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Today is For the latest News & Updates on the following topics, please click the link:
Our June 19, 2009 SFCCC Gala Anniversary celebration honoring Congresswoman Jackie Speier has been postponed because the Congresswoman has to be in Washington, D.C. for Congressional work on that date. For SFCCC's most recent Policy Updates, please click here. SAVE THE DATE! (UPDATE) This event has been postponed. The San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium is proud to announce that we will honor Congresswoman Jackie Speier at our 2009 Annual Gala, scheduled this year for Friday, June 19, 2009, at the Concordia-Argonaut Club at 1142 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco. Please check your mail box for invitations, your e-mail for updates, and this site for the latest information on this exciting event! To learn more about Congresswoman Jackie Speier, please click here to visit her official homepage. HealthWell Foundation is a charitable organization that reduces barriers to medical care for patients with cancer, asthma, arthritis, and other chronic or life-threatening diseases. HealthWell Foundation helps to bridge the gap by providing financial assistance to eligible patients to cover certain out-of-pocket costs, including prescription drug coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles. To determine eligibility for financial assistance through HealthWell Foundation, please visit www.healthwellfoundation.org, or call 800-675-8416 between 9:30AM and 5PM, Eastern Standard Time, for an application. San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium Partner Health Centers Provide “Medical Homes” to 70,000 of the City’s Uninsured/ Underserved Residents. For over 30 years SFCCC partner clinics have been providing culturally and linguistically appropriate medical homes to the City’s diverse low-income and uninsured communities. SFCCC clinics are now the medical homes for 70,000 San Franciscans per year. To learn more about medical homes and the importance of SFCCC's partnerships, please click here. What Does California’s Health Care System Need Most? There are 47 million Americans that do not currently have health insurance coverage, with over 6 million in California alone. Leaders and lawmakers are looking for ways to change and improve our healthcare system. As leaders come up with suggestions on how to change our health care system, the following link details basic principles that a fair system should be based upon. Please click here. North East Medical Services Appoints New President and Chief Executive Officer The Board of Directors of North East Medical Services (NEMS) in San Francisco is pleased to announce the appointment of Eddie Chan, Pharm.D., as the new President and CEO, effective July 21, 2008. “We are thrilled that Dr. Chan has agreed to serve as President and CEO of NEMS,” said Anne Brandon, Chair of the NEMS Board of Directors. “We strongly believe that, under his leadership, NEMS will become even better able to provide excellent health care services to the community.” Dr. Chan brings to NEMS nearly 20 years of leadership and experience at Kaiser Permanente in South San Francisco. Since 2005, Dr. Chan has served as the Clinical Operations Manager for the San Mateo Area, which provides care to more than 225,000 patients. In this role, he directed the design, implementation and management of a variety of clinical programs, including Kaiser’s innovative Specialty Pharmacy Initiative, which controlled the handling of high-cost biotechnology medications in all Kaiser regions. Dr. Chan also played a significant role in Kaiser’s Drug Utilization Management program, which saved the organization a combined $120 million in the State of California alone. Most recently, Dr. Chan was selected as one of only 15 leaders for Kaiser’s prestigious Leadership Program at UCSF, which he completed in Spring 2008. Dr. Chan received his undergraduate degree from the UC Berkeley, and his Pharmacy Doctorate from UCSF. He is fluent in Cantonese. Interim President and CEO Sophie Wong, who has been instrumental in bringing NEMS to the forefront of the community health center movement, will remain as a consultant. The NEMS Board wishes to thank her for her extraordinary leadership and on-going service, and looks forward to their continued relationship. Established in 1971, NEMS is one of the largest non-profit community health centers providing health care to a predominantly Asian population in the United States. NEMS provides affordable, comprehensive, compassionate and quality health care services in a linguistically competent and culturally sensitive manner to improve the health and well being of its