Community Free Clinic

COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING/CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING - NON-CONSTRUCTION - ADDRESS: 50 MONTGOMERY DRIVE, SANTA ROSA, CA 95404 PROJECT DIRECTOR NAME: DONNA WALDMAN CONTACT PHONE NUMBERS (VOICE, FAX): (707) 585-7780 (VOICE); (707) 585-7784 (FAX) EMAIL ADDRESS: DIRECTOR@JEWISHFREECLINIC.ORG WEBSITE ADDRESS, IF APPLICABLE: WWW.JEWISHFREECLINIC.ORG LIST ALL GRANT PROGRAM FUNDS REQUESTED IN THE APPLICATION, IF APPLICABLE: $200,000 UNDER THE COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING / CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING (CPF/CDS): NON-CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS CATEGORY THE JCFC IS A LICENSED FREE CLINIC LOCATED IN SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA. OUR ORGANIZATION PROVIDES OVER 5000 CLIENT ENCOUNTERS ANNUALLY FROM BOTH THE LOCAL AND REGIONAL COMMUNITY WHO COME AS FAR AS 100 MILES TO SEEK BOTH MEDICAL AND SOCIAL SERVICES. WITH A TEAM OF MORE THAN 100 VOLUNTEERS AND STUDENTS, WE PROVIDE SERVICES TO ANYONE IN NEED, REGARDLESS OF RELIGION, IMMIGRATION, OR ECONOMIC STATUS. OUR CLIENTS ARE OFTEN FROM UNDERREPRESENTED POPULATIONS, SPAN ALL AGES AND HAVE LITTLE TO NO ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE. IF EMPLOYED, THEY ARE WORKING AT LOW-PAID JOBS IN SERVICE OR AS FARM WORKERS. WE SEE ALL OF OUR CLIENTS IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF RESPECT AND COMPASSION. SERVICES OFFERED INCLUDE PRIMARY CARE, ACUPUNCTURE, WORK/SCHOOL PHYSICALS, WOMEN’S HEALTH, TUBERCULOSIS SCREENING, VACCINATIONS, MEDICATIONS, LABORATORY TESTING, SOCIAL SERVICES, REFERRALS, FREE FOOD, CALFRESH ENROLLMENT, AND SOLUTION-FOCUSED THERAPY. THE JCFC HAS ALWAYS USED PAPER PATIENT RECORDS AND IS ONE OF THE ONLY LOCAL CLINICS WITHOUT ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS (EHRS). THIS IS PARTICULARLY CHALLENGING AS WE ARE NOT A PERMANENT MEDICAL HOME AND REFER ALL OUR CLIENTS TO A COMMUNITY CLINIC IN THEIR REGION. PRESENTLY, RECORDS MUST BE FAXED OR COPIED TO CONNECT THE CLIENT WITH THEIR NEXT MEDICAL HOME. THIS CAN HAVE DELETERIOUS EFFECTS ON CLIENT HANDOFF, CONTINUOUS CARE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS. IT IS CRITICAL FOR THE JCFC TO MAKE THE LEAP TO EHRS. ADOPTING EPIC WILL HAVE LIFE-ALTERING EFFECTS ON THOUSANDS OF VULNERABLE CLI ENTS, AS RESEARCH IS CLEAR THAT AN EHR SYSTEM CAPTURES ALL NECESSARY ELEMENTS OF CURRENT AND ONGOING CLIENT CARE. OUR EHR PROPOSAL WILL KEEP US IN LOCKSTEP WITH OUR SISTER CLINICS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. MOVING FROM PAPER CHARTS TO EPIC WILL IMPROVE THE CARE WE ARE ABLE TO GIVE OUR CLIENTS, STRENGTHEN OUR ABILITY TO MAKE MEANINGFUL REFERRALS TO EVERY CLIENT, ENSURE A SEAMLESS TRANSITION TO OTHER AGENCIES USING EPIC, AND PREVENT THE USE OF COUNTLESS PIECES OF PAPER. THIS PAST YEAR, NEARLY ALL OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY CLINICS, THROUGH THEIR COLLABORATION WITH OUR LOCAL HEALTHCARE CONSORTIUM ALIADOS HEALTH, AGREED TO IMPLEMENT EPIC EHRS THROUGH OCHIN TO ALIGN WITH THE HOSPITALS AND CLINIC NETWORKS NATIONWIDE. INTEGRATING OUR RECORDS WITH THE OVERALL COMMUNITY HEALTH SYSTEM IS CRITICAL. A DISCONNECT WITH THE REST OF THE COUNTY SYSTEM WOULD PLACE A NEGATIVE BURDEN ON OUR CLIENTS AND THE HEALTH SYSTEM AS WE WORK TOGETHER TO PROVIDE COHESIVE CARE AND QUALITY OUTCOMES. CLIENT INFORMATION WILL BE EASILY ENTERED INTO EPIC WHEN THEY HAVE THEIR FIRST VISIT AT THE JCFC AND READILY AVAILABLE WHEN THEY ARE REFERRED AND ESTABLISH CARE AT ANOTHER LOCAL CLINIC. ADOPTING EPIC WILL GIVE THE MOST VULNERABLE CLIENTS THE SAME BENEFITS OF MODERN TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS THAT OTHERS ENJOY AS PART OF OUR MAJOR HEALTH CENTERS, OR OTHER COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS. AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE LOCAL SAFETY NET, THE JCFC’S IMPLEMENTATION OF EHRS IN DECEMBER 2023 WILL SOLIDIFY OUR COUNTY-WIDE ROLE AS A KEY PROVIDER TO THE UNINSURED AND UNDERINSURED POPULATION. OVER THE NEXT DECADE, MORE THAN 20,000 CLIENTS AND TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FAMILY MEMBERS WILL BE DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY IMPACTED BY THE JCFC’S IMPLEMENTATION OF ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS. THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EHRS WILL TRANSLATE INTO A POWERFUL COMMUNITY ASSET AND A POSITIVE, SEAMLESS CLIENT EXPERIENCE.