I began to mentally compare my family’s location in a more affluent neighborhood in relation to what I was seeing in this neighborhood.  I came to the realization that even though this store had some choices that my family could purchase at our location, I was not able to make those same choices for those that my organization serves.  I began to wonder if this location would be considered a food desert, where most food choices are found at convenience stores and gas stations.

When I returned with my lackluster purchases that frankly, I was embarrassed to offer my hard working clients, I could not help but look up the definition of the “Food Desert.” The Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Working Group considers a food desert as a low-income census tract where a substantial number or share of residents has low access to a supermarket or large grocery store.

So how can you make healthier choices if those choices are not available? Some health care systems and restaurants are working on this problem by creating rooftop gardens. As an organization that serves those experiencing homelessness, this may very well be the next track to help provide healthier options to the families who haven’t had these options in the past. These ideas can help families to have a brighter future and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

To learn more about HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program or to make a donation,  please visit www.indyhealthnet.org/HIP.

For more information on food deserts please click here.

Post by Matt Holland

To me, home as always meant a place of comfort.  Whether that was my physical house that I grew up in or the people that represented this sense of security, home equaled safety.  I remember being a scared college freshman and feeling so much relief and protection being able to visit home after my first few months away.  It feels like home when I talk with my best friend I grew up with despite her living across the country.  No matter how much of a mess my house is at the end of a long day, it still feels like a refuge. 

I am so fortunate to have a sense of home that is a sanctuary from the chaos of the world.  A lot of people don’t have that luxury.  Many of our patients at HealthNet live in homes full of violence, turmoil, and conflict.  Some of our littlest patients grow up wondering if pandemonium and stress is normal in the place where one is supposed to feel the safest.

My hope is that when all else fails, HealthNet can provide a feeling of home. 

It seems that this idea is always the direction I take when writing blogs.  I suppose I can’t say it enough!  HealthNet offers a place where one can feel cared for and heard—a home.

In the Behavioral Health Department, we strive to provide that as well.  A safe, trusting place to share one’s experience and facilitate healing.  We also work to help improve the home lives of our patients in working through interpersonal conflict, parent training, and family therapy.

I think HealthNet is home for not only our patients, but for many of our staff members as well.  As previously mentioned, I worked as a student clinician at HealthNet several years before I was hired as a behavioral health therapist last fall.  I always wanted to get back to HealthNet.  To put it simply, it felt like home.  The mission of the organization as well as staff and patients I have encountered since being back has fully reinforced my decision to return.  This is the place for me. 

HealthNet is fortunate to have a team of amazing therapists like Laura on staff. We are the one-stop-shop of primary care and Behavioral Health Services!

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Editor’s note: This month’s theme is “Give A Care About Home!” Our bloggers have taken on this topic and are talking about the concept of “home,” and how it is key to everyone’s health and well-being.  Click here to find out more about our topic this month.

As 2011 draws to a close, we wanted to share a letter from HealthNet President/CEO Booker Thomas that appeared in yesterday’s e-newsletter:

Dear Friends of HealthNet,

Every year, hundreds of individuals make donations that help HealthNet fulfill its mission of caring for the community. We hope you will join them and make a gift to HealthNet this holiday season.

Consider that:

• $50 helps School-based Services provide students with a personal care hygiene kit filled with items they may not have at home.
• $100 provides 2 weeks of free nicotine replacement therapy for a patient without insurance through Health Promotions.
• $200 helps a family struggling with a rent or mortgage payment through Social Services.
• $200 provides breast health education and outreach to inner-city neighborhoods in Indianapolis through Mammogram Assistance.
• $500 helps provide services through the Healthy Families Programthat teach and encourage the skills that make a family work. In an area where poverty heightens the normal stresses of parenting and making ends meet, families need a variety of support just to keep it together.
• $1000 provides tuition for Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training and certification for someone in the Homeless Initiative Program.

Any gift, large or small, will make a difference in our ability to put our patients’ needs first as we provide the very highest standard of care in a community-based environment. 
Please click here to make a donation online.