community. NEMS currently has three clinics in San Francisco, with plans under way to expand two satellite clinics and to build a new clinic in the San Jose area. Letter to the Editor of the San Francisco Chronicle: "State Budget Stalemate Again Threatens Health Care Services to San Francisco’s and California’s Most Vulnerable Low-Income and Uninsured Populations" Dear Editor, California starts the new budget year this week – and once again the Governor and Legislature have failed to approve the state budget on time. Budget delays are not unusual, but every year it is California’s most vulnerable populations and those that serve them that pay the price. In fact, the budget stalemate this year will be particularly harsh on our state’s critical health care safety net -- community clinics and health centers. Medi-Cal funds are due to run out on July 17th if a state budget is not in place. This is added to Medi-Cal payment delays the last two weeks in June and four weeks in August – already approved in the Governor’s mid-year budget cuts in February. These payment delays will have a devastating impact on the financial stability of non-profit clinics. Though clinics consider cutting services a last resort option, some clinics will be forced to down-size sites and restrict services. The result will be the inability of low-income uninsured, underserved and chronically ill patients to get timely care, and the ultimate cost to the state and private health care providers will increase as patients unable to access care at clinics will seek more expensive medical services at hospital emergency rooms. While the state’s budget deficit is incredibly large, clinics receive less than 2/10ths of a percent of overall Medi-Cal dollars. And the impact of withholding payment to our community clinics and health centers will be much more costly to the state, and the overall health and well being of California. The Governor and the Legislature must understand that they cannot continue to make up the budget deficit on the backs of California’s most vulnerable populations. It’s time to seek other alternatives and not put the health of these people at risk. Sincerely, John Gressman San Francisco Chronicle Highlights VET SOS The San Francisco Chronicle wrote about our very own VET SOS program in an article entitled "Reaching Out to Roofless Pets." Please click here for a link to the story on SF Gate. Lyon-Martin Health Services Grows to Meet Community Needs -- Board Diversifies Clinic Leadership Roles Lyon-Martin Health Services (Lyon-Martin), the only clinic focusing on the health needs of San Francisco lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals and underserved women, is pleased to announce the appointment of Teri McGinnis as Executive Director. Former Executive Director/Medical Director Dr. Dawn Harbatkin will continue serving as Medical Director and oversee all aspects of clinical care at Lyon-Martin. Due to growing community need, expanding patient services, and increasing involvement in policy, advocacy and community partnerships, the Lyon-Martin Board of Directors found that the time was right for Lyon-Martin Health Services to have both a full time Medical Director and a full time Executive Director. “The Lyon-Martin Board is grateful to Dr. Harbatkin for filling the dual Executive/Medical Director role for the past several years, and we appreciate her hard work and dedication to the often misunderstood patient populations we serve,” said Laura Kogen, Lyon-Martin Board of Directors’ Chair. “There is still much to do to increase access to quality healthcare for all San Franciscans, and our new Executive Director, Ms. McGinnis will lead that charge. We congratulate Teri and wish her great success.” Prior to her promotion to Executive Director, McGinnis was Lyon-Martin’s Deputy Executive Director for two years, and she also served the clinic in Development and Operations. McGinnis’ tenure as Associate Executive Director at Southwest YMCA included managing the $300K annual giving campaign, the entire YMCA facility and all onsite staff teams. In addition to her UC Davis Biological Science Bachelor’s of Science degree, McGinnis’ educational pursuits include better business practices and communications, as well as hands-on medical emergency and first-aid trainings and certifications. About Lyon-Martin Health Services Lyon-Martin Health Services was founded in 1979 by a group of medical
providers and health activists as a clinic for lesbians who lacked access
to nonjudgmental, affordable health care. Named after well-known feminists
and LGBTQ civil rights activists Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, the clinic
is a model for culturally competent, community-based health care.
