[NPInfo] RE: [ACC-Circle] New Orleans Primary Care Fix

Sat Mar 8 14:50:12 PST 2008

Hi- This clinics are community health centers. Trust me, lots of PAs and NPs! I practice in a community health center about 30 mi from Boston. So, we are simply invisible once again..... How horribly frustrating. 

Dr. Margaret A. Fitzgerald, DNP, FNP-BC, NP-C, FAANP, CSP President, Fitzgerald Health Education Associates, Inc. 85 Flagship Drive North Andover, MA 01845-6154 978.794.8366 FHEA website www.fhea.com FHEA on line store www.fhea.biz peg at fhea.com
FNP, Adjunct Faculty, Family Practice Residency Greater Lawrence (MA) Family Health Center, Inc.

> To: ACC-Circle at listserve.com; PAForum at mc.duke.edu; NPinfo at nurse.net> From: dmittman at comcast.net> Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2008 12:20:30 -0500> Subject: [ACC-Circle] New Orleans Primary Care Fix> > WELCOME TO THE ACC-CIRCLE DISCUSSION LIST!> Strength in Unity: Join the ACC today: http://www.amcollege.org> > *********************************************************> 2 questions> -I can't believe the Boston clinics do not have NPs and PAs?> -Does anyone know Dr. Sachs or how to reach him?> -I don't think docs will want to practice there in the numbers they > expect to get.> Our 2 professions should set up a demonstration clinic and fund a > study on it.> Dave> > > Boston clinics may be model for New Orleans> Tulane dean's plans still at talking stage> Tuesday, March 04, 2008> By John Pope> Staff writer> During his 28 years at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Benjamin Sachs > helped launch a network of clinics to deliver a combination of > primary and preventive health care to people in some of Boston's > poorest neighborhoods.> > As part of the preparation for establishing a similar system in New > Orleans, Sachs, now dean of Tulane University's medical school, is > leading a group of 14 health-care professionals and community leaders > to Boston today to pick up pointers.> > In Boston, about 200,000 people are treated each year at 25 community > clinics, which are affiliated with Harvard and Boston University. > While these neighborhood centers are designed to treat problems > before they become major -- and more expensive -- participants are > referred to doctors from one of those institutions if they need > specialized care.> > "I'm hoping to see how Boston did it so well so we won't have to > reinvent the wheel," said City Councilwoman Jacquelyn Brechtel > Clarkson, a member of the delegation.> > Establishing such a network is an important part of rebuilding New > Orleans, not only to provide readily accessible medical care but also > to help persuade people to return to the city, Clarkson said.> > "As we're rebuilding neighborhoods, we need this," said Dr. Karen > DeSalvo, vice dean for community affairs and health policy at > Tulane's medical school.> > DeSalvo laid the groundwork for such a system shortly after Hurricane > Katrina, when she and Tulane colleagues opened a clinic at Covenant > House. This center, which treats about 1,000 patients a month, has > become known beyond New Orleans. Among the grants it has received are > $425,000 from Johnson & Johnson and $5 million from Qatar.> > > > Community control> > At this point, the New Orleans system is still in the talking stage. > Although Sachs and DeSalvo said they have discussed the project with > representatives of Central City, the Lower 9th Ward and the > Vietnamese community, no sites have been picked for the two or three > clinics Sachs envisions.> > But everyone agrees on this point: Members of the communities where > the centers go will play a dominant role in their management.> > One possible clinic site would be in eastern New Orleans, where many > of the patients would be members of the Vietnamese community.> > Such a clinic "will be our facility. That is our demand," said the > Rev. Vien The Nguyen, pastor of Mary Queen of Vietnam Church and a > member of the Boston-bound group. "When we are the owners, we will > determine when it will be open and when it will be closed," he said.> > And that is fine with Tulane. "As the community goes, we go," Sachs > said.> > "The look and feel should come out of the neighborhood, like po-boy > shops," DeSalvo said.> > Sachs and DeSalvo have drawn support from Clayton Williams, the > Louisiana Public Health Institute's director of health-systems > management, who will be on the two-day trip.> > "I think their vision is wonderful," he said. "We historically have > not had enough neighborhood-based primary-care facilities to meet the > needs of our population, and we think their vision is consistent with > our vision of what should happen."> > Although each clinic's plans will be community-driven, there will be > close ties to Tulane, DeSalvo said. "This is not just sprinkling some > primary-care doctors out there and saying, 'Good luck.' "> > > > Quality, efficiency> > The broad strokes of the Tulane plan are outlined in a 12-page > brochure that Sachs and DeSalvo wrote with Leah Berger, director of > the office of community affairs at Tulane's medical school, and Dr. > Harvey Makadon, a clinical professor of medicine at Harvard.> > Each clinic should provide high-quality primary and preventive care > that will be cost-effective, the authors say. Each center should also > manage chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure > and reduce disparities in health care among population groups.> > "People say we can't afford it," Clarkson said. "It's quite the > opposite. These neighborhood clinics have preventive medicine and > will make health care less expensive" for taxpayers who foot the bill > for uninsured people.> > This is the argument Sachs has used to build support for this concept.> > "I didn't pitch the moral argument" for providing care, he said. "I > pitched the business argument. The light went on, and they understood > that they need to get involved."> > > > Financing sources> > Each clinic would have 10,000 to 20,000 square feet and have as many > as eight primary-care doctors who could care for as many as 16,000 > patients a year, the authors say.> > Each building could cost as much as $5 million, including equipment, > and would have an annual budget of around $2.4 million, according to > the brochure. Although each probably run a deficit of about $1.1 > million for the first two years, planners envision that would be > eliminated as soon as the centers qualified for reimbursements by > caring for uninsured people.> > Money for the centers would come from federal and state governments, > as well as private sources such as donations and philanthropic > organizations, Sachs said.> > Records would be kept electronically, with appropriate privacy > safeguards, to prevent a recurrence of the widespread destruction of > such paperwork by Katrina and floodwaters.> > Although the centers would provide medical homes that would ensure > better care, Sachs and DeSalvo envision them as community centers, too.> > "What we're trying to do is rebuild communities, not just provide > health care," said Sachs, who described such centers as "the glue > that brings communities together."> > Nguyen already has plans for putting a school next to such a clinic > in his neighborhood, as well as a place for such activities as > tutoring, job training and community-service projects.> > In Boston, Sachs said, some patients found role models among clinic > personnel who inspired them to embark on careers in health care.> > "They found people who looked like them," he said.> > . . . . . . .> > John Pope can be reached at jpope at timespicayune.com or at (504) > 826-3317.> > > > > > > *********************************************************> TO UNSUBSCRIBE OR CHANGE YOUR OPTIONS GO TO:> ACC-Circle mailing list> http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/acc-circle> NOTE: To post a reply to the entire list, use your email program's *Reply To All* button; To reply to the sender only, use your email program's *Reply* button.> NEED TO UNSUBSCRIBE?? *Please unsubscribe me* messages posted to the list are IGNORED. Go the the list web page to set your options.> PROBLEMS? Email the list administrator at acc-circle-owner at listserve.com> > Wear your professions patch proudly. If enough of us do, we will have a great PR campaign. WE NOW ALSO HAVE PINS.@$5.00 EACH> http://amcollege.org/Patches.html> > Friends, do your hands lack that dishpan look? Get BRIGHT-O--makes old bodies new. (This message brought to you by Howard, Fine, and Howard.)> 