Esperanza Health Center eNews
July 2021
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The Summer Medical Institute - Partnering With EHC to Reach our North Philadelphia Community
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A group of 20 students participated in this year's Summer Medical Institute |
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The Summer Medical Institute (SMI) has successfully completed its 30th summer program of community health education from June 26-July 17! A joint project of Esperanza Health Center and Medical Campus Outreach of Philadelphia, this program has brought health screens and health information to underserved communities through the work of volunteer Christian healthcare students. These students receive community and medical training to primarily bring door-to-door health screens and health education to North Philadelphia neighborhoods.
Almost thirty years ago during the summer of 1992, a group of medical students from the Medical College of Georgia headed north to Philadelphia to partner with Esperanza Health Center - which had just opened its doors three years earlier as a small clinic on North Fifth Street - for the very first Summer Medical Institute. In December 1991, Bill Pearson, who was director of the Medical Campus Outreach ministry based in Augusta, GA, came to Philadelphia to meet with Dr. Carolyn Klaus, Esperanza's founding physician. As told by Dr. Klaus in her book Prescription for Hope, Bill shared with Dr. Klaus his vision for medical students to come to Philadelphia to learn about how to integrate their faith and practice while serving alongside Esperanza's small team of physicians. As they talked, Dr. Klaus thought back to the summer 1991 measles outbreak in Philadelphia, and recent communications she had received from Philadelphia's Department of Public Health about the need to address the city's poor childhood immunization statistics. Then, as Dr. Klaus recounted in her book, "suddenly, the two images - medical students and measles - came together" and the idea crystallized: the students could do door-to-door immunizations in Esperanza's North Philadelphia community. Dr. Klaus, Esperanza social worker Marialena Gant, and Bill sat together that day and discussed details of what would need to be done to prepare for the students to do immunization outreach that summer. They weren't sure how everything would come together - but as Marialena Gant said: "I think God is in this. And if He is in this, then I guess I'd better be, too!"
God did provide the resources that were needed over the next few months - including vaccines from the health department, and housing for the students at the University of Pennsylvania - and during that first SMI in the summer of 1992, the students from the Medical College of Georgia knocked on over 2,400 doors and provided 1,743 immunizations to 737 children. That first SMI was the springboard for other SMIs in North Philadelphia during the 1990's. After the program was relocated to southern Texas over the following decade, SMI returned to again partner with Esperanza Health Center during the summer of 2010, and has continued every year since then.
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SMI 2021 Vaccine Educators Jacob, Paige and Katie with Ramon of Rock Ministries (back row), Tom Grosh, CMDA NE Regional Director and Darlene of Esperanza Health Center (front, L to R). |
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We're giving thanks for this year's SMI, which concludes on Saturday, July 17th. With the pandemic continuing in 2021, the program ran with careful guidelines, and brought 20 healthcare students to serve Esperanza through several tasks. One group collected 433 social determinants of health surveys from patients in the exam rooms, assisting Esperanza in better understanding patient barriers to healthcare. The other group worked with Esperanza's local community ambassadors to share COVID vaccine information and listen to people's concerns throughout the neighborhoods of Kensington and Hunting Park. The students knocked on over 3,000 doors and spoke with over 1,300 individuals, answering questions and helping many learn how to make appointments. On Saturdays, the team broke into three groups and provided blood pressure and other screens at various stations in the neighborhoods. SMI also partnered with several local churches to provide referrals, spiritual care and support to those interested. The mostly-local students each had an opportunity to shadow with an Esperanza clinician as well, and were grateful for this immersive opportunity in community health. "SMI was an eye-opening experience that helped me to really understand and know the community of North Philadelphia so much better, " said first year Drexel medical student Nary Y.
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One of this year's students reflected upon interactions he had with community residents during the SMI: "We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus. And we have felt and experienced his presence as we have in our feeble efforts made a place for Him
to work. And, yes, He will continue that work whether we are here in North Philly to see it or not. I have been privileged to be here. I have been privileged to see God’s hand at work." As this year's SMI concludes, we pray that God will indeed continue to be at work here in the North Philadelphia community, and as we look ahead to another SMI in 2022. You can read more about SMI by visiting their website here.
