Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2014 - (Page 6)

the support of the VIM program, these clinics established themselves as a legitimate part of the region's safety net. By the early 2000s, more than 40 faith-based, charitable health clinics were operating in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Despite the growing number of clinics and the significant contributions of volunteer providers, many clinics were limited in capacity and scope because of a lack of employed providers, who enabled the clinics to be open on a full-time basis. So, in 2001, leaders from HTPN employed a family medicine physician at the Central Dallas MinisHaving appropriate access tries clinic (now known as to care is a critical first step CitySquare), an inner-city to achieving health equity. charitable clinic where VIM volunteers had been faithfully serving since 1998. The employment of this physician represented a significant first for Baylor and HTPN's community service and health equity efforts: It marked the beginning of what evolved into a multisite community medicine group and laid the groundwork for Baylor to partner with other faith-based, nonprofit organizations interested in community health improvement. In 2001, HTPN physicians also developed a relationship with a ministry in Honduras and began conducting international medical mission trips. The first group of clinical missionaries felt strongly that an ongoing relationship was key to effecting positive change in the community and for the patients served during that trip. Twelve years later, many of the original group members (and numerous other HTPN physicians) still make annual mission trips to Honduras and work with the same organization. HTPN's interest in international mission work has continued, and its VIM program has supported trips to China, Central Asia, and Haiti. In 2002, Baylor, HTPN, Central Dallas Ministries, the Dallas County Medical Society, and the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council partnered to replicate Program Access, a volunteer program from North Carolina. The newly formed program was named Project Access Dallas (PAD), and it sought to create a systematic approach to volunteerism and care for the underserved across Dallas County by engaging medical providers throughout the community. Through PAD, Dallas County providers could pledge to care for a predetermined number of program enrollees each year. With more than a thousand providers each volunteering to care for five or ten enrollees a year, a sizable network was created that allowed patients to access primary care; specialty care; ancillary services, such as laboratory testing and diagnostic imaging; and hospital care. In addition, PAD developed a pharmacy benefits program and provided innovative support services, such as community care coordinators, who helped patients enroll, get transportation, gain access to medications, and navigate the program's many services. While these early community-focused activities were taking place, Baylor was still developing its equity agenda. As such, its efforts were not yet positioned as a strategy to improve equity or reduce disparities in care. Baylor and HTPN embarked on this work largely as a mechanism by which to intentionally support the organization's mission, its commitment to its Christian roots, and its community benefit strategy. Baylor also gained a reputation as a trusted community partner and leader in developing innovative community health improvement strategies. What was not readily apparent at the time was the foundation being laid for a significant investment in and effort focused on improving equity in access to care. 6 * f ro ntier s o f h ea lth s e rvic e s m a na g e me nt 30 :3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2014

Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2014
Contents
Editorial
Baylor Health Care System’s Journey to Provide Equitable Care
In Pursuit of High-Value Healthcare: The Case for Improving Quality and Acheiving Equity in a Time of Healthcare Transformation
Ending Healthcare Disparities: An Urgent Priority and a Growing Possibility
Expanding the Evidence Base for Health Equity
A Historical Perspective on Disparities as Context for Our Work Ahead

Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2014