 I also invite you to enjoy the online edition of HealthNet’s 2010-2011 Annual Report. In this easy-to-read format, you can learn more about the expansion, innovation and growth HealthNet has experienced in the past year, as well as read some amazing stories from our patients and clients.

 On behalf of the entire HealthNet family, I thank you in advance and wish you the very best for a happy, healthy 2012!

Booker Thomas, MHA

President/CEO

HealthNet, Inc.

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Sign up to stay up-to-date on HealthNet happenings in 2012!

You can shop healthy with a manageable amount of expense. Here’s a dozen ways to take care of your health at the grocery store without breaking the bank, thanks to HealthNet’s Health Promotions staff:

1. Clip, save and use coupons. Stick with only the items you use.
2. Check out the store flyer for sale items as you enter.
3. Stick to the edges of the store. For the most part, this is where the healthy choices are – less processed foods and more fruits and vegetables, dairy and meat.
4. Don’t shop hungry! You’ll buy more than you need.
5. Watch the shelves. Stores put items they most want to sell on the shelves between knee and shoulder height. The highest markup items are the ones about chest level.  These are easy to grab and toss into the cart.
6. The store brand is cheaper than national brands.
7. Fruits and vegetables: Pre-cut fruits and veggies can be expensive. Buy in season. It’s cheaper to buy produce in the bag and not by the piece like apples, oranges and potatoes. Check out the freezer aisle. Frozen vegetables can be an economical way to get your veggie servings, but stay away from added creams, sauces, butter or sugar.
8. Breads, cereals and pasta: Choose the least processed foods that are made with whole grains.  Aim for 4 grams of fiber and less sugar. To help your family get used to whole grains, you can start out with a blend of whole grains and slowly go to 100%. Buy your grains and cereals in bulk like brown rice, barley and rolled oats. Oatmeal in the canister is less than the instant flavored envelopes.
9. Meat, poultry and fish: Lean can be pricey. You can choose less expensive cuts of meat, but you have to practice portion control. Buy larger packs. Use what you can eat and freeze the rest.  Tilapia and sole may be more affordable. Choose frozen fish fillets or fish steaks, but stay away from breaded or marinated fish. Canned fish and chicken are great options for sandwiches, salads, and casseroles.
10. Other sources of protein: Beans are cheap and a great source of protein. Buy in bulk. Another low cost item that is healthy is the egg. Try going meatless once a week.
11. Dairy: Non-fat or low fat milk does not cost any more than whole or 2% milk. Buy a large container of plain yogurt and add your own sweetener like honey or fruit. Buy blocks of reduced-fat cheese and grate it yourself. Shredded or sliced cheese is more expensive.
12. Ignore the checkout displays!

Here’s another bargain for you. In partnership with Garden on the Go, HealthNet’s Health Promotions team helps low-income families access affordable, fresh produce in their neighborhoods — and learn the whys and hows of eating healthier. #GiveACareAbout reducing barriers for families in need. Along with coaching from a dietitian, a $5 donation provides a small financial incentive for a family to try fresh fruits and vegetables and begin making healthy lifestyle choices. With your help, we can do even more to help families in Indy.

Want more healthy shopping tips? Stop by our booth today through Sunday at the INShape Indiana Black & Minority Health Fair at Indiana Black Expo’s Summer Celebration in the Indiana Convention Center. Learn how to stay healthy on a budget — and sign up for a prize drawing to win a grocery store gift card!

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What healthy grocery shopping tips work for you?
What’s your favorite farmer’s market?
Comment below.
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THREE pretty big obstacles:

1. Deciding to prepare yourself for cancer. – just in case.
2. Trying to afford insurance – just in case.
3. Finding the income to pursuit services to prepare yourself – just in case.

Uninsured women often face these three obstacles, and many times do not know where to turn.

Uninsured women [are] more likely than their insured counterparts to require a longer, more extensive chemotherapy regimen (find out more statistics from The Commonwealth Fund).

