Ridge Health Partners Program
| Topics |
Health promotion and disease prevention
Health services
Public health
|
| States served |
Florida
|
| Description |
Before the grant award, residents living on the ridge of Polk
County had severely limited access to primary, preventive, and
specialty health care services. Although the region’s Indigent
Healthcare Plan was designed to increase access to affordable
health care services for the county’s poorest residents, the services
available through the plan generally were concentrated in the
county’s urban areas. Many residents did not have transportation to
these services and, as a result, were forced either to travel long
distances to receive care—or to receive no care at all.
The Ridge Health Partners Program was established to meet the
primary care and preventive health needs of six target
communities—Dundee, Davenport, Haines City, Lake Hamilton,
Loughman, and Waverly. Before receiving the grant, Central
Florida Health Care, Inc., rented a small space in Dundee where it
provided part-time primary care services 3 days a week for half a
day. Grant funds made it possible to purchase a new location that
could provide medical care 5 full days a week (Monday through
Friday). |
| Services offered |
With the days and hours of services expanded, the Ridge Health
Partners Program launched an aggressive and ambitious marketing
initiative to increase awareness of its services. The project
developed a wide range of marketing materials in both English and
Spanish and collaborated with the network members (see
Innovative Solutions to Problems) to disseminate these materials at
52 community events and health fairs. On many occasions, these
materials were distributed as part of National Infant Immunization
Week, National Blood Pressure Month, National Teen Pregnancy
Prevention Month, National HIV Testing Day, and numerous other
national health observances.
The project also conducted direct
mailings to area residents, coordinated live radio interviews to
market the project’s services, arranged for feature stories to be
published in local newspapers, and distributed flyers to local
businesses and schools.
The project recognized, however, that its marketing efforts
would achieve little good if residents did not have transportation to
and from appointments. As a result, the project hired transportation
staff and collaborated with the Polk County transit system to expand the system’s routes and create additional pickup points near
the ridge.
The most innovative feature of this project was the consortium
of organizations involved in conducting outreach and marketing the
project’s services to potential clients. For example, the outreach
partners included 77 faith organizations of various denominations;
21 childcare, daycare, preschool, and religious school
organizations; 28 elementary, middle, and high schools and
1 college; and 27 mobile home parks. These groups were
responsible for disseminating English- and Spanish-language
marketing materials to individuals and families who might qualify
to receive care through the Ridge Health Partners Program.
Another innovative feature of the project was the diversity of
the Ridge Health Partners Advisory Board. The 29-member board
included representatives of health and social service providers, area
schools, faith organizations, advocacy groups, mental health
organizations, and local government. Together, these individuals
played an important role in planning and implementing activities,
coordinating resources, and identifying workable solutions to new
challenges affecting the community’s indigent residents. |
| Results |
The project network reached 442 families that met the criteria
for enrollment in the program. In addition, the project provided care
to another 3,487 individuals from the 6 targeted communities and
2,412 individuals living in neighboring communities in Polk
County. In total, the project provided care to 8,516 individuals
during the 3-year grant period. Although recruiting private health
care providers was difficult at first, largely because many providers
were hesitant to join the network owing to low reimbursement
rates, the project ultimately succeeded in recruiting 10 health care
facilities that provided primary and specialty care services to
clients. |
| Replication |
The Ridge Health Partners Program succeeded in increasing
access to health care for indigent individuals and families living in
Polk County. One of the biggest reasons for the project’s success
was the extensive networking and collaboration that occurred among the project partners. Other communities considering
replicating this model will want to invest significant time and staff
resources in establishing relationships with potential partner
organizations and sustaining open lines of communication between
the partners.
Central Florida Health Care, Inc., in coordination with the Polk
County Board of Commissioners and the Polk County Indigent
Healthcare Plan, will continue to provide services to indigent
clients living on the ridge of Polk County. The program is seeking
additional funding to support these services in the six targeted
communities. |
| Source |
Outreach Sourcebook, Vol.10, 2000-2003, Office of Rural Health Policy
|
| Contact person |
Gaye Williams
Chief Executive Officer
Central Florida Health Care,
Inc.
950 C.R. 17-A West
Avon Park, FL 33825
Phone: 863-452-3016 |
| Date added |
May 11, 2009 |
Summaries of success stories are provided by RAC for your convenience. Please contact the success story contact person directly for the most complete and current information.
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