The Health Federation of Philadelphia

During , HFP is excited to highlight a recent pilot program from Spectrum Health Services, Inc. that focuses on the synergistic effect of integrated care and partnerships.

Spectrum's collaboration with Get Fresh Daily on a “Health Produce Prescription Pilot Program” showed promising preliminary results. The program addressed both social influencers of health and health behaviors for a cohort of patients with two or more chronic conditions.

During the 16-week program:
- Participants received local/organically grown produce boxes for free weekly, along with recipes.
- Participants met with members of their care team that included a medical provider, behavioral health consultant, and dietician at least three times.
- Participants were encouraged to attend monthly cooking classes.

At the end of the 16-week program, there were notable changes in participants’ health and health behaviors. Significant outcomes included improved diabetes and hypertension control and improved cholesterol for many participants!

The program was primarily designed and coordinated by Hilary Reichlin, MSW, LCSW, the Director of Integrated Services at Spectrum, with Jiana Murdic, Founder of Get Fresh Daily, as its primary collaborator. Registered Dietitian Biancha Jackson, RD, as well as primary care provider Dr. Akilah Bates, also participated in the project’s design.

Major kudos, Spectrum!

In our world, every week is Health Center Week!

As we close out this week, we send special appreciation to all the providers, clinical staff, administrators, security and cleaning staff, clerical staff, IT staff, health professions students, and everyone who makes sure that health centers are open for business and providing great primary care, including behavioral health, vision, dental care, social services, and many other kinds of care.

You truly are Powering Communities through Caring Connections! We are proud to be your partner.

Health centers provide a range of preventive care services throughout one's lifespan, including screening for cancer.

In 2023, health centers in HFP’s network ensured that more than 30,000 women were up to date on their breast cancer screening, more than 45,000 were screened for cervical cancer, and more than 50,000 adults, 45 and older, had completed a colorectal cancer screening. That’s a lot of cancer prevention!

Health Centers do an incredible job supporting people who live with chronic diseases, like hypertension.

Some health centers — working with HFP and other partners — have empowered patients to understand and control their blood pressure using self-measured blood pressure monitoring, preventing heart disease and strokes, and saving lives.

Watch a patient video about the SMBP program at Delaware Valley Community Health: https://vimeo.com/879459540/ee1914ff56

ChesPenn Health Services, Inc., Berks Community Health Center and The Family Practice and Counseling Network have been working to help their patients improve blood pressure control in the Million Hearts program with great results. They presented their work at a recent meeting with the CDC in Chicago.

📣 Community Health Centers have set a new record! According to federal data released today, health centers now serve 32.5 million across our nation. That means 1 in 10 people are health center patients! Join NACHC in observing National Health Center Week and celebrating why health centers are the provider of choice for millions. Learn how health centers:
✅ prevent acute and chronic disease
✅ deliver essential jobs
✅ reduce overall healthcare costs
✅ save our nation billions of dollars, and
✅ advance health equity for families and communities in need

Follow for more about how health centers deliver high quality, team-based, comprehensive health services that integrate medical, mental, oral, pharmacy, social, and specialty care within and beyond our exam room walls in rural, frontier, urban, suburban, and island communities in over 15K locations.

It’s National Health Center Week!

Did you know…

In late July, HFP's Connect4Health team, in partnership with HealthShare Exchange, brought together community-based and other social service organizations from around the Philadelphia region for a half-day workshop and networking event.

The day included a Connect4Health platform demonstration, explaining how to search for programs and send referrals; a session on how to manage program listings and gain access to free CBO tools, exclusively available to “claimed programs”; a question and answer session with several community-based organizations that currently take advantage of what Connect4Health offers; and more!

Read more about the event and see photos here:

Community-Based Organizations Come Together for Interactive Connect4Health Event | Health Federation of Philadelphia The Health Federation of Philadelphia, in partnership with HealthShare Exchange (HSX), held an event recently on the campus of Temple University for community-based and other social service organizations to learn more about how to utilize Connect4health.org.

Have you heard of PA Navigate? It is a web-based platform that connects PA residents with social services to keep them healthy and engaged in their communities as they age. Just like Connect4Health!

HealthShare Exchange (HSX) will speak on the long-term vision for PA Navigate and answer questions regarding the 1115 waiver and how community based organizations can become more engaged with healthcare.

When: This Friday, July 26; 8:30am - 12:00pm
Where: Temple University's Student Faculty Center.
Register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScrIrZQgDzLpBW5SoTQI4-C6vekvp6TxGt2VZM3DNhy5qmSlA/viewform

We hope you'll join us to learn more about the future of social care in PA!