There are several organizations in the Indianapolis area that provide mammogram screenings to those without health insurance and living below the federal poverty. HealthNet is one of those organizations.

Last year, HealthNet provided mammogram screenings to uninsured women, as well as breast health education and outreach services with the hopes of overcoming the cultural, educational, social and financial barriers that prevent women from getting screened.

This education and outreach is vital because research shows that women without health insurance are less likely to get a mammogram screening. A report done in New York showed that uninsured women lag behind the insured when it comes to getting screened for breast cancer. City Council Speaker, Christine Quinn, believes it is, “because uninsured women do not know enough about the resources that are out there for them.”

The American Cancer Society has put together an Indiana Mammography Facility Guide on their website that is a resource listing of facilities throughout the state offering screening services. In addition, a contact number is provided for those on Medicare and the uninsured that assists them with finding a designated site that will provide mammogram screenings if they can not afford this service.

Partnerships through St. Vincent’s Mobile Mammography Unit, Little Red Door Cancer Agency and HealthNet’s Health Centers exist to provide free mammograms to qualifying low-income or uninsured women in Indianapolis.  Together we are taking the steps needed to offer preventative and screening services to women in Indianapolis – just in case.

Uninsured women are less likely to be screened for breast cancer, causing their risk of dying form the disease to increase by 20 percent! Together we can give them a chance to fight breast cancer. Together we can close that gap.

One year ago tomorrow, President Obama signed into law the Affordable Care Act.

Community Health Centers now serve 23 million patients and provide care for one-fourth of all primary care visits for low-income citizens in our country.  The Affordable Care Act has been one more step towards health centers throughout the nation caring for 40 million patients by 2015.  The two greatest statistics that show the effectiveness of community health centers are

1. Cost per patient per day is nearly a dollar lower than all physician settings ($1.67 v. $2.64)
2. Medicaid beneficiaries who choose health centers for primary care are 19% less likely to use the ER for unnecessary visits and 11% less likely to be hospitalized.

The expansion of HealthNet’s Southwest Health & Dental Center, People’s Health & Dental Center, and the soon-to-be Barrington Health & Dental Center has benefited the Indianapolis area greatly.  These expansions will allow HealthNet to reach a greater number of underserved areas and provide services to more patients who otherwise would go without primary and preventative health care or unnecessarily use the ER.

However, there are still areas of HealthNet (not supported under ACA) that need expansion.  Areas such as

• Homeless Initiative Program – serving more than 3,200 homeless persons in Indianapolis
• Better Indy Babies/Healthy Families – making more than 14,720 visits to families in at-risk homes in Marion County
• Social Services – providing support to families living below the poverty level which is one in every 16 people in Marion County
• Radiology/Mammography Assistance – helping uninsured women who are less likely to be screened for breast cancer
• School-based Services – assisting more than 3,320 students in receiving health care and health education in 8 public and charter schools in Marion County
• Health Promotions – a free service that includes a dietitian, tobacco cessation counselor, and childbirth specialist

In light of the one-year anniversary of the signing of the ACA into law, we want to highlight the successful expansion of our community health centers throughout Indianapolis, but also ask for our COMMUNITY’S help in expanding our outreach services to reach further and build a healthier neighborhood for everyone.

You can help us reach those in need by making a quick donation online or by mail.  Visit our donation page to learn more about these programs and ways to assist HealthNet

Jeff Smith, Marine Corps Veteran

Jeff Smith served in the Marine Corps during the early ‘80s, earning a deployment ribbon and an honorable discharge.  But after the Corps, Jeff fell on hard times.  Alcohol became an addiction—one that destroyed his personal life and nearly destroyed him.  He couldn’t hold a steady job because of the addiction, so he was hustling from day to day just to keep going.

Then he made a bad decision that greatly accelerated a downward slide: He signed a check he had no business signing—just to get some money to eat and pay for some shelter. That act of desperation earned him a felony conviction for forgery in 2007.

