NeighborCare Media
Campaign Asks Residents to Make Community Health Centers Their First
Stop
Part of an effort to increase access to quality care, close to home
Mayor Thomas M. Menino today announced the launch of a new media
campaign to support his NeighborCare initiative, an effort to
eliminate health disparities by improving residents’ access to
needed health services in their neighborhoods. Led by the Boston
Public Health Commission, and in close partnership with the city’s
community health centers, teaching hospitals, health
plans, and health care quality advocates, the initiative hopes to
strengthen the capacity of community health centers and hospitals to
offer the right care, at
the right place, and at the right time.
“By providing high-quality care close to home, our community health
centers are some of Boston’s greatest assets,” Mayor Menino said.
“I’m really
proud of the work all our partners have done to promote primary care
in community settings, and I hope our marketing campaign will
introduce even more
folks to these resources right in their neighborhoods.”
Argus Communications developed and executed the media campaign to
raise awareness about the quality and availability of Boston’s
community health centers. The new ads will be displayed at MBTA
stations and bus shelters during the month of November. “When you
are sick or hurt, call the neighbor you know,” reads one poster.
“Care. With you at the center,” it goes on to say.
Community health centers represent the largest primary care network
in the state. Boston’s 24 health centers care for more than 300,000
people, or
roughly half of the city’s residents, annually. They also represent
a major source of care for medically underserved populations. In
addition to providing
traditional medical care, community health centers offer an array of
specialty services such as dental, vision, and behavioral health
care. In recent years,
Boston’s community health centers have expanded their capacity to
provide same-day or walk-in appointments for urgent care, and many
centers now have on-site pharmacies as well.
Noting the demand for urgent care at his health center, Dr. Patrick
Egan, chief medical officer at Dorchester House Multi-Services
Center, said,
“Our patients love it because they can get care when they need it
right in their neighborhood. Our doctors and nurses love it because
they learn what’s
happening with their patients right away. Even the insurers love it
because our patients are using the ER less for unnecessary visits.”
$51 million in recent funding from the federal stimulus and health
care reform acts has allowed 14 community health centers in Boston
to expand operations, hire new physicians and nurses, upgrade
technology, and undertake facility renovation projects. Dorchester
House, Codman Square, Mattapan, East Boston, and Whittier Street
health centers have all expanded or opened brand new facilities in
the past two years.
Data from the Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and
Policy have shown that emergency departments are frequently used for
non-emergency care or for care that could have been provided by a
primary care clinician. By promoting community health centers as a
front line resource, NeighborCare aims to improve the continuity of
care for patients and to reduce the higher costs associated with
treating issues such as a sore throat or cough in an emergency
department setting.
NeighborCare’s partners have developed a set of guidelines to help
transition patients that are treated in Boston’s emergency
departments back to their community health centers and to improve
communication among all health care providers. The working group
that developed this set of best practices
reviewed challenges around issues such as data sharing across
institutions and the need for the entire health care system to
deliver consistent and appropriate education to patients. The
simple, straightforward procedures that resulted
from the group’s work will be implemented in emergency and community
health care settings. This coordination will help ensure that
patients receive high quality, seamless care no matter where they
are treated.
Mayor Menino announced NeighborCare in his 2011 State of the City
address. To learn more about NeighborCare, visit www.BPHC.org, or
call the
Mayor’s Health Line at 617-534-5050.