In addition to the first annual NHC Equity and Opportunity Awards, National Health Corps hosted a symposium last week entitled "Confronting Structural Oppression in Public Health."

Held at the Blue Ball Barn in Wilmington, Delaware, the symposium brought together NHC host site organizations and other institutions in Delaware for a one-day workshop to exchange ideas and experiences about tackling structural barriers to health and wellbeing in the communities they serve. Participants were given the chance to learn more about one another’s initiatives and brainstorm together about common issues that arise in their work to confront structural oppression.

Some photos from throughout the day 👇

Earlier this week, National Health Corps held their first annual NHC Equity and Opportunity Awards at the beautiful Blue Ball Barn in Wilmington, Delaware.

The event served as a formal launch of the wider NHC Equity and Opportunity Initiative (more to come on this soon!), as well as a recognition and celebration of local community grassroots organizations in New Castle County, Delaware, that are actively working to confront structural barriers to health and wellbeing.

Thank you to Delaware Senator Chris C***s and New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer for joining in on the great night! Some pictures can be found below.

Una Majmudar, Clinical Director of HFP's Young Child and Parent Program, alongside HFP Child Parent Specialists Kathy Antaki and Danny Le Clere, and Doug Strane, a Research Scientist at PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, will present at the 7th annual Philadelphia Trauma Training Conference this Thursday, July 18.

Their presentation is entitled "Supporting Families Impacted by Substance Use Disorder through Evidenced-Based Infant Mental Health Attachment-Based Interventions."

More about the conference can be found here: https://jefferson.cloud-cme.com/course/courseoverview?P=5&EID=34724

You're invited!

Join our upcoming community conversation on diabetes and mental health this Saturday, June 22nd, at New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC).

Lunch will be provided and attendees will be eligible for numerous raffle prizes.

Join the conversation. Build community. Get connected!

Earlier this month, health centers from across HFP's Health Center Controlled Network (HCCN) came together for the annual HCCN in-person meeting at Normandy Farm Hotel & Conference Center in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. The HCCN is a grant-supported program open to Federally Qualified Health Centers and look-alikes across Pennsylvania.

Many important topics were covered over the two-day meeting, including electronic health records and key components to optimizing these systems; best practices for social drivers of health assessments and referrals; and a discussion on artificial intelligence and other evolving technologies in the healthcare industry.

Read more about the 2024 meeting here: https://healthfederation.org/health-centers-gather-2024-health-center-controlled-network-annual-person-meeting

You're invited!

Join our upcoming community conversation on diabetes and mental health this Saturday, June 22nd, at New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC).

Lunch will be provided and attendees will be eligible for numerous raffle prizes. Please share with your communities!

Join the conversation. Build community. Get connected!

👏👏👏

Here is Dr. Accamma Joy, BCHC's Associate Chief Medical Officer, presenting a poster on our Self-Monitored Blood Pressure (SMBP) work, supported by The Health Federation of Philadelphia, at the Million Hearts Hypertension national conference in Chicago last week!

We are proud of Dr. Joy and everyone involved in this fantastic program that is helping many patients!

HFP's Connect4Healh team is hosting a "Connect4health Showcase" on Friday, July 26, 8:30am - 12:00pm, at Temple University's Student Faculty Center.

The showcase is an opportunity for community-based organizations and social care providers to learn how to leverage Connect4health/Findhelp, an online social service resource & referral platform, to elevate their programs and send referrals to other organizations.

More information, including the full agenda and registration link, can be found in the flyer below. ALL organizations that provide free or reduced-cost programs/services to Philadelphians are welcome so feel free to share this event with others who might be interested!

HFP's Diabetes Prevention Program is growing!

The year-long Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-recognized educational program will welcome four new groups this summer and fall. Individuals taking part in the program, which is offered in English and Spanish, learn about and making healthy lifestyle changes, with topics ranging from fitness and nutrition to managing and identifying stressors. An emphasis is placed on the well-being and needs of the participants and the unique challenges they face.

Learn more about the program and how to apply here: https://healthfederation.org/hfps-diabetes-prevention-program-growing

For the third consecutive year, the Health Federation of Philadelphia has been awarded the Platinum Bell Seal for Workplace Mental Health by Mental Health America.

The Bell Seal is a first-of-its-kind workplace mental health certification that recognizes employers who strive to create mentally healthy workplaces for their employees.

Read more here: https://healthfederation.org/health-federation-philadelphia-awarded-2024-platinum-bell-seal-workplace-mental-health-mental

Some great resources!

Are you stressed? Take this stress screener:
https://mhanational.org/get-involved/stress-screener

April is Stress Awareness Month. Life can be stressful for all of us from time to time. That's why taking care of your self - mind, body and soul - is important!