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Young at Heart Seniors Gather Again! |
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Since 2014, our enthusiastic Seniors group, "Young at Heart" had regularly met most every Tuesday morning at our Hunting Park site for times of recreation, socializing, learning from guest speakers and other activities. However, due to the pandemic, the group was forced to suspend meeting together until just this past week, when a group of seniors met once agin at the patio behind our Hunting Park site! Our seniors hope to continue their regular meetings outside at the patio, weather permitting, every other week for the rest of the summer and into the fall!
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Esperanza Health Center is looking for individuals who are compelled by the love of God and have the desire to use their gifts to help people within the communities of Philadelphia. Please visit our Career Center where you can view every open position and apply online! Current openings as of 7/16/2021 include:
Director of Care Management
The Director of Care Management oversees the Care Management Department, which is charged with improving health outcomes and reducing costs associated with high risk and complicated patients and reducing unnecessary ER and hospital admissions. They supervise the team of registered nurse care managers, registered dietitians and outreach workers.
Lead Health Information Analyst
The Lead Health Information Management Analyst will be primarily responsible for supporting all activities related to clinical EMR support for Esperanza. The position will manage key reporting timelines, coordinate submission of regulatory requirements and monitor ongoing performance of organizational performance of quality measures and initiatives. Working in collaboration with IT Staff, clinical staff, and other departments, this position will deliver data-driven guidance to support the organization’s goal of providing executive leadership, clinical providers, and support staff with actionable intelligence reporting related to the performance of the quality measures established for our EMR. Candidates must have experience using data mining tools, statistical analysis, and reporting tools. Prior experience in an EMR/EHR Support role setting is strongly preferred.
HIV Administrator
The HIV Administrator is responsible to provide administrative leadership doe the HIV Care Program of Esperanza Health Center, overseeing quality of service, operational effectiveness, and department grant funding, and leads the team in casting direction and vision for the department. This individual will provide administrative leadership and supervision for HIV department staff and general oversight for HIV department operations. The HIV Administrator is responsible for the development and monitoring of the department's annual budget, and to ensuring compliance with HRSA Ryan White Part C and A grant/funding requirements. This individual also participates in ongoing data reporting, grant writing and grant monitoring. Bachelor's degree required; previous leadership, administrative and project management experience required.
Staff Accountant
The Staff Accountant is responsible for general accounting, accounts receivable, accounts payable, monthly financial closings, and various financial tasks to assure accuracy and timeliness of accounting records and financial reports in compliance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The Staff Accountant is a member of the Finance Team and the Payroll Team and works as a collaborative member of both to achieve key team responsibilities. The Staff Accountant oversees office management for the Finance Department. The Staff Accountant will play a key role in assisting the Senior Accountant with the timely and accurate creation of monthly financial statements, along with ensuring the accuracy and integrity of the date in the general ledger.
Medical Assistant
The Medical Assistant performs a wide variety of roles in support of the clinicians and in the provision of safe and whole-person care. The Medical Assistant prepares adults and children for exams and assists adult practitioners, pediatricians, obstetricians, gynecologists, and HIV care providers in caring for patients. The Medical Assistant addresses the needs of walk-in and call-in patients in the back desk and triage areas, performs phlebotomy, tends to orderliness and stocking of exam rooms, hubs and labs, assists supervisors with specific tasks, and nurtures the spiritual growth of team members and patients. Medical Assistants are assigned to the various roles above based on the needs of Esperanza Health Center and the skill set of the individual Medical Assistant.
Clerical Assistant
The Clerical Assistant is responsible for delivering excellent customer service that is friendly, accurate and efficient. The Clerical Assistant is responsible for obtaining and entering accurate and complete insurance verifications, collection of co-payments and collection of past due balances, and other elements that make up the start of the Esperanza Revenue Cycle. The Clerical Assistant provides direct support services in the clinical care of patients and ensures effective and efficient operations to maximize patient satisfaction. The Clerical Assistant covers all aspects of Front Desk Reception, Hub Referral Clerical and Call Center roles and works late shift, Saturday shift, and rotates to all sites as assigned.
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Our Mission:
“Compelled by the love of God in Christ Jesus, in cooperation with the Church and others, Esperanza Health Center is a multi-cultural ministry providing holistic healthcare to the Latino and underserved communities of Philadelphia.”
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