 Phone:508-992-6553 Address: 874 Purchase St. New Bedford, MA |
GNBCHC News & Events (Page 2)
April 2007
The Greater New Bedford
Community Health Center has announced that its Urgent Care Department will
open at 7:30 am starting on Monday, April 30th. The Health Center is
initiating the extended hours to accommodate patients and walk-ins whose work
schedules would otherwise prevent them from getting immediate care. No
appointment is needed. The Urgent Care Department is staffed by physicians who
are board certified in Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine. On-site
laboratory and radiology services are available. The Urgent Care Department
hours are 7:30 am to 6 pm Monday through Thursday, 7:30 am to 5 pm on Friday,
and 9:00 am to 5 pm on Saturday.
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April 2007
Health Fair sponsored by the City of New Bedford, Greater New Bedford Community Health Center, and Southcoast Hospitals Group to be held April 21, 2007
In the year since the Commonwealth Care Health Insurance Program was signed into law, the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center has been working hard to enroll eligible residents whether they are Health Center patients or not. Concerned that they might not be reaching every person that they should, the Health Center has partnered with the City of New Bedford and Southcoast Hospitals Group to make sure that quality, affordable health care is made available to every resident.
The Partners will hold the first of several Health Fairs on Saturday, April 21, 2007 at 560 Pleasant St., New Bedford. Enrollment Specialists from the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center and Southcoast Hospital Groups will be available between 10:00 and 2:00 pm as well as representatives from Boston Medical Center Health Plan and Neighborhood Health Plan. Visitors to the Health Fair can also speak to Nutrition Counselors, receive information on WIC, and visit the Southcoast Mobile Van for blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose screenings. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.
The Greater New Bedford Community Health Center, Southcoast Hospitals Group, and the City of New Bedford urge its friends and neighbors to join the nearly 63,000 Massachusetts residents who have already enrolled in Commonwealth Care. Those who enroll can have the health security they need with comprehensive coverage that includes doctor's visits, prescription drugs, hospitalization, and more.
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February 2007
Greater New Bedford Community Health Center assists residents in applying for Commonwealth Care Health Insurance
Commonwealth Care Health Insurance Program, signed into law in April, 2006, provides health insurance to uninsured adult residents of Massachusetts who are not eligible for MassHealth, college student insurance, Medical Security Plan, TriCare, or Medicare. Commonwealth Care covers doctors' visits, hospitalization, outpatient care, prescriptions, mental health and substance abuse services, dental and vision services, and more. Community health centers and hospitals can help individuals apply for benefits through the Virtual Gateway. The Virtual Gateway is a computer based method of application involving the assistance from the staff of a community organization.
The Benefits Department of the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center is available for screening government programs, including Commonwealth Care, which are available to the uninsured and underinsured. Four bilingual counselors are fully trained in the Virtual Gateway to the full range of services available to qualified individuals. They can answer questions on eligibility, income limits, benefits, and costs as well as the financial implications for not signing up and remaining uninsured. Once an individual visits the Health Center, an appointment is made with the Benefits Department, and the application process is started. In keeping with its mission "to provide programs and services that improve the health of individuals and the entire community" the Benefits Department of the Health Center is open to the community at large, not just Health Center patients, and walk-ins are welcome.
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January 2007
Artworks! Unveils Mural at the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center
The Greater New Bedford Community Health Center, in cooperation with Artworks!, celebrated the unveiling of a new mural in their downtown office's waiting area on Thursday December 7. The mural, a creation of Artworks! Youth Mural Project, is the second collaboration between the two organizations.
The ceremony recognized the work of muralist M-C Lamarre and her class of student artists who created a whimsical, underwater setting bringing a bright and cheerful piece of public art to the walls of the clinic. Greater New Bedford Community Health Center's longtime President and CEO Stuart I. Forman, MEd, PhD, FACHE awarded each of the student artists with a certificate, bracelet and pin recognizing their contribution to the clinic. Speaking to the gathering, Dr. Forman welcomed the artists into the GNBCHC community saying, "Each of you is now a part of our family." Artworks! Director Irene Buck added, "This work of yours will be seen by every person that visits this facility, bringing happiness to thousands of people."
