From State Senator John Damoose’s Office:

“Caring for the Community…
East Jordan – Thank you to the entire team and board of the East Jordan Family Health Center for giving me such a thorough tour yesterday, and especially for highlighting the critical challenges we have maintaining effective and affordable health care for our residents in Northern Michigan. These meetings are extremely important to helping me provide the best representation possible as the legislature considers critical issues like expanding 340B drug coverage, launching innovative behavioral health initiatives, and so many other programs designed to help rural healthcare facilities.

I appreciate your whole team and am impressed by the incredible facilities you have built and the level of care you provide regardless of a person’s ability to pay. Your work is important to our whole region!”

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Community Health Centers (CHCs) have been key to ensuring everyone can access affordable, quality healthcare, during and beyond the pandemic. They are locally run yet part of a national network serving nearly 29 million people nation-wide. They save American taxpayers $24 billion a year in health care costs by preventing and managing chronic diseases. CHCs are not ordinary medical clinics; they are also problem-solvers who reach beyond the exam room to care for the whole person by providing access to necessities like food and housing resources. Community Health Centers care for everyone, regardless of insurance status. As unemployment rises and more Americans lose their employee-sponsored health care, Community Health Centers will be the key to keeping America healthy. Bellaire and East Jordan Family Health Centers offer primary care services, in-house pharmacy, lab, x-rays, mammograms, and behavioral health using the Patient Center Care model.

In order to survive and thrive well beyond the pandemic, Congress must pass emergency and long-term funding for Community Health Centers. As part of National Health Center Week 2022 (August 7 – 13), we invite you to support a Community Health Center in your neighborhood and celebrate their mission and accomplishments.

Every day, health center employees are making difficult choices in the face of staffing and equipment shortages, knowing that they’re not only risking their own health but also the health of their families. But providing the best-possible care to the communities they serve isn’t just their job — it’s their mission.

Responding to the Call for Care

Health centers are adapting their care models and implementing new protocols to respond to this emergency:
• All health centers are supporting the work of Michigan’s overrun hospitals by addressing the rising demand of care. They are assessing patient symptoms — sometimes even conducting parking-lot triage.
• Health centers are testing for COVID-19, and some are offering drive-thru testing services and curbside prescription fulfillment to reduce the risk of exposure and transmission.
• Health centers are working with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to open and expand drive-thru testing locations and provide referral points for residents calling the COVID-19 hotline who don’t have a usual source of care.
• Health centers have transitioned to telephonic care that allows patients to access the medical or behavioral health services they need from home.
• One health center has set up a fast-track clinic that is physically separated from the main building and has dedicated staff members to reduce the spread of transmission.
• In accordance with state and federal guidance, health centers have canceled all routine dental work and are only conducting emergency dental appointments.
• School-based health clinics are currently closed.

Getting it Right When it Matters Most

In partnership with MPCA and local, state, and federal agencies, community health centers are communicating with their patients in new ways:
• One health center launched a hotline to connect patients experiencing COVID-19-related stress to behavioral health therapists over the phone or by email.
• Many are leveraging their social media platforms to share vetted information, post videos to connect with their patients, or host educational Facebook Live events.
• More than ever before, health centers are producing multilingual content about COVID-19 for different audiences.
• One health center is collaborating with a veterans’ organization to provide comforting videos to veterans homes patients who are unable to have visitors because of COVID-19.

Partnering for Success in Michigan and Beyond

MPCA is committed to supporting the work of community health centers by providing them with the resources, information, and peer networking opportunities they need. MPCA supports these
goals by:
• Providing guidance in multiple subject matter areas.
• Conducting weekly informational calls with members.
• Distributing an informational bulletin with policy updates, training opportunities, updated data three times a week.
• Creating an educational social media toolkit.
• Starting a dedicated COVID-19 resource website.
• Assessing personal protective equipment needs on a regular basis.
• Advocating on health centers’ behalf at the state and federal level.