Nearly 900,000 people die each year from causes that can be prevented. For the first time, American children may live shorter lives than their parents. Nearly 1 in 3 children are overweight or obese. More than 50 million Americans do not have health insurance.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. With your help, we can make America the healthiest nation – and Indy one of its healthiest communities — in one generation.

In honor of National Public Health Week this week, please join us and watch this video by the American Public Health Association and share it with people you care about.

Catching preventable illnesses and incidents before they develop is the key to improving our nation’s health. There are so many small steps we can take to begin leading healthier lives; sometimes it just takes a little motivation. We CAN work to encourage more people in Indianapolis to take preventive measures to help improve their lives. Little steps can lead to big changes.

One step you can take today to make our nation – and Indy – a healthier place to live is to advocate for the Community Health Center near you.

Community Health Centers like ours play a central role in improving public health – by providing access to affordable, preventive care close to home. They serve as the health care homes for over 20 million people in the United States.  BUT! There are still 60 million Americans, even those WITH insurance, who do not have regular access to health care.

JOIN THE CAMPAIGN

FOR AMERICA’S HEALTH CENTERS!

The behavioral health department is invested in our community kiddos!  The therapists in each facility provide services for children as well as adults.  We are very fortunate to have Dr. Jim Jones, child psychologist, at PACC and the department is in the process of hiring another child psychologist.  I am thrilled to announce that we have also developed play therapy rooms at three of our centers to specifically meet the needs of our smallest patients.

The behavioral health department also includes a pediatric psychiatrist and a pediatric psychiatric nurse practitioner.  All staff work closely with the pediatricians in the centers to meet the needs of the child and family as a whole.

In addition to these resources, the behavioral health folks have the pleasure of consulting with the social workers in the centers as well as with BIBS and Healthy Families to get a full picture of the family’s needs and strengths.  Our BIBS and Healthy Families staff work tirelessly to improve the lives of these families and in turn, improve communities.

As you can see, HealthNet truly provides a network of care that reaches each corner of a child’s life.   It’s exciting, fun, and rewarding to see our littlest patients grow and flourish.

I often hear from my adult patients that they first came to HealthNet as pediatric patients.  They feel that HealthNet is home and are excited to continue from their pediatric care to adult primary care to OB care and then begin bringing their children to our clinic.  After meeting a patient for the first time, I often ask if they remember how to get back to the lobby after an appointment.  More often than not, I get the response,

“I’ve been coming here for 20 years.  I know this building like the back of my hand!”

It’s encouraging when patients are so satisfied with their service at HealthNet they are happy to introduce their children and grandchildren into our caring community!

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Do you #GiveACareAbout Kids?? Check out our page on the blog by clicking here.
Have any questions about our BIBs/Healthy Families Program? Comment below. Or tweet us – @GiveACareIndy.

Budget talks for Fiscal Year 2012 are on the table in the U.S. House of Representatives, and yes once again, we need to remind our legislators just how important community health centers are — not only to saving the health care system money but also to saving patients’ (constituents’) lives.

It seems like we just finished fighting the proposed $1 billion cut for FY2011, which ended up being reduced to a $600 million cut thanks to our efforts as a grassroots advocacy team!  We all give a care about what goes on within our health center walls. And, we all give a care about expanding the square footage between those walls to help serve MORE of the underserved.

In Indianapolis, HealthNet’s service area consists of 59 census tracts:

• 48 of which are medically underserved areas
• 30 are health professional shortage areas
• And 26 are dental health professional shortage areas.

Also within this service area, over 45% of residents are living at or below 200% of poverty level, another barrier on top of the lack of access to care.  (For more facts, figures, and maps click here)

After a short power nap for our grassroots advocacy, it is time to grab that Red Bull, Monster, or your favorite energy drink because we need to get going on pushing for an increase in funding for Fiscal Year 2012!!

Following the National Association of Community Health Centers’ lead, ask your Representative to submit a programmatic request by May 20^th increasing the Health Center Program’s funding by $200 million.  A total of $1.79 billion of discretionary spending for the Health Centers Program “is necessary to allow Health Centers to meet the existing and persistent need of Americans seeking primary and preventive care services.”