The youth Mural Project, a partnership with the YMCA and the Greater New Bedford WIB Youth Council, is a part of Artworks! Larger efforts to use art as a means through which the youth of New Bedford can become part of a city-wide movement to combat the local drug trade and gang violence while helping to revitalize and beautify the city. Artworks, in cooperation with New Bedford's H.O.P.E. Collaborative, has been awarded funding to identify a neighborhood location to involve youth prone to gang involvement in creating a positive work of public art. The next mural is planned for the spring of 2007 with the location still to be chosen.
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December 2006
Santa’s Elves Volunteer at the Greater
New Bedford Community Health Center
It happens about this time every year – the employees of the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center go all out to make sure that their young patients and their families have a very special holiday season. On one special day they welcome over a 1000 kids who receive toys and warm clothing.
Who are these “Santa’s Elves”? They are the compassionate employees of the Health Center who do what they do everyday - love, care for, and serve the community. On their own initiative, they contact businesses requesting donations, gifts, gift certificates, or money. They visit prospective donors, they send letters, and they do the shopping. They hold coffee and doughnut sales, they bake, and they man the refreshment tables. For each of them, it is a personal way for them to make their patients’ holidays happier.
Why do the Elves do this? It really is
very simple. They care. For the elves, there is nothing better than to see
children’s faces light up and to see happiness on a young mother’s
face.
The Elves (employees) of the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center extend their heartfelt thanks for the generosity of the local businesses that made this December 12th an unforgettable day for the children and families of our community.
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December 2006
Senator Mark Montigny Reads to Children at Greater New Bedford Community Health Center in Support of Reach Out and Read Literacy Program
Doctors at Greater New Bedford
Community Health Center are sending families home from check-ups with free
books and a very important prescription – “read aloud to your
children” after Senator Montigny visited the Health Center on
December 11 to support this message by reading to a group of young patients.
Greater New Bedford Community Health Center participates
in Reach Out and Read, a national program through which doctors and
nurses advise parents about the importance of reading aloud and give books to
children at
check-ups from 6 months to 5 years.
Through Reach Out and Read, each child starts kindergarten with a home library
of up to 10 new, carefully chosen books and a parent who has heard at every
check up about the importance of books and reading. Bilingual books are
available in 12 languages.
Studies show that parents who get books and literacy counseling
from their doctors and nurses are more likely to read to their young children,
read to them more often, and provide more books in the home. Low-income
children exposed to
Reach Out and Read also
show improvements in language scores, a critical component of school readiness.
Greater New Bedford Community Health Center provides books to 1800 children annually. Reach Out and Read serves children at 150 locations across the state, reaching more than 124,000 infants, toddlers and preschoolers each year.
Thank you to Senator Montigny for his participation!
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October 2006
2006 Hispanic American Excellence Awards
The Latino community has every reason to celebrate their
heritage with pride. They have given us members of congress and US Treasurers,
Nobel prize winners in science and Pulitzer prize winners in literature,
musicians and Oscar winners, baseball and football players, and so much more.
This year's celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month closed with the
Seventh Annual Hispanic Recognition Awards ceremony that took place at the
New Bedford Whaling Museum on October 18, 2006. The awards committee
honored thirteen local individuals who have enriched our lives through their
commitment and service to the community at large.
This year the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center received the Community Organization Award "in appreciation for your constant support and dedication to the Hispanic Community". Stuart Forman, CEO, accepted the honor on behalf of every person who works at the Health Center. This is the third time that the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center has been honored. Cruz Martinez of the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center won the Customer Service Award in 2003 and Martha Gonzalez won the Health Award in 2004.
U.S. Treasurer Anna Escobedo Cabral was keynote speaker. Health Center personnel described her speech as eloquent and touching. They expressed their admiration for the commitment and hard work that brought her from modest beginnings to a key government position today.
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Photos from 2006 Gala Celebration and Annual Doctors' Cook-Off
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September 2006
Youth Mural Dedication Ceremony at Greater New Bedford
Community Health Center
For 6 weeks this summer,
the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center had the happy
opportunity to participate in the Youth Mural Program. Fourteen teens worked
closely with dedicated staff from New Directions, New Bedford YMCA, and
Artworks! to produce a mural for the Health Center.
