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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Nidhi Lal, MD, MPH, Family Practice, Lowell Community Health Center, 15-17 Warren Street, Lowell, MA 01852, 978-446-0788, NidhiLa@lchealth.org, Bonnie Sharpe, RN, BS, MHA, Family and Women's Health, Lowell Community Health Center, 15-17 Warren St., Lowell, MA 01852, Sheila Och, MPH, Community Health Promotion, Lowell Community Health Center, 15-17 Warren Street, Lowell, MA 01852, and Dorcas Grigg-Saito, MSPH, Lowell Community Health Center, 15-17 Warren Street, Lowell, MA 01852.

Health Centers attract patients who have multiple needs, including lack of health insurance, needs for language interpretation and cultural understanding, and a strong need for patient advocacy. At Lowell Community Health Center (LCHC), in Lowell, MA, a Coordination of Care Model has been developed. The Coordination of Care Model will be presented and includes strong essentials of patient outreach and recruitment, patient education and advocacy, health benefits consultation, language interpretation, as well as staff cultural competency training and development. Using Prenatal services as an entry point, LCHC engages people and families in primary care to improve health outcomes. A second entry point is LCHC's Family Practice. LCHC's patient population, reflects the diversity of the city, with 38% Latino from Puerto Rico, Colombia, and Dominican Republic; 23% Asian, primarily Cambodian and Laotian; 5% Brazilian and other Portuguese speaking; and 7% African immigrants from 15 countries. LCHC is the most significant provider of culturally competent, primary and behavioral health services in Lowell, MA. In 2005, over 21,000 patients received health care services at LCHC. Prenatal services managed over 400 deliveries per year. The Model looks at all stages of the individual and family life cycle and is both responsive and prospective in the care provided, taking into account the cultural health beliefs and linguistic needs. The Model improves health outcomes by placing the patient in center stage with the use of Community Health Workers in multiple, culturally competent roles. Patient outcomes and recommendations for application to other health care settings are discussed.

Learning Objectives: