Now imagine never being turned away because of inability to pay.

Think about receiving the highest quality of service and care and what that will mean for your family.

Operating as a community health center, HealthNet does exactly that, often surprising uninsured and underinsured patients with the range of low-cost benefits available to them.

For more than 44 years, HealthNet has delivered quality primary care to underserved communities throughout Indianapolis and central Indiana. Over the years, we’ve expanded our definition of primary care to include dental, behavioral health, health education, social work, outreach services and much more. When patients enter the doors of a HealthNet facility, they’ve entered their medical home.

This year, HealthNet began the process of seeking formal recognition for its patient-centered approach through the Joint Commission.

While the term Primary Care Medical Home and the designation are relatively new in the health care industry, it is a practice that HealthNet has used for a long time. Patients benefit from a team of providers, nurses, specialists, health educators and case managers. Our entire team will work with you to develop a custom, culturally appropriate care plan that best suit your health care needs.

And, we’re working to get better at it. Pursuing Primary Care Medical Home (PCMH) status enhances our efforts to continuously improve the personal and coordinated care that we provide for our patients. PCMH creates an environment that allows us to work better as a team and treat the whole patient. It’s at the core of our organization, and is an accreditation that we will be extremely proud to have earned, once the process is complete.

Throughout September we’ll be talking more about the concept of “home,” and how it is key to everyone’s health and well-being. We invite you to join in the conversation!

What you can expect…

- We will be holding conversations every Monday on Twitter and Facebook, sharing favorite quotes, questions, and tips about making your home a healthier place for you and your family. Lots of info will be shared throughout the entire day.  Look for the hashtag #healthystart and TUNE IN!

- We will feature blogs throughout the month from patients and staff who have amazing insights to share on what having a health care home really means – for you, your family, our neighborhoods and our city.

- Keep a lookout on our Facebook page for No Place Like Home Fridays! A giveaway will occur each Friday for those who participate.  Details, again, will be found on our Facebook page the day of the giveaways.

- Want us to keep you updated via email?? Sign up for our eBlasts now by clicking here .

How you can directly help…

If you remember nothing else, please let it be that HealthNet very much needs your help! In order to expand our reach, we need support from people like you who crave to help their community.

If you like what you read in September, we are asking that you please consider forwarding these messages, links, tweets and Facebook posts to friends, family members, and work colleagues. By providing a little education and an easy way to get involved, we believe we can bring new awareness to our cause — especially with your encouragement!

Clients of the BIBs/HF program get a sense of community at the picnic. We all have had situations where we felt alone and as if we are the only person in the world going through a particular experience.  The BIBs/HF staff take pride in supporting clients, connecting them to community resources, and letting them know that they are NOT alone.

Both home-visitation programs are dedicated to meeting the needs of culturally diverse families in our community. They encourage self-sufficiency and healthy parent-child relationships. I had a chance to talk with three different families who attended the picnic. Support was the repeated and underlying feeling that shined through in every answer to my questions.

Carrie Tahat was a mother who was completely by herself when she found out about BIBs/HF in the hospital.

HealthNet: What services have been the most useful for you and your daughter?
Tahat: Receiving referrals and information to community resources.  When I was homeless they connected me with the program that helped me find an affordable place to stay.  BIBs/HF staff would even drive me to my doctor appointments when I really needed to get to the doctor.

They have been really helpful with all things for clothing, food, and shelter. I have been with the program for 8 months, and they have helped me with EVERYTHING that I have needed.

Melanie Smith was referred to BIBs/HF when she was 3 months pregnant and attending her appointment at HealthNet’s own Barrington Health Center.

HealthNet: If you met someone in a similar situation as yourself, what would you say to get them to seek out the services provided by BIBs/HF?
Smith: I have referred A LOT of people.  A lot of people come up to me and ask me HOW I am doing such a good job raising my children and make sure they are hitting their milestones.  I tell them that BIBs/HF is a great way to find support from people OTHER than your family.

They do a really good job of letting you know that you are not alone. They do a really good job of supporting YOU.

Cliff and Serena Williams have a 3-year-old son who is a GRADUATE of the program.  Serena had no idea about the support system available from BIBs/HF until she was referred by the doctor, and now she tells EVERY pregnant woman she meets that it is essential for them to get into this program.

HealthNet: What is the best part of the BIBs/HF program?
The Williams: The home visits are interactive and personal.  Our son has been a handful, and our home visitor has presented a wide variety of activities and strategies to help him reach his milestones and goals. 

There are so many more success stories like these! Together, HealthNet’s Better Indy Babies and Healthy Families programs provided more than 12,634 visits to at-risk homes in Marion County last year. With your help, they can do even more.

Every parent and parent-to-be needs support and encouragement. Know someone who might benefit from BIBs/HF’s programs? Email info@indyhealthnet.org to learn more!

However, HRSA (the Health Resources and Services Administration) has just made it possible for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) to partner with supportive housing and homeless outreach teams to provide health care for their clients. In early December of 2010, HRSA announced that they will be granting $270 to $335 million to FQHCs throughout the nation to continue to serve the medically uninsured and underinsured.  And, the homeless fall right into this category.  The administration is offering this funding mainly to allow a doctor on outreach staff and increasing case management for residents who live in supportive housing.

Providing health care for the homeless in the right manner takes full wrap-around care consisting of outreach, engagement, medical care, behavioral health, case management, and life skills training.  HealthNet‘s network of FQHCs and Homeless Initiative Program work together to meet these needs.  A doctor is present with our Outreach team one day a week, and our staff in each FQHC are willing to work with anyone who steps through the door!

HRSA is providing the basis for health care for the homeless programs to start and expand; however, many of these funds are not sufficient.  You can be a part of providing health care for those who need it most by spreading awareness about local programs who provide health care for the homeless like HIP, or by donating directly to HealthNet’s HIP team.

Learn more about HRSA’s funding at the National Health Care for the Homeless Council’s website.

In reading a Poverty In America blog post on change.org, there is a story about a former WORLD CHAMPION Middleweight boxer named Iran “The Blade” Barkley.  He had a 17 year career in which he earned nearly $5 million dollars.  He is now homeless.

“Until recently, he was living in his childhood apartment with his niece. When he was unable to contribute to the household financially, he was locked out. Now he relies on the support of some close friends to continue to stay in a low cost hotel for another night.”

Homelessness can happen to anyone. The reasons for why it can happen vary with each individual.  Even people who have a stable situation with plenty of support financially may find themselves homeless at some point.  I think the greatest point to get from stories like these is realizing is that “the homeless” are people, human beings.  Sure, they have ended up in a rough time, but most likely, they did not start out their life striving to be homeless.  Situations happen, and tragedies occur.  Sometimes they are brought on by the individual and other times it is because of influences out of the person’s control.

Point being, homeless individuals are human beings deserving of opportunity.  They may have fallen on hard times, and yes it is up to them to get themselves out of the situation.  However, a lot of times, they just need the resources and tools to do it.  Help support these people, help provide support so that resources and opportunities arise so that they might get back to self-sufficiency.  Visit our Homeless Initiative Program page, or visit our donation page to learn more or directly support our program!