Jeff admits today that his arrest was the wake-up call he needed. It forced him to take a hard look at himself and see how far his life had unraveled. Unless he made some different choices immediately, there wouldn’t be anything left to salvage. So Jeff made a Marine’s decision — he faced the truth about his life, his addiction, and his behavior. He asked for help and enrolled into a special substance abuse program for veterans, the R.E.S.T. program (Residential Employment and Substance Abuse Treatment). He stuck with the treatment plan; and by June 2010, he had logged over a year completely free from alcohol. He was proving himself a success—both to himself and to the counselors who worked with him.

Upon achieving this benchmark in his recovery program, Jeff now was authorized to deal with employment issues. And that’s when the Homeless Initiative Program’s HVRP staff met him. Jeff applied to the HVRP career program. After assessment by staff, he was assigned to the HVRP Skills That Work workshop, a weeklong training program that equips HVRP veterans with an eye-catching resume, special job-search and internet computer tools, as well as professional interviewing skills. He completed the workshop, impressing HVRP staff with his commitment and seriousness. Staff found him to be extremely pleasant, humble, and realistic.  Moreover, he wasn’t work shy. He performed every task assigned to him with grace and good humor.

The next step for Jeff was the HVRP Guided Job Search program. For three days each week, he spent several hours in the HVRP Job-Search Room, under the tutelage of staff, working to follow up on job leads. He proved to be responsible and dependable.  So it was with concern and disappointment that staff watched him apply for job after job without a job offer.

He was applying for jobs for which he was qualified, but employers weren’t responding to his applications. HVRP staff suspected that the problem was his recent criminal conviction—the felony forgery conviction from 2007. Most employers require that a felony be at least 5 to 10 years in the past before they will even consider a job application—if they agree to consider it at all. Jeff’s conviction was simply too fresh.

But Jeff was a veteran fighting hard to win his life back. He had proved that. And one of the missions of HVRP is to help veterans like Jeff get that second chance at life. So we took special action. HVRP had developed a relationship with Denison Parking, a local employer that wanted to help veterans. HVRP staff thought that Jeff would be a perfect fit. So HVRP made a special appeal to Denison executives to advocate for Jeff, outlining the successful steps he had taken to change his life. We asked Denison to give Jeff serious consideration for an available maintenance position, despite his criminal history. We also pledged that HVRP would stand with Jeff and would follow up with him after employment to ensure his success.

The recommendation Jeff received from HVRP persuaded Denison Parking to hire him on a trial basis. For three months since, he has earned recognition from Denison as one of its stellar employees. In fact, Denison recently promoted him to a better shift and has entrusted him with greater responsibility. Jeff is grateful for the second chance he’s received, and he’s making the most of it. He is a persuasive example that offering a veteran a second chance simply makes good business sense. And the Homeless Initiative Program’s HVRP staff is pleased to have helped make it happen.

Stories like these happen everyday, but they are not always highlighted because they slip through the cracks.  Help us continue to make these stories happen, Blanket Indy with Care. Our Homeless Initiative Program serves over 2500 homeless individuals in Indianapolis, a simple and quick online donation can go a long way.

Feel free to leave comments/questions below.

Blanket Indy with Care - help support HIP, one of the largest comprehensive service providers for Indiana's homeless population.

This quote ties in well with a story written in a blog post on New York’s Coalition for the Homeless website.  The blog post is written by a woman, Sarah Murphy, who was homeless but helped herself out and found a place to stay at PATH (Prevention Assistance Transitional Housing).  The process when entering PATH is that you stay in a place during an “investigative” period to see if you are able to be housed.  They let you know in a certain period of time whether you are eligible or not.

Consider this – you are homeless.  You are homeless, with a dependent son.  When you are homeless AND have a dependent, the main thing you may need is income. What do you do to gain income? Work!

You can read the entire post above; however, long story short, Ms. Murphy was ruled ineligible and a note was slid under her apartment door while she was at work.  The note said to be at the PATH office no later than 4:35 p.m. to discuss the reason why she was found ineligible.

