NORWALK, CT | by News Desk| April 17, 2019
Original article can be found at: https://patch.com
From NCHC: Norwalk Community Health Center, Inc. (NCHC)’s WECARE program has been recognized as a ‘promising practice’ by the U.S. Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA). A recently released report by HRSA’s Bureau of Primary Care for January – June 2018 cited the 3-year old program for reducing non-emergency visits to hospital emergency rooms by 55% for the high risk, high medical system user patients who participated in the program.
NCHC is a nonprofit health center providing a continuum of primary care and wellness services that 13,000 men, women and children from greater Norwalk and Fairfield County rely on for their pediatric, adult medicine, dental, women’s and behavioral healthcare, regardless of ability to pay. About 12% of the health center’s annual budget is from a HRSA grant.
What distinguishes WECARE is the enhanced patient-centered attention each patient receives. That includes extended time during provider visits, focused patient education about how to access care outside of working hours (including local urgent care centers that could be utilized rather than the ER), and enhanced case management from the WeCare team. The team also collaborates with multiple community agencies. NCHC’s WECARE team includes physicians, advanced care nurse practitioners, nurses, referral and care coordinators.
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) funds nearly 1400 Health Centers that operate approximately 12,000 service delivery sites in every U.S. state, District of Columbia (DC), Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Pacific Basin; these HCs employ nearly 220,000 staff who provide care for nearly 27 million patients. One in 12 people in the United States (U.S.) relies on a HRSA-funded HC for medical care.
For millions of people across the country, including some of the most vulnerable individuals and families, Health Centers are the essential medical home where they find services that promote health, diagnose and treat disease and disability, and help them cope with environmental challenges that put them at risk.
Norwalk Community Health Center, Inc. is a nationally recognized health center and 501(c)3 nonprofit healthcare provider. In 1999, NCHC is celebrating its 20 year of providing quality, innovative care that enriches the lives of its patients and leads the community toward the achievement of the best possible health. Learn more about NCHC at www.norwalkchc.org and http://facebook.com/norwalkchc.
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