These young people had to tour the Health Center in order to learn what went on there, present 3 concepts to the Health Center committee, and keep in contact with CEO Stuart Forman and his staff regarding dedication activities including news releases, invitations, programs, and the dedication ceremony itself. It was a real life experience for them.
The mural can be seen at the corner of Acushnet Avenue and Elm Street. It depicts an underwater scene of Downtown New Bedford with "patients" (fish) entering and leaving the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center. The teens painted themselves into the mural as representatives of the community appearing as fish riding a whale which, above water, would be a city bus. The young muralists wanted to show a warm and welcoming atmosphere to Health Center patients and they succeeded well beyond their expectations.
Congratulations on a great job Adam, Amber, Ashley, Brianna, Jacob, Joshua, Juan, Justin, Kaitlyn, Kibira, Malta, Miselina, Shannon, and Thomas, and thank you!
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September
2006
Greater New Bedford Community Health
Center Preparing the Next Generation of Managers
| August 2006 Join us for a Chowder & Clamcakes Supper, sponsored by Chapter St. Antoine No. 3, New Bedford. The supper will be held at St. Anthony of Padua Church Hall on Saturday, September 23, 2006 at 5:30 p.m., and will benefit the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center’s Pediatric Division. The cost for adults is $6.00; for children under 12 years, $3.00. For tickets or information, contact Henri Desrosiers at (508) 999-9730 or (508) 996-2151.  |
Cruz Martinez, Benefits Supervisor, received his Certificate in 2003 and his Master's degree in Health Administration in 2005. He feels that the Health Center will continue to be in the hands of people with heart and the ability to do the job well.
Ana Ferreira, Billing Supervisor, graduated in 2004 and is grateful for the opportunity to develop professionally. She plans to pursue a Master's degree.
Martha Gonzalez, MCH Community Health Center Worker, graduated in 2004. She attributes a good part of her success to her supervisor's support and belief in her capabilities.
Deolinda Furtado, Patient Registration Supervisor, completed the Certificate program in 2005. She feels the greatest strength of the Health Center is the respect that staff members have for the patients and for each other.
Cindy Davis, Director of Nursing, earned her Certificate in 2005. She believes perceptions about the Health Center need to be changed. She captured the spirit of the organization when she said "The patients are part of us".
Pam Schmidt, Payroll Manager, is one of our 2006 graduates. She feels the hard work has made her feel more confident and that she is more effective in her job.
Sharon Shustack, Geriatrics and Outreach Nurse, is also a 2006 graduate. She said her education has given her an appreciation for how high technology allows you to efficiently manage client data.
Migdalia Rodriguez, Benefits Outreach Representative, and Darlene Alves, HIV Nurse, have been selected to attend Suffolk University's Certificate Program for the 2006-2007 academic year. Their experiences further augment the range of functions represented by the Certificate holders.
Having invested in the training of these management professionals, the concern is that they will take their skills and experience elsewhere. The eight graduates have a combined total of 87 years of working at the Health Center. When asked why they stay, the responses include:
"I love the people I work with and you have a chance to learn a lot and develop here."
"No matter what, the patients are treated with respect and the Health Center also cares about me and my family."
"I believe in the mission of the Health Center to provide healthcare, with dignity and respect, to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.
"We work as a team. It feels that the patients and the staff are part of a family."
At the end of the latest accreditation visit by surveyors of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the staff at the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center was described as "Careful, Caring, Compassionate, Diligent".
Sleep well, New Bedford! The health care of you and your families are in good hands now and in the future.
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2006
Greater New Bedford Community Health Center Staff Receive Awards from Board of
Directors
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The Health Center recently announced the recipients of the 2006 Board of Directors’ Staff Recognition Awards.
They are:
Susan Choquette, LPN - Pediatrics
Eunice
Lopes – Translation Services
Leslie Martin, RN, BSN – Adult
Medicine
Naomi R. Rappaport, MD – Adult Medicine
Natalie M. Rego,
MLT – Laboratory
Elba L. Feliciano – Billing Department
And, The President’s Award Eileen Dufresne – Secretary/Clerk
of the Board of Directors.
