Archive for category: HPC News

By Catherine Rice, Vice President of Marketing/Outreach

On Fridays, our employees and volunteers are now sporting a new look. Staff are wearing their very cool T-shirts with a heart graphic depicting the words #HPCSTRONG. That has been our rallying call since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The t-shirts were underwritten by UnitedHealthcare Community Plan to thank our frontline staff for all their efforts. Board members also received the shirts.

Our friends at Aetna Better Health of Kansas is underwriting the cost of white jackets for all our providers, including medical, behavioral health and dental, as their way to recognize their ongoing efforts. The jackets will be branded with the clinic’s logo and personalized. Another example of appreciation was from our very own CEO Amy Falk who brought in deliciously designed iced sugar cookies with our #HPCSTRONG wording. Amy and the other members of the Senior Leadership Team recognize and appreciate the tremendous sacrifices the staff members are making to serve our patients and community.

Thank you for your support!

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been lucky to receive countless in-kind donations—from complimentary breakfast and lunches to masks, hand sanitizer and gift items, as well as monetary donations. To date, more than 50 individuals, businesses and organizations have donated to the health center. It has been overwhelming and humbling to see the outreach of support!

As we embrace a “new normal,” remain resilient and mission focused, we will fondly remember those generous donors throughout the days and weeks to come which will help keep us #HPCSTRONG!

The bold-faced names are new additions as first time or ongoing donors to our list.

Aetna (Provider Jackets)

Anonymous

Charlie Hustle LLC

Chick-fil-A

Culver’s

Davidson Promotional Products

Direct Relief

Dominos

Amy Falk (Cookies/Paint)

Front Line Appreciation Group (FLAG KC) – Rick Krapes, Country Financial, Mickey the Cotton Candy Man and Jason’s Deli

FlorasourceKC

Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steak Burgers

Betty Gearheart (Masks)

GE Johnson Construction Company

Global Birthing Home Foundation

Heart to Heart International

Hibba Haider, MD

Home Depot

Hy-Vee

Indigo Wild

Rieger & Co.

Jersey Mike’s Subs

Kansas City Chinese American Association

Kansas Gas Service (Toni’s Lunch)

Sylvia Kenner (Masks)

Krispy Kreme

LRO Studios- Michelle and Rachel Schneider (Masks)

Lucia Jones Herrera, MSN, RN/UnitedHealthcare (Masks)

Marco Pizza

Metro Lutheran Ministries

Mickey The Cotton Candy Man

Tracey Mikes (Masks)

Olathe Chamber of Commerce (Park Street Pastry, Strips, Olathe Downtown Diner, Tropical Smoothie Café, Chapala Mexican Restaurant, Doc Greens)

Olathe Rotary Club

Olathe School District

Pizza Village

Pulley Wholesale Florist

QuikTrip

Restless Spirits Distilling

Catherine Rice (Paint/Snacks)

Celia Ruiz-UnitedHealthcare (Masks)

Sam’s Club

Shawnee Mission School District

Simple Simon’s Pizza

Smoothie King

Sonic

The National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC)

Union Horse Distilling Company

UnitedHealthcare Community Plan (Staff, Volunteer, Board T-shirts/Masks)

(List updated June 22, 2020)

If you are interested in donating meals or other staff appreciation items to HPC, call me at 913-730-3680. For monetary donations, visit us at https://hpcks.org/give-back/.

By Catherine Rice, Vice President of Marketing/Outreach

Raise awareness about heart health and urge those around you to prevent heart disease!

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. To prevent heart disease and increase awareness of its effects, Health Partnership Clinic is proudly participating in American Heart Month. Every year, one in four deaths are caused by heart disease.

The good news? Heart disease can often be prevented when people make healthy choices and manage their health conditions. Communities, health professionals, and families can work together to create opportunities for people to make healthier choices.

The clinic is bringing awareness by wearing red on Wear Red Day on Friday, Feb. 7. Heart healthy information will also be available.

You can make healthy changes to lower your risk of developing heart disease. Controlling and preventing risk factors is also important for people who already have heart disease. Wael S. Mourad, MD, MHCM, FAAFP, Health Partnership’s Chief Health Officer, offers the following ways to lower your risk:

• Watch your weight.
• Quit smoking and stay away from secondhand smoke.
• Control your cholesterol and blood pressure.
• If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation.
• Manage stress.
• Get active and eat healthy.