A Letter to the Editor of the
Editor: Thank you to Speaker Nancy Pelosi for leading the House to oppose the President’s Medicaid policy and pass legislation to prevent the Administration’s disastrous cuts to Medicaid. The Medicaid regulations proposed by the Bush Administration would have left more Americans without the health care they need in a time of economic uncertainty, and would have shifted the burden of providing critical services to cities, like San Francisco, and states that are already struggling with budget shortfalls. The legislation passed the House with an overwhelming bipartisan majority and would prevent the shifting of the financial burden from the federal government to the states. The budget shortfall here in California has already caused the reduction of many MediCal services. The House legislation is critical and will ensure that California and other states will not be forced to make even deeper cuts to these vital programs. The Speaker understands that the federal government needs to support California’s commitment to MediCal, not add an additional burden. Thank you, Speaker Pelosi, for standing up for all the poor, uninsured and underserved Californians. Sincerely,
A Letter to the Editor of the
Editor: In San Francisco, according to the latest census data, senior adults are the fastest growing age group in San Francisco. By the year 2020, the proportion of seniors will grow by 28%, to 174,000 individuals, who will comprise 21.3% of the total population of the city. Among this age group are uninsured and low-income seniors who need primary health care and an array of supportive services. In 2002 SFCCC and its partner health clinics began meeting to consider the San Francisco census information. We related this information to the projected growth of the population of senior patients and older patients in our clinics and initiated the identification of the capacity building components the clinics would need in order to be ready to begin or to expand the provision of primary medical care and related services. In 2003, with the support of funding from The California Endowment we launched, and are continuing to develop and implement, the Healthy Aging Project (HAP) – a capacity building training program focused on geriatric medical care and comprehensive care for senior patients. Last year our ten SFCCC partner clinics provided primary medical care for a total of 69,412 patients and the combined populations – senior patients and older patients – equal 39% of the total number of SFCCC patients. We urge you to continue to highlight the IOM report and to promulgate its findings. We agree with the findings for the report and we share the grave concern on the part of the IOM that unless the recommended changes in senior health care occur, and occur quickly, the projected crisis situation will become a matter of fact. Sincerely, John Gressman SFCCC's Fiscal Year 2007 Annual Report For a .pdf copy of SFCCC's Fiscal Year 2007 Annual Report, please click here. If you would like a hard copy mailed to you, please e-mail webmaster@sfccc.org. New Report Highlights the Vital Role of Community Clinics and Health Centers The California Primary Care Association recently released a new publication entitled "The Vital Role of Community Clinics and Health Centers: Assuring Access for All Californians." This report provides a summary of the most compelling research making the case that community clinics and health centers are a cost-effective solution to our system's health care woes. For a .pdf copy of the report, please click here. John Gressman, SFCCC President & CEO, Inducted into Grassroots Hall of Fame The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) has inducted John Gressman, President and CEO of the San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium in San Francisco, California into the NACHC Grassroots Hall of Fame. The recognition honors the dedication and energetic efforts by advocates to rally public and political support for the strength and expansion of America’s Health Centers. “John Gressman has been a passionate advocate on behalf of health centers,” said Tom Van Coverden, President and CEO of NACHC. “We would not be here today in such full force were it not for people like John in the community working for better health care. We deeply appreciate his tireless work, dedication and energetic leadership.” Health centers serve as the health care homes for 17 million people in over 6,000 communities. Health centers save the health care system an estimated $9.9 billion to $17.6 billion a year and have drawn top ratings as one of the most highly effective federal programs by the budget conscious White House Office of Management and Budget. With demand for health centers continuing to grow among the medically underserved and uninsured, local, state and national support for initiatives that support and strengthen their mission is critical now more than ever. The national network of health center grassroots advocates, working in communities across the country to spread the message, help make this key support possible. Gressman was one of six individuals presented with the NACHC Grassroots Hall of Fame Award at the 33nd Annual NACHC Policy and Issues Forum in Washington, D.C., an event attended by over 2000 health center leaders from around the country. Founded in 1970, the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance and expand access to quality, community-responsive health care for America’s medically underserved and uninsured. In serving its mission, NACHC represents the nation’s network of over 1,000 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) which serve 17 million people through 6,300 sites located in all of the 50 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam. Information About Economic Stimulus Payments for Social Security, Veterans, and Other Beneficiaries For information about the economic stimulus payments, please click here. VET SOS IS IN NEED OF PROGRAM SUPPLIES VET SOS has compiled a list of needed items. For more information, please click here. New "Health Matters in San Francisco" Website The Building A Healthier San Francisco Coalition has just launched a new website with a lot of information about the health of San Franciscans. The website includes zip code and neighborhood level health status data. It also includes linkages to health program "best practices" from around the country. There is also a variety of information on a host of other community issues - e.g., air quality, transportation. The site will be