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.

_______________________________________________

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

While caring for others is what we do best, National Health Center Week (NHCW) — for us, at HealthNet – is about taking time to step back and care for ourselves.

A lot goes on during NHCW:

• August recess for legislators – time to ask them to make a visit a health center site
• Back-to-school for our local kids – our School-Based Services team is BUSY! As well as our centers giving back-to-school immunizations
• Normal, everyday craziness that goes on during any summer day

But, it is important for any organization to remember to take time to breathe, to celebrate successes and recognize its staff and the amazing work they do every day. This is the focus of our NHCW celebration starting on Monday, August 8^th and ending that Friday, August 12^th.

As a favor, we are asking for your help in the weeks leading up to and during National Health Center Week.  We need some help reminding our members of Congress just how important our health centers are to the communities we serve.

The Appropriations committee is likely to hold off on considering any more bills until after the August recess.  That means more time is available.  More time to advocate, not only for our community health centers, but also our outreach programs – Homeless Initiative Program, Better Indy Babies, and Healthy Families!

The favor we ask is small, but it’ll take a little effort! 

Please head over to our #GiveACareAbout Wall and post what you give a care the most about our programs and health centers.  Whether it is saving the health care system money through affordable care or helping to house a homeless person, we can use your petitions in the future to show how important these services are to Indianapolis.

Your efforts to help with this favor will be MUCH appreciated and recognized throughout our entire organization!

School-based clinics are considered one of the most effective strategies for delivering high quality, comprehensive, and culturally-competent primary and preventive care to children and teens.”

The study was done in Denver, CO – ‘using administrative databases maintained by Denver Health (DH) and Denver Public Schools (DPS)’.  Denver Health is Denver’s primary “safety-net” institution caring for many of the city’s uninsured.  Similar to us here at HealthNet, Denver Health is composed of 11 school-based health centers (SBHCs), 9 community health centers, 2 urgent care centers, and a tertiary care hospital with an emergency department.  HealthNet operates 6 community health centers, 3 specialty care centers, and offers school-based services in 8 schools.

The most interesting fact about the study is that the comparison was between students who use SBHCs and students who use community health centers and NOT a school-based health center.

The findings were clear!

School-based users were less likely to be insured, either by Medicaid or another form of insurance; however, they were more likely to have made greater than 3 primary care visits and half as likely to use emergency care for health maintenance.

The results show the importance of having a health center present in schools.  School-based health centers help boost access to quality care for underserved and uninsured students.

———————————

What do you think about the having access to primary care within schools?
Would it benefit students even if they are NOT in underserved areas?
Leave you comments below!

———————————-

To read the full research study click here – the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.