Ms. Murphy was on the brink of being homeless, with a dependent son, the main thing that she needs is income and must work to do so. Nevertheless, she misses the appointment because she doesn’t get the note until she gets home from work.  Has to take an entire day off work

the next day to be informed that the reason she was ineligible was because they were not able to get a hold of one reference on her application.

For as advanced as we are today, it only takes a slight perfect storm of events for an individual to suddenly not have a place to live. And with our current economy, it’s happening MUCH MORE frequently.

It is easy to find these stories everywhere because people RECOGNIZE bad customer service.  More recognition for GOOD customer service is needed.  Throughout February, we have been posting on our Facebook page, Twitter feed, and website about our Blanket Indy with Care campaign.  Aimed at raising $25,000 for our Homeless Initiative Program (HIP), we want to recognize the GOOD customer service done by HIP staff who are able to help homeless persons find shelter, employment, and support services when needed.  They help the Sarah Murphy’s of Indianapolis, who may need to work during the day to gain income.  Please consider a $5 gift toward our campaign, you can do so by clicking here.  Send this along to your friends and family to help us reach our goal.

Good customer service needs to be recognized just as often as bad customer service.

After the frigid temperatures, ice and snow of recent weeks, it’s something we all can appreciate.

On January 30, the Indiana Pacers and Dick’s Sporting Goods teamed up with Pacers’ Point Guard T.J. Ford for his annual Coat Drive benefiting HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program (HIP).

Hundreds of families stopped by the Dick’s Sporting Goods at Castleton Square Mall on a cold, Sunday afternoon to donate new or gently used coats. In return, they received one ticket per donated coat for an upcoming Indiana Pacers game.

Fans lined up for the opportunity to meet T.J. in person, as well as Boomer and the Pacemates. They also brought something to leave behind. In less than two hours, more than 250 coats had been donated – all for homeless men, women, boys and girls.

Over 250 coats were collected and distributed for HIP clients! Thank you to all who donated!

This was the sixth year for the coat drive and it couldn’t have come at a better time, with temperatures plummeting and the wind chill near record levels. In a matter of days, the Homeless Initiative Program staff distributed the coats to grateful homeless clients around Indy.

It’s not too late to help. HIP is always in need of coats and other items, and we are grateful for any and all support in meeting the basic needs of our clients.

If you, your work colleagues, church group or volunteer organization would like to help, please use this list for ideas of other ways to host a drive of your own:

• New underwear and T-shirts
• Sweatpants and sweatshirts
• Gift Cards – anything to provide a hot meal or basic needs items
• Diapers/pull-ups/baby wipes
• Socks and shoes
• Toiletries

You can help too!!

HealthNet’s Blanket Indy with Care Campaign is over halfway completed, but we still need your help! Our goal is to raise $25,000 by February 25th.  Donate $5 and tell 5 friends because $5 x 5000 = $25,000!!  Learn more here.

I get caught thinking this way constantly.  It is hard to wrap your head around what it could be like to have to be on the street or jumping from couch to couch from relative to relative or spending your day finding the shelter that will have a place for you.  I start thinking that all we need to do is to get homeless people back into a home!  Which is the correct step, I have spoken about the housing first approach in earlier posts.  However, it is not the WHOLE staircase.

“The second night I ended up on the floor with a pillow. I hadn’t slept in a bed for 20 years.”

This quote came from an article in The Vancouver Sun, and it tells the story of a homeless man who had lived on the streets for 22 years.  Later on in the article it states that he even went back to the bush to sleep outside because he was so restless at night.

If you read the entire article you will get the point I am trying to convey.  The point is that we need to raise more awareness about the importance of having support services ALONG with affordable housing.  Being homeless is more than just being without a home, people who are homeless for extended periods of time can lose touch with society.  Once they are put back under a roof, like the man in the article, they may still not know what resources are out there to help them keep moving forward.

You can help us change that! Help cover a lot of need in Indianapolis.  HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program not only provides housing services, but also employment training, health care, outreach, intensive case management, and rental assistance. BLANKET INDY WITH CARE this February, and help the homeless in our community receive more than just the FIRST step to ending homelessness.