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Today is For the latest News & Updates on the following topics, please click the link: 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 Lyon-Martin Health Services' The original Brothers for Sisters campaign began in 1995 as a way for Bay Area men to 'give-back' to the women's community who had been the first to step up as care-givers and help-mates when HIV first ravaged the San Francisco LGBT community. That giving tradition continues on May 15th as we come together to honor women, men and transgender people who are working together to support Lyon-Martin. Lyon-Martin provides personalized healthcare and support services to women and transgender people who lack access to quality care because of their sexual or gender identity, regardless of their ability to pay. Lyon-Martin Health Services is the only free-standing community clinic in California with a specific emphasis on lesbian/bisexual women and transgender health care. So far, in 2008, Lyon-Martin has been named as a beneficiary of events produced by men from the Bears of San Francisco and The Gay Rodeo in support of Brothers for Sisters. In addition, committee members are in the planning stages for two other events this year. The Brothers for Sisters campaign invites YOU to join this wonderful
effort in support of Lyon-Martin. For more information, or buy tickets
online, please click here
to be redirected to Lyon-Martin's Events page. 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. SFCCC President & CEO John Gressman Responds to "State Children's Health Insurance Program" Chronicle Article John Gressman, SFCCC's President & CEO, responded to an article published in the San Francisco Chronicle. To read Mr. Gressman's Letter to the Editor, which was originally published on Saturday, September 15, 2007, please click here. New York Times Covers North East Medical Services & Healthy San Francisco To read the September 14, 2007 New York Times article about "Healthy San Francisco" and North East Medical Services, please click here. SFCCC President & CEO John Gressman Responds to "Safety Net" Chronicle Article SFCCC's President & CEO, John Gressman, recently responded to an article published in the San Francisco Chronicle. To read Mr. Gressman's Letter to the Editor, which was originally published on Friday, August 31, 2007, 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. The Bay Area Reporter (BAR) covered the recent name change of Lyon-Martin Women's Health Services to Lyon-Martin Health Services. Dawn Harbatkin, MD, Medical Director of Lyon-Martin, discussed the name change with BAR reporter Heather Cassell. Please click here to read the article. 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. For SFCCC's most recent Policy Updates, please click here. 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. San Francisco Free Clinic's Dr.
Patricia Hellman Gibbs Dr. Patricia Hellman Gibbs, co-founder of SFCCC's partner health center, the San Francisco Free Clinic, was featured in an article in the San Francisco Chronicle's Friday, January 6, 2006 edition. To read the article on the Chronicle's website, please click here.
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