Community Health Center Incorporated

IMPROVING HEALTHCARE OUTCOMES AND BUILDING HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES (SEE SCHEDULE O)COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC. ("CHC") IS BUILDING A WORLD CLASS PRIMARY CARE ORGANIZATION, COMMITTED TO SPECIAL POPULATIONS, IMPROVING HEALTH OUTCOMES AND BUILDING HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES THROUGH CLINICAL EXCELLENCE, RESEARCH AND INNOVATION, AND TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION. CHC IS BASED ON CONSUMER CONTROL AND IS COMMITTED TO ENSURING HUMAN RIGHTS AND RESPECTING HUMAN DIGNITY; AS SUCH, IT STRIVES TO BE A VOICE AND VEHICLE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE.

MEDICAL SERVICES: COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC. (CHC) PROVIDES COMPREHENSIVE PRIMARY MEDICAL CARE TO PATIENTS OF ALL AGES, FROM NEWBORNS TO GERIATRIC PATIENTS THROUGH ITS PRIMARY CARE OFFICES ACROSS THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT. IT PROVIDES CARE IN TRADITIONAL OFFICE SETTINGS AS WELL AS IN SCHOOL BASED HEALTH CENTERS, HOMELESS SHELTERS, AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CENTERS. CHC'S MODEL OF CARE IS BASED ON THE PRINCIPLES OF ADVANCED ACCESS, PLANNED CARE, AND THE CHRONIC CARE MODEL SUPPORTED BY ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS AND A TEAM-BASED APPROACH TO CARE. CHC ALSO PROVIDES PRENATAL CARE AND SPECIFIC SPECIALTY AND SUPPORT SERVICES INCLUDING HIV/AIDS, PODIATRY, DIABETES EDUCATION, NUTRITION, AND PHARMACY CONSULTATION.(SEE SCHEDULE O) CHC IS ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF MEDICAL HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS AND WELCOMES STUDENTS AND RESIDENTS FROM MULTIPLE UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES OF NURSING, MEDICINE, AND PHARMACY AS WELL AS OPERATING THE COUNTRY'S FIRST RESIDENCY PROGRAM FOR FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONERS.COVID-19 BECAME THE OVERWHELMING FOCUS IN EARLY 2020, AND REQUIRED CHCI TO MAKE RAPID CHANGES TO THE WAY IT TRADITIONALLY PROVIDED CARE THROUGH IN-PERSON VISITS. THE PANDEMIC DEEPLY IMPACTED ITS PATIENT POPULATION, MANY FROM THE POOREST COMMUNITIES WHERE THE RISK OF COMPLICATIONS AND DEATH FROM CORONAVIRUS IS HIGHEST. MOVING TO TELEHEALTH REQUIRED A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN TECHNOLOGY AND PEOPLE POWER TO DELIVER SERVICES IN A NEW WAY, KEEPING PATIENTS CONNECTED TO MEDICAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROVIDERS WHILE STAYING SAFELY AT HOME.THE SHIFT TO TELEHEALTH BEGAN EARLY IN MARCH 2020; CHCI DEPLOYED ZOOM TECHNOLOGY, INCLUDING VIDEO AND PHONE, AND TRAINED PROVIDERS IN ITS USE. PLAYBOOKS WERE COMPILED, PATIENTS AND PROVIDERS WERE GIVEN SUPPORT FOR THIS NEW WAY OF DELIVERING AND RECEIVING CARE, AND RESULTS WERE TRACKED AND EVALUATED. THE FIRST PATIENT VISIT VIA TELEHEALTH WAS CONDUCTED ON MARCH 9, 2020, AND MOST PATIENT APPOINTMENTS WERE SUBSEQUENTLY BOOKED ON THE TELEHEALTH PLATFORM. FROM THE START, PATIENT AND PROVIDER FEEDBACK WAS OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE. CHCI'S MODEL RECEIVED NATIONAL, STATE AND LOCAL MEDIA ATTENTION, INCLUDING USA TODAY AND THE WALL ST. JOURNAL. WHILE SOME PATIENTS STRUGGLED WITH VIDEO, EARLY FEEDBACK PROVED THE SWITCH TO TELEHEALTH WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO, AND TELEHEALTH WILL CONTINUE TO BE PART OF THE CHCI PATIENT CARE MODEL EVEN AFTER THE PANDEMIC ENDS.FAST ON THE HEELS OF THE AGENCY-WIDE TRANSITION TO TELEHEALTH, CHCI STOOD UP COVID-19 TESTING FOR PATIENTS AND THE PUBLIC AT ITS SITES ACROSS THE STATE. CHCI TRULY BECAME "CONNECTICUT'S HEALTH CENTER" IN ITS RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC, AS A TRUSTED AND EFFICIENT PROVIDER OF TESTING TO TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE MOST OF WHOM HAD NEVER USED THE HEALTH CENTER IN THE PAST, AND MANY OF WHOM RETURNED TIME AND TIME AGAIN FOR TESTING. CHCI'S VISIBILITY INCREASED BY MULTIPLES DURING THIS TIME, WITH NEARLY DAILY REPORTS IN NATIONAL, STATE AND LOCAL MEDIA, INCLUDING ABC'S GOOD MORNING AMERICA AND THE NEW YORK TIMES. BY MID-2020, THE AGENCY HAD ALREADY BEGUN PREPARING TO ADMINISTER THE COVID-19 VACCINE WHEN DOSES BECAME AVAILABLE.AS A NATIONAL LEADER IN EDUCATION THROUGH ITS WEITZMAN INSTITUTE, CHCI BEGAN IN MARCH TO SHARE ITS COVID-19 LEARNINGS AND EXPERTISE FREELY WITH PRIMARY CARE PRACTICES IN ALL 50 STATES VIA WEEKLY PROJECT ECHO WEBINARS. WEBINARS ROUTINELY ATTRACTED MORE THAN 1,000 PARTICIPANTS, WITH EXPERT FACULTY ADDRESSING TOPICS SUCH AS EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, ANXIETY AND BEST PRACTICES.

