251605 Lynn community health center: Site expansion and how vision services fit into the mission

Monday, October 31, 2011: 9:30 AM

Lori Abrams Berry, MPH , Executive Director, Lynn Community Health Center, Lynn, MA
     
Lynn Community Health Center (LCHC) has benefited substantially from ARRA and ACA funding to develop the capacity to grow our capacity to provide care. When excavating for a new building Lynn CHC unexpectedly discovered contaminated soil samples and was able to secure $630K in Brownfields Tax Credits. In 2009 LCHC also decided to add vision services via an academic collaboration. LCHC has benefited substantially from its relationship with New England Eye (NEE), the clinical system and teaching affiliate of the New England College of Optometry. An example of this benefit is an initiative developed by NEE to improve the visual health of the Lynn community. Disparities in access to vision services are being addressed in a coordinated fashion through NEE's mobile van and the vision service at LCHC by providing collaborative comprehensive vision services in the Lynn school system, homeless shelters, PACE/elder programs, and public housing facilites. This project will be discussed, with a goal of improved visiual health outcomes for the residents of the City of Lynn.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Advocacy for health and health education
Environmental health sciences
Program planning
Public health or related education
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
The audience will identify potential assistance and funding sources when a health center discovers contamination on a building lot being used to expand the program. The audience be able to list benefits of an academic-health center collaboration in the provision of comprehensive vision services. The audience will describe the components of a participatory community approach to address disparities in visual health.

Keywords: Access and Services, Vision Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Executive Director of a Federally Qualified Health Center located in a Medically Underserved Area.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Community Initiatives in Preventing Vision Loss and Promoting Eye Health
See more of: Vision Care Section