revised regularly as new information becomes available. To explore the site, please click here. San Francisco Activist Elouise Westbrook Interviewed by ABC News Life-long community activist Elouise Westbrook was recently interviewed by ABC7 News. Please click here for the complete interview. SFCCC's Strategic Plan Initiatives: SFCCC's Board of Directors has adpoted a Strategic Plan for 2007 to 2010. For a copy, please click here. VET SOS Clients Benefit from Endowment Pets Unlimited, a VET SOS partner agency and San Francisco’s oldest non-profit animal shelter and veterinary hospital, received a generous endowment in honor of the late Sergeant Darryl Tsujimoto. The endowment is being established by San Francisco philanthropist Nina Ireland, and will help fund many aspects of animal care, including medical care for animals referred by VET SOS, a project of the SFCCC’s Street Outreach Services program. For more information about VET SOS, please click here. John Gressman, President &
CEO In 1991, when John Gressman assumed the role of President & CEO of the San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium, there were two other clinic networks in California and 4 across the country. Today, SFCCC is one of over 80 clinic networks in the country and 13 in California. The following major achievements and successes are the result of 15 years
of a strategic relationships between a visionary Board of Directors, 8
partner clinics the from 1991 to 1996; 9 from 1997-1999, and 10 from 2000
to the present. Following are some of the major achievements accomplished under Mr. Gressman’s leadership over the past 15 years:
“As a founding member of the San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium, I am proud of the important and invaluable work SFCCC has accomplished under John Gressman’s leadership. I know that our clinics, and our patients, are better served today because of John and his team.” Gladys Sandlin, SFCCC Founding Board Member, former President of SFCCC’s Board of Directors, and Executive Director of Mission Neighborhood Health Center. Chronicle Cites VET
SOS Work with VET SOS was recently featured as a successful Project Homeless Connect partner in the San Francisco Chronicle. To read the full article, please click here. SFCCC Board Resolution: WHEREAS, San Francisco General Hospital, as one of the nation’s leading public hospitals, has continuously provided for over one hundred years a wide range of ambulatory and acute care services to generations of San Francisco residents; and, WHEREAS, San Francisco General Hospital has received
national and international recognition for excellence in services, such
as AIDS care, primary care, specialty care, women and children’s
services, psychiatric services, trauma, clinical research and teaching;
and, Approved by the SFCCC Board of Directors: January 18, 2006 SFCCC and Its Ten Partner Health Centers Urge the City to Adopt Our Guiding Health Care Principles in the Proposed Health Coverage Initiative Board Adopted February 15,2006 SFCCC is the network of 10 non-profit health center organizations serving the City’s diverse communities with culturally and linguistically competent primary medical and dental care services at 16 sites. SFCCC partner health centers provide 270,000 medical and dental visits per year to 75,000 City residents (10% of the population). Approximately 67% of SFCCC health center patients are people of color and 81% have incomes below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. It is estimated that 60% of SFCCC health centers’ uninsured patients are employed full or part time. SFCCC health centers currently employ 1,500 full and part time employees and provide insurance for approximately 95% of them. SFCCC recommends that proposed City health coverage expansions assure that the following principles are incorporated:
For further information please contact Dick Hodgson (VP of Policy and
Planning) at 415 355-2230 or rhodgson@sfccc.org.
San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium Policy on Recommendations To Address California Dental Needs Adopted: February 15, 2006 Dental disease affects more school-age children than any other chronic health condition. It is essential to develop a broad-based approach for reducing the impact of this disease on children, their families and public programs. Strategies should parallel those used for other health conditions, such as asthma, diabetes and obesity. 1) Develop a Comprehensive Oral Health Surveillance System Issues: California currently lacks any mechanism to regularly and systematically collect data on the oral health status of individuals or the availability of oral health services. Decision makers must have current and reliable information to establish relevant policies and programs and evaluate their success. California needs a system to regularly assess oral health status and services. ACTIONS: Such a system would require:
2) Eliminate Barriers to Care Issues: People fail to receive good oral health care for a number of reasons including: a lack of resources (insurance or money) available for care; limited appreciation for the importance of oral health and little information about publicly funded programs. In addition, reimbursement rates for providers through California’s public dental insurance programs are significantly lower than most states and insufficient to attract any significant participation by most private providers. ACTIONS:
3) Prevent Disease Issues: Dental decay is largely preventable if appropriate preventive measures are taken at an early age. These measures include early care by a dentist. Proven preventive dental services such as dental sealants, fluoride varnishes, and the fluoridation of community water supplies are effective but are also underutilized. Funding for research aimed at preventing or eliminating the disease is limited. ACTIONS:
4) Establish an Integrated Public Health Infrastructure Issues: California lacks a sufficient public health infrastructure to meet the oral health needs of its residents, including an adequate dental workforce focused on serving the public. ACTIONS:
VET SOS's Project Coordinator
Dr. Ilana Strubel, DVM, recently received the prestigious Jefferson Award for her work with VET SOS, caring for the companion animals of homeless San Franciscans. Dr. Strubel was featured in a news report on the January 4 edition of KPIX's Channel 5 News. For a summary of the report, please click here. For more information about VET SOS, please click here.
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