The awards were presented at a 25th
Anniversary Staff Celebration Dinner/Dance on Saturday, April 29, 2006 at the
Abbey Grill in Fall River.
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 Naomi R. Rappaport, MD Adult Medicine - award recipient |
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July 2006
The Greater New Bedford Community Health Center Celebrates its 25th Year of Access to Quality Care
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The Community Health movement began 40 years ago right here in Massachusetts, and it was 25 years ago that the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center opened its doors to residents of New Bedford and surrounding communities. Who knew back then that employment health insurance would decline so much, that health care costs would skyrocket, and that a single family doctor would be harder to find. Right now, in 2006, Health Centers are filling a vital need for comprehensive primary care for insured and uninsured alike.
Our Health Center is one 1,000 Federally Qualified Health Centers around the country serving 15 million patients a year. Our new campus insures that we will be able to offer our patients the care they need in a modern, attractive setting. When patients walk through the doors, they have access not only to the medical staff for adult and pediatric primary care but to a wide range of on-site support services including: Urgent Care, Dental Health, Pharmacy, Nutrition, Laboratory, Radiology, Interpreter Services, and Patient Benefits Counseling. In addition, there are specialty clinics for smoking cessation, diabetes management, obesity management, and a "Teen" clinic.
The Greater New Bedford Community Health Center is a not-for-profit Federally Qualified Health Center accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations for ambulatory care.
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Recognizing the 25th Anniversary of the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center
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In 1978, the first call to meeting went out to the community to begin the work of establishing a community health center for the City of New Bedford. By 1981, the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center had been formed and saw its first patients at 1204 Purchase Street under the federal authority of the United States Public Health Service Urban Health Initiative. This year marks the 25th anniversary of that event.
To fulfill our continuing mission of improving the health of our community, we have assembled some of the best health care. Doctors, nurse practitioners, dentists, nurses, administrators, nutritionists, medical and administrative support staff, security and maintenance personnel-all have had roles to play and have played them well.
Their dedication to our mission has led to success in many areas, such as reduction of the incidence of low birth weight, increasing adequacy of obstetrical care in conjunction with our OB colleagues in the community, immunization of both children and adults, being on the cutting edge of improving care in such chronic diseases as diabetes and HIV/AIDS, bringing critically needed dental care to those on Medicaid or who do not have health insurance, and the list goes on.
We have increased our staff from 34 in 1990 to over 200 staff members, today; from a few thousand clients/patients to approximately 25,000; from a two exam room clinic beginning at 1204 Purchase Street to 40 exam rooms and 6 dental operatories at our downtown campus, today. We also provide a satellite clinic at the Caroline Street Apartments. This expansion helps us in ensuring that everyone who needs care has access to the highest quality of care regardless of ability to pay, disease category, language, sex, race, ethnicity, or any other barrier to care.
The Greater New Bedford Community Health Center is not only good for the medical/dental health of the community, but for its economic health as well. We estimate a return in goods, services, taxes, and jobs to the City of New Bedford (and its environs) of $15-$20 million, as well as supporting at least 300 jobs across all sectors. We have revitalized one-half of a city block on Purchase Street and Acushnet Avenue. We have brought a state-of-the-art medical campus to the downtown with foot traffic of almost 100,000 visits annually.
All of our events this year have been devoted to celebrating 25 years of service. This includes our Employee Recognition event held in April, our June Golf Tournament, and our on site celebration of National Community Health Center Week beginning August 6. On September 30, the Greater New Bedford Community Health Foundation will join the 25th anniversary celebration by sponsoring the Fifth Annual Doctors' Cook-off and Anniversary Gala. We hope that you can join us for these events.
Thank you to all our colleagues in the medical and dental communities, our supporters from local, state and federal government, businesses, religious leaders, our dedicated staff, and our patients who help us make quality health care available to everyone in the Greater New Bedford region.
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June 2006
The Greater New Bedford Community Health Center held its 13th Annual Golf Tournament on Monday, June 12th at the Fall River Country Club.
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 Greater New Bedford
Community Health Center 874 Purchase Street New Bedford, MA 02740 |
Phone: 508-992-6553
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