Leveraging resources by partnering with non-profit organizations

The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population for the San Antonio metropolitan area in July 2008 to be 2,031,445, indicating that San Antonio continues to grow. Meeting the immunization needs of a growing community is a challenge for the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (Metro Health). In an effort to expand public health services by co-locating with a partner serving similar populations, the Director of Health approached Goodwill Industries with the concept of placing a public health clinic inside an existing Goodwill retail store. “Good Health! at Goodwill” began on January 1, 2007 and through this partnership, 7,813 clients have received 15,147 immunizations. Metro Health clients and Goodwill shoppers also have accessed mobile mammography services as a result of this public health clinic location. Additionally, the Metro Health registry staff was exploring new ways to reduce the backlog of data entry into the immunization registry. In March 2007, Metro Health approached Goodwill with the “Good Health! at Goodwill Work Project”. This project helped reduce data entry backlogs by 40% while providing marketable work experience for fifteen Goodwill clients participating in workforce development programs. This public-private partnership has benefited both organizations and the community, providing immunization services in a convenient location, and offering valuable job training opportunities. The “Good Health! at Goodwill” initiative will expand in early 2010 as the Bexar County public hospital system, University Health System, and Goodwill partner to provide primary care services at additional retail locations. Metro Health facilitated this secondary partnership during a City-County integration project.