Am I at risk for heart disease?

 Everyone is at risk for heart disease. But you are at higher risk for heart disease if you:

• Have high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
• Are overweight or obese.
• Don’t get enough physical activity.
• Don’t eat a healthy diet.

Your age and family history also affect your risk for heart disease.

Your risk is higher if:

• You are a woman over age 55.
• You are a man over age 45.
• Your father or brother had heart disease before age 55.
• Your mother or sister had heart disease before age 65.

For more information, visit https://www.cdc.gov/features/heartmonth.

Health Partnership Clinic’s Olathe site now offers extended hours, including the first and third Saturdays of the month. The Olathe site is open Monday-Thursday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The first and third Saturday of each month, the clinic is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Hours will remain the same at the Shawnee Mission, Ottawa and Paola locations, Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Olathe clinic also offers same day appointments during the work week and on Saturdays for patients of all ages. Same day scheduling means that new or established adult and pediatric patients can access acute or chronic care through walk in or same day appointment. Once the slots are filed for the day, the clinic will be considered full.

According to Wael S. Mourad, MD, MHCM, FAAFP, Chief Health Officer, over the last several months much work has been focused on strengthening our internal processes, standardizing patient care and tweaking staffing models.

“Providing access to quality and affordable health care is a cornerstone of our mission,” Dr. Mourad adds. “We work in a Community Health Center, and we take care of the most vulnerable people in society. In everything we do, we continue to strive to be patient centered.”

Serving the community for more than 30 years – the Wyandotte Pediatrics practice will be closing on Friday, June 14. Debra Tickles, MD, is retiring, and Tracey Miller, MD, has opted to work as a Children’s Mercy Urgent Care pediatrician. That leaves more than 5,000 families needing to find care elsewhere.

Enter HPC

According to Amy Falk, CEO, Health Partnership Clinic (HPC) stands ready to care for these patients and their parents. “We serve all ages, and we’re conveniently located in Shawnee Mission, Kan. on the campus of Shawnee Mission Medical Center (now AdventHealth), as well as in Olathe. To accommodate the additional patient appointments, we have ramped up staffing at our Shawnee Mission location. Families are invited to tour any of our clinic sites. HPC also has clinics in Paola, Ottawa and a School-Based Clinic for Shawnee Mission School District students.

“Our overall goal is to fill the gap when Drs. Tickles and Miller close their doors and make the transition as smooth as possible for their patients,” Falk says. “Health Partnership will become the custodian of medical records, and all records will be transferred on June 18. We are honored that both doctors have put their patients’ health in our competent hands.”

As patients of HPC, families will enjoy additional services including pediatric dentistry and behavioral health as well as a sliding fee discount for those who qualify.

“Drs Tickles and Miller have served this community with distinction and compassion, and they will be missed,” Falk adds.

 

By Amy Falk, CEO 

Every year, nearly 14,000 patients walk through Health Partnership Clinic’s (HPC) doors seeking health services—medical, behavioral health and dental.

Many battle chronic diseases; others struggle with mental issues and yet others face challenges of homelessness, abuse, loss of a job or a myriad of other stressors.

It is our mission to provide quality care. That means we must always look at ways to improve care and do what’s right for our patients.

At HPC, we know that patients have the right to choose where to go for their health care, and we want to be their provider of choice—their medical home. That’s why patient satisfaction is a top priority at HPC.

How do we know if we are meeting our patients’ expectations? And doing it consistently?

The best way is to ask our patients. Last year, we revamped our survey tool as well as incorporated questions that are required from grant funders and our Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition program.

Our questions ranged from the registration process, phones and front desk check in to provider/support staff and billing/payment process.

This fall, 4,834 patients, who received services between August-December 2018, received a survey (either in English or Spanish) request via email.

• More than 400 responded, resulting in an eight percent response rate, with a confidence level of 95 percent and a margin of error of only five percent.
• Besides the great response rate, overall, our satisfaction results were positive.

One of the key questions I pay special attention to is “How likely is it that you would recommend HPC to your friends and family?” Responders indicated 81.4 percent would recommend HPC to friends and family! That says a lot!

In addition, our team pays close attention to our patients’ overall experience related to our facility, billing/payment process and the care we provide.

Here are some of the results:

 VISITS

REGISTRATION

CHECK IN

PROVIDER

SUPPORT STAFF

OVERALL CARE

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

BILLING