HealthNet has been able to expand services at our Southwest Health & Dental Center, People’s Health & Dental Center and soon-to-be expanded Barrington Health & Dental Center, which is currently under construction.  We have submitted a New Access Point proposal, and with an increase in programmatic funding, it will strengthen our chances of serving MORE of those people who need it within our service area.

Learn how you can give a care.  Learn how to contact your Representative today!  All Indianapolis residents will benefit.

[T]his major reduction will — in this year alone — negate the ability to provide basic health care services to over 5 million of our most vulnerable Americans, and will seriously undermine the ability of health centers to provide services to 40 million people by 2015.” – press release from the National Association of Community Health Centers

This cut in health center funding has received mixed feelings from people everywhere.  The good thing is that, according to Congressional summaries, no health center SHOULD have to close its doors and funding to continue services as is will remain.  However, with the good, comes the bad.  Community health center expansion is halted. This will affect the millions of people in this country who, today, cannot access basic primary and preventive health care services in their local communities. It also affects health care costs, as these underserved communities must continue relying on expensive visits to the emergency room for their basic primary care. With cuts in appropriations, the Department of Health and Human Services will have to redirect funds from the Affordable Care Act in order to simply maintain operations as they are today.

Feel free to research the links above to learn more about the state of the Health Center Program TODAY, but as advocates giving a care about health centers in Indianapolis, the state of Indiana, AND throughout our nation, we need to keep forging ahead.

Here are three ways to help community health center expansion despite the funding cuts.

1.  Continue to call, email, and fax letters to your legislators
   - Remind your Representatives and Senators that even the slightest setback will not discourage us from emphasizing the importance of health center funding.  This will give us more clout and respect as an advocacy group, and our Congressmen will have to continue to take us seriously.
2. Educate your friends and family about community health centers.
   - Plenty of people STILL do not understand the mission and role of community health centers.  Spreading the good news of the work done in our centers, the money the health care system saves, and the number of lives touched by FQHCs can only help gain more advocates who will be easily persuaded to sign a petition or send and email when called upon to do so.
3. Keep working with the same amount of passion.
   - Whether you are a front desk worker, a physician, a nurse midwife, or finance staff person, continue to approach your job with the same passion day in and day out.  Our funding may have been cut, but that should not mean that our quality of care has been cut. The passion of CHC staff is what makes advocacy easy!

 What is one project that you would like to see done to help with Health Center Advocacy?  Share your ideas below!!

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

In Indiana, two new health centers will close and more than 85,500 patients will lose access to care. Nationally, health centers will lose the capacity to serve 11 million patients and 127 health centers across the country will have to close their doors. (this according to IPHCA and NACHC)

This is what could happen if Congress approves a $1.3 billion spending cut to the Community Health Centers Program, in its effort to finalize a national budget for FY2011.  Without community health centers like HealthNet, few options remain, forcing patients to use local emergency rooms for primary care. Not only is ER care expensive, but it also leaves the patient without a medical home for ongoing care.

Funding cuts to Health Centers represent:

• Greater cost to taxpayers and insured patients
  • $1.67 per patient per day at a FQHC; $2.64 average at all physician offices
• Less patients receiving preventative care
  • Requiring more frequent trips to the ER
• Up to $122 billion of health care costs to the American people
  • Taxpayers get a significant return on that investment with FQHCs
• Hospitals have to waste time on primary care
  • Rather than saving lives of the seriously ill and injured

For the uninsured – whose ranks include the poor and the well-off, the employed and the jobless – the issue is more than just a political debate. It is very personal.

Where do I go for care for my family?

The numbers of people who need health care has not decreased, and in denying them access to affordable care, we confront a crisis that poses an even greater risk to our nation’s health — higher rates of chronic disease, higher health-care costs, more needless illness and deaths.

If you give a care about keeping Indianapolis a healthy place to live, take five minutes TODAY to help our city:

1.  Sign up to be a health care advocate.

2. Call or email your Representatives to support all community health centers in Indiana by maintaining level funding for the Health Centers Program for fiscal 2011.

On behalf of the 50,000 patients we serve, thank you for making a difference!