the Mediterranean. CDC TIPS FOR LIVING WELL WITH SCD Find Good Medical Care Get Regular Checkups Babies from birth to one year should see a doctor every 2-3 months Children from 1-2 should see a doctor every 3 months Children from 2 years of age and older and adults should see the doctor at least once every year Prevent Infection Common illnesses, like the flu, can quickly become dangerous for a child with SCD. The best defense is to take simple steps to avoid infection Washing Hands is one of the best ways to help prevent getting an infection Practice Food Safety wash hands before preparing foods, wash vegetables and fruits well, cook meat until it is well done, do not eat raw or undercooked eggs Avoid Reptiles many reptiles carry salmonella which is especially harmful to children with SCD Vaccines-help prevent many serious infections Penicillin take penicillin or another antibiotic prescribed by a doctor every day until at least 5 years old Learn Healthy Habits Drink Plenty of Water People with SCD should drink 8-10 glasses of water every day Eat Healthy Food Moderation People with SCD should try not to get too hot, too cold, or too tired. Children can, and should participate in physical activity to help stay healthy. However, it is important they don t overdo it, rest and drink plenty of water. Courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cdc.gov Page 5

6 HEALTH TIPS-HOT LINES AND WARM LINES Westmoreland County Westmoreland Crisis Line 24/7/ Westmoreland Co. Substance Abuse 3:30PM-1130PM 7days/ Westmoreland Drug and Alcohol Crisis Blackburn Center (Sexual and Domestic Violence) 24/ Allegheny County Allegheny Re:solve 24/ Peer Support Warmline 10AM-Midnight/ Mercy Behavioral Health 24/ Homeless (Allegheny Link) 8AM-7PM Armstrong County Armstrong County Crisis Helpline 24/ Butler County Butler Crisis Hotline 24/ Butler County Warmline (Grapevine) 6:00PM-9:00PM 7 days All Counties Veterans press 1 or text Get Help Now to or chat veteranscrisisline.net PA DDAP Crisis Hotline Drug and Alcohol 24/ National Suicide Prevention SAMHSA Suicide Hotline Boystown Crisis Line (Children & Families) Alle-Kiski Hope Center (Domestic Violence) 24/ Family Resources Parenting Warmline Weekdays 9:00AM-9:00PM Weekends Homeless Veteran Hotline NDMDA Depression Hotline Page 6

7 Community Health Clinic, Inc. June 2017 COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC CHC MEDICAL STAFF CHC SERVICES Our Services Include: General Medical Services for Adult and Pediatric Patients Charmaine Batac, MD Medical Director Ronald Proctor, DDS Dental Director Adolfo Bagnarello, MD Vandergrift Clinic General Dentistry CDL License Physicals Laboratory Testing Psychiatric Services Behavioral Health Services including counseling with a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Case Management Medical Case Management High Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, Asthma, Diabetes, COPD services Immunizations Our pediatric room offers seating for the whole family, no need to worry about the siblings, they can be right with the parents during exams and treatment. We take all insurances including Highmark and UPMC. Our physicians have admitting privileges at both Allegheny Health Network and UPMC facilities. We provide a sliding fee scale for those without insurance. STD Testing and Treatment Allison Kliber, MD Family Practice Gynecological Services and Pap Testing Lynn Vermeulen, CRNP Family Planning (Birth Control) Referral Services Diet and Nutrition Services Suboxone Treatment We have reserved a seat just for you! Call (New Ken) or (Vandergrift) to schedule your appointment today! Page 7

8 ONSITE MONTHLY SERVICES BY COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC S COMMUNITY PARTNERS Military Order of the Purple Heart Pittsburgh Regional Office Veterans Benefit Clinic Thursday July 20th, :00AM-2:00PM Community Health Clinic 179 Columbia Ave, Vandergrift A National Service Officer will be onsite to assist veterans, their spouses and dependents for claims for compensation, pension, survivors benefits, death benefits, accessing military records and discharge upgrades. For more information call: Available to residents of all counties. Westmoreland County Residents Only Need Help Buying Food? Free Assistance Applying for SNAP Tuesday, August 15th, :00PM-4:00PM Community Health Clinic 943 Fourth Ave New Kensington Please bring to meeting Identification information for all family members Household Income Statements Summary of typical household expenses Estimate of household financial resources Now is the time to get tested! Free Hepatitis C Screening! The Pennsylvania Department of Health will be conducting FREE Hepatitis C screenings, every Third Tuesday at Community Health Clinic the next screening is: Tuesday, July 18th 10:00AM-2:00 PM Community Health Clinic 943 Fourth Avenue New Kensington No Appointment Necessary Call Some Risk Factors for Hepatitis C Past and current injection drug users, including those who only injected once. Recipients of donated blood, blood products or organs prior to 1992 and people who received a blood product for clotting prior to 1987 People who received body piercings or tattoos done with non-sterile instruments Healthcare workers injured by needle sticks People who had sexual contact with a person with Hepatitis C Baby Boomers born between Results from screening are available in 20 minutes and those with positive results will be provided with referral to confirmatory testing, counseling and connected to care programs. Page 8

9 OUTREACH AND ENROLLMENT PLEASE NOTE: The Westmoreland County Assistance Office has been processing simple Medicaid ( Medical Assistance) applications rapidly-often within 3 days. If you need help applying for Medical Assistance we would be glad to help. Please call to schedule an appointment. CHANGES TO SPECIAL ENROLLMENT PERIODS FOR MARKETPLACE HEALTH INSURANCE IN EFFECT NOW. Beginning on June 23rd, 2017 changes went into effect governing enrolling in Special Enrollment Periods (SEPs) on the Healthcare Marketplace. The first two categories affected will be those for: Loss of Coverage Permanent Moves Beginning in August these SEPs will be affected: Marriage Gaining a new dependent through adoption, placement in foster care, or a support or other court order Medicaid/CHIP denial These SEPs will require pre-enrollment verification. Consumers will be required to verify their eligibility for the Special Enrollment Period before they will be permitted to enroll in a plan. Once consumers complete a Marketplace application and select a Qualified Health Plan their enrollment will be pended and they will have 30 days to submit verification of eligibility for the SEP. For example, a person who left a job with employer coverage will need to submit proof of loss of coverage such as a COBRA notification letter. Once the eligibility for the SEP is verified the consumer s information will be sent to the plan for enrollment and the consumer will be able to make the first month s payment. Normal enrollment dates will apply-so some consumers may receive retroactive coverage for the period involving the verification process As always Community Health Clinic s Certified Application Counselor can assist consumers at no charge to navigate these processes. Please call with questions or to schedule an appointment. OUTREACH EVENTS Please look for Community Health Clinic at these community events: New Kensington Community Fireworks Festival. July 1st from 4pm-the fireworks begin. 800 Barnes Street, New Kensington Ford City-First Friday. July 7th from 5PM-8PM 400 Ford Street, Ford City Free assistance applying for Marketplace, Medicaid, CHIP and VA health coverage is available from CHC please call Page 9

10 MEDICAL DENTAL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH Primary Care for All Ages Community Health Clinic, Inc. New Kensington Office 943 Fourth Avenue New Kensington, PA Medical: Dental: Vandergrift Office 179 Columbia Avenue Vandergrift, PA Medical: Page 10