Check out some helpful tools for dealing with stress:
https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/cope-with-stress/

https://hr.nih.gov/working-nih/civil/national-stress-awareness-month

Earlier this month, Social Current’s Karen Johnson (pictured) and Kelly Martin led an interactive Workforce Wellbeing & Resilience Pilot Training to a room full of staff and partners of the Philadelphia Department of Human Services (DHS).

Last year, Philadelphia DHS awarded a contract to The Health Federation of Philadelphia, in partnership with Social Current, to create a learning community and deliver trauma-informed training and technical assistance to DHS staff.

This work is part of an ongoing multi-year effort to help Pennsylvania become a trauma-informed, healing-centered state.

Learn more about the initiative here: https://ow.ly/zBgN50QzpqX

ACTION ALERT 🚨🚨

29 days until Community Health Center funding expires on March 8. And 31 million patients whose care is on the line. In a sharply divided Congress, we need every health center supporter – staff, board members, patients – telling their members of Congress how health centers save lives in the communities they represent. Share with them the role your health center plays in your life and your community. https://hcadvocacy.quorum.us/campaign/55846/ CHCs

Today (Feb. 7) is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a day to acknowledge progress in prevention and care among Black/African American people, while recognizing the work still needed. To , we must address HIV stigma and barriers.

Learn more: http://bit.ly/3HHnwOY

HIV and African American People | Race/Ethnicity | HIV by Group | HIV/AIDS | CDC African Americans have the most severe burden of HIV of all racial/ethnic groups in the United States. Compared with other races and ethnicities, African Americans account for a higher proportion of new HIV infections, those living with HIV, and those ever diagnosed with AIDS.

Kyle Faye DNP, CRNP, of The Family Practice and Counseling Network and HFP's Tyler Hamler discuss the importance of monitoring blood pressure in order to stay in control of your heart health 💓

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NWsNHk4ANk via National Association of Community Health Centers

Integrating SMBP Into Hypertension Management: A Clinician Success Story Kyle Fay of The Family Practice & Counseling Network in Pennsylvania discusses how they have successfully integrated SMBP into their practice. It helps clini...

February is Low Vision Awareness Month and Age-Related Macular Degeneration Month.

From Prevent Blindness: Many people with AMD may not notice symptoms right away until the disease progresses or affects both eyes. Vision changes due to AMD may include:

🕳️Difficulty seeing in the center of vision, needed for reading, cooking, or driving.
⛈️Trouble seeing in dim light.
🌫️Straight lines (such as light poles) start to appear wavy, blurry, crooked or missing/
👁️‍🗨️ Fading and/or changes in the appearance of colors.
😔Difficulty recognizing familiar faces.

Learn more here - https://preventblindness.org/2024-amd-low-vision-month/

February is American Heart Month, a month where people are encouraged to focus on their cardiovascular health.

Taking care of your heart can be as simple as the ABCS: Aspirin, Blood pressure control, Cholesterol management, and Smoking cessation. Learn more about the ABCs: https://millionhearts.hhs.gov/data-reports/factsheets/ABCS.html

ABCS of Heart Health Read and share this easy-to-understand content about the ABCS of heart health (Aspirin when appropriate, Blood pressure control, Cholesterol management, and Smoking cessation).

February is National Heart Month. Women in the United States are experiencing unacceptable and avoidable heart-related illness and death, and nearly half of U.S. women do not recognize that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women.
We can end this trend. Protect your health.

Check out these resources from the CDC here: https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/american_heart_month_patients.htm

NEWS 📰: "Community health centers serve 1 in 11 Americans. They’re a safety net under stress"

Community health centers serve 1 in 11 Americans. They're a safety net under stress Federally funded community health centers serve 1 in 11 Americans. Most of them are low-income and many are underinsured.

NEW: The Health Federation of Philadelphia’s Substance Use Response, Guidance and Education (SURGE) program, in collaboration with the Division of Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction (SUPHR) at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, recently published a report that provides recommendations for best-practices in the care for individuals with xylazine-associated wounds.

Human use of Xylazine, also known as “Tranq,” has increased since the early 2000s. Along with an increase in use, there has been a catastrophic increase in the number and severity of wounds associated with xylazine, and, with that, a lack of guidance for health providers about which interventions promote healing and prevent limb loss.

Learn more here: https://healthfederation.org/health-federation-philadelphia-and-philadelphia-department-public-health-develop-recommendations

Read the full report here:https://hip.phila.gov/document/4132/Recommendations_for_Caring_for_People_with_Xylazine-Associated_Wounds_1.8.pdf