Posted: Tuesday, April 02, 2013
The Providence Center (TPC) has received a $25,000 grant from Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) to fund its Health Connection Program, a partnership with the Providence Community Health Centers (PCHC) to provide a full spectrum of care to patients battling mental health and substance abuse problems.
The Providence Center is among ten state organizations to receive funding as part of the BlueAngel Community Health Grant Program (BACHG), which supports nonprofit organizations expanding access to care for un- and under-insured Rhode Islanders. The grant will support the Health Connection Program in improving care coordination and increasing communications between doctors and other medical staff for approximately 1,200 agency clients. It is expected that one-third of these impacted clients are uninsured.
“We are very thankful for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island’s support,” says Dale K. Klatzker, President/CEO of The Providence Center. “The grant allows us to continue to provide high quality, comprehensive care to Rhode Islanders with complex needs who often have trouble accessing and receiving the care they need.”
“Through the BlueAngel program, we seek to fund and partner with community-based agencies trying to break down cultural, cost, and communication barriers to healthcare access,” said Carolyn Belisle, director of community relations for BCBSRI. “In this new world of healthcare reform, we often hear about integration and coordination as buzzwords, but the Health Connection Program is a meaningful example of how improved information-sharing between doctors’ offices can actually create a fuller picture of patient health and make better treatment possible.”
The Health Connection Program is facilitated by two integrated care coordinators who serve as links between TPC and PCHC programs in several ways. They have access to both TPC and PCHC records in addition to the two agencies’ shared electronic health record, which allows them to provide medical staff with a patient’s full picture before each visit. This type of information-sharing is especially relevant for patients with mental illness, since presenting behaviors can dominate the visit and mask primary care symptoms.
Care coordinators also advocate for behavioral health clients during their medical visit and confirm that patients understand their doctor’s terminology and suggestions. Offering this level of individualized medical care to behavioral health clients makes primary care visits more positive, and progress is made towards long-term health rather than emergency measures.
The BACHG Program is the cornerstone of BCBSRI’s charitable giving. Since the Program’s inception in 2002, BCBSRI has donated over $2.1 million dollars to support Rhode Island nonprofit organizations providing health programs aimed at expanding access to care for the thousands of un- and under-insured Rhode Islanders. Since the Program’s launch, more than 207,000 people in Rhode Island have been touched by funded programs.
The Providence Center is at the forefront of innovative approaches to behavioral health care designed to meet the changing needs of the more than 12,000 people served each year. Since The Providence Center opened its doors in 1969, it has been a community fixture, providing people from all walks of life with mental health and substance abuse services in their homes, schools and neighborhoods. In addition to comprehensive high quality behavioral health services, The Providence Center gives people the tools they need to change their lives. Through 39 programs and wraparound services, including food and housing, job training, legal services, primary health care and wellness activities, The Providence Center helps the people it serves to succeed.