SCHOOL BASED SERVICES: OUR SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH STAFF ARE LICENSED HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS, WHO WORK WITH SCHOOL STAFF AND NURSES TO PROVIDE EXPANDED MEDICAL, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, AND DENTAL SERVICES TO STUDENTS DURING THE SCHOOL DAY. THEY WORK IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE STUDENT'S PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS TO SUPPORT THEIR HEALTH CARE NEEDS. CHC PROUDLY SERVES OVER 17,000 STUDENTS THROUGHOUT CONNECTICUT.AS PART OF OUR RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 CRISIS, THE WEITZMAN INSTITUTE ALSO TEAMED WITH THE SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH ALLIANCE FOR A NATIONAL WEBINAR SERIES ON LEADERSHIP, EXPERIENCE, AND TELEHEALTH STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT A VIRTUAL SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH CENTER MODEL.

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES: COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC. (CHC) PROVIDES INDIVIDUAL, GROUP, AND FAMILY TREATMENT FOR ADULTS AND CHILDREN REFERRED PRIMARILY FROM ITS PRIMARY CARE DEPARTMENT, AS WELL AS FROM COMMUNITY SOURCES. THE CHC BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TEAM INCLUDES PSYCHIATRISTS, PSYCHIATRIC APRNS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, LCSWS, AND SOCIAL WORKERS WHO WORK IN AN INTEGRATED MODEL WITH THE PRIMARY CARE TEAM TO ASSURE COORDINATED, COMPREHENSIVE CARE. CHC PARTNERS WITH MULTIPLE SCHOOL SYSTEMS TO IMBED A CHC BEHAVIORALIST WITHIN SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE EARLY INTERVENTION AND TREATMENT OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CONDITIONS. A MEMBER SUBSTITUTION WITH CHILD GUIDANCE CENTER OF SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT, INC. EXPANDED THESE PROGRAMS. (SEE SCH. O)IN ORDER TO EXPAND ACCESS TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE, CHC EXPANDED ITS OPERATIONS BY SIGNING A MEMBER SUBSTITUTION AGREEMENT WITH THE CHILD GUIDANCE CENTER OF SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT, INC. IN JANUARY 2020, CHC BEGAN OPERATING THE MAJOR PROGRAMS PERFORMED BY CGC WHICH INCLUDED:-THE PROVISIONS OF CGC PROVIDES CHILD AND FAMILY THERAPY SERVICES.-THE CHILD FIRST PROGRAM WHICH IS AN EVIDENCE-BASED, INTENSIVE, HOME-BASED SERVICE THAT IDENTIFIES VERY YOUNG AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN FROM HIGH RISK FAMILIES BEFORE ABUSE OR NEGLECT HAS OCCURRED AND BEFORE A CHILD DEVELOPS SERIOUS PROBLEMS. -THE STATE'S DESIGNATED MOBILE CRISIS INTERVENTION SERVICE ("MCIS") PROVIDER FOR STAMFORD, GREENWICH, DARIEN AND NEW CANAAN.

DENTAL SERVICES: THE DENTAL CARE TEAM, INCLUDING BOTH DENTISTS AND DENTAL HYGIENISTS AT CHC IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE INTEGRATED CARE TEAM. THEY WORK CLOSELY WITH ALL OF THE STAFF TO ENSURE THE PATIENTS ORAL HEALTH IS CARED FOR. IN ADDITION TO THE MAIN CARE SITES, CHC OFFERS DENTAL CARE AT MANY OF THE SCHOOL BASED HEALTH CENTERS, AND HAVE MOBILE DENTAL CLINICS THAT BRING CARE TO PATIENTS ACROSS THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT. ALL OTHER PROGRAMS: COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC. (CHC) IS CONCERNED WITH THE INTERFACE OF PERSONAL HEALTH WITH POPULATION HEALTH AND COMMUNITY HEALTH AS A COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER. TO THIS END IT IS EXTENSIVELY INVOLVED IN CONDUCTING COMMUNITY OUTREACH, HEALTH EDUCATION, AND PREVENTION/WELLNESS PROGRAMS SUCH AS THE "FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER AND ITS DANCE/PHYSICAL ACTIVITY SPACE, "VINNIE'S." IT OPERATES A 24/7 BATTERED WOMEN'S SHELTER, CONDUCTS HOME VISITATION PROGRAM SUCH AS THE NURTURING FAMILY NETWORK, AND PROVIDES EXTENSIVE SUPPORT SERVICES TO SPECIAL POPULATIONS SUCH AS HOUSING SERVICES FOR PERSONS LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS.