About BIDMC Partners in the Community
Each of BIDMC's eight affiliated health centers is unique in terms of size, populations served and services provided. To support their efforts to provide the highest quality, most cost-effective health care services possible, in 1997, they formed a network called Community Care Alliance (CCA) to collaborate on clinical and administrative issues. As equal members of CCA, the centers collectively contract for services and funds, as well as share resources and expertise to address public health concerns. Through this partnership, each center can provide optimal benefits to its patients and communities, and maintain its organizational independence.
CCA serves patients across a wide geographic area that encompasses Allston/Brighton, Back Bay, Chinatown, Dorchester, Fenway, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Quincy, Roxbury, the South End, Orleans, Provincetown and Wellfleet, and a broad demographic base that includes the Latino, African American, Asian, Caribbean, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered communities.
Last fall, CCA helped secure accreditation for several of the health centers from the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). Since JCAHO accreditation is not required of health centers, earning this "stamp of approval" from the nation's leading organization for setting standards in health care is an important indicator of how well we are doing.
Uncompensated Health Care
Fundamental to BIDMC's commitment to care for the underserved is the belief that everyone is entitled to quality health care, regardless of ability to pay or insurance status. To help ensure that those who need care have access to appropriate services, BIDMC, its physicians, and its affiliated community health centers provide unreimbursed charity care, and the medical center contributed more than $16.6 million in fiscal year 2001 to the statewide uncompensated care pool.
Primary Care
A full array of primary care services is available to patients at BIDMC's eight affiliated community health centers, with services tailored to meet the needs of the populations served. Care for every individual is coordinated by a primary care team that includes physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners and others, and when appropriate, the team refers patients to other resources at the health center or for specialty care at BIDMC. Solid relationships among the centers' providers and with BIDMC colleagues lay the foundation for strong lines of communication, and ensure patients receive the highest quality of care possible.
Complementing our community health center services, we care for individuals and families through the wide network of primary physician practices of BIDMC's Affiliated Physicians Group and Healthcare Associates, one of the first hospital-based primary care practices in the country, as well as our partner, Urban Medical Group.
Specialty Care
The community health centers also offer specialty care in several areas. Responding to the needs of a growing number of patients with asthma and chronic lung disease, staff at Outer Cape Health Services are trained in pulmonary function testing to establish the groundwork for a monthly medical clinic.
Caring for Women
Staff at Dimock Community Health Center took notice when a citywide report in the early 1990s revealed that the predominantly African American community it served had the highest black infant mortality rate. To help ensure healthy birth outcomes, Dimock launched an ongoing initiative to counsel mothers-to-be about the importance of prenatal care and ancillary services. The center also improved access to care by increasing the number of community-based providers and prenatal sessions. A team of obstetricians, nurse midwives and family nurse practitioners provide comprehensive prenatal and postpartum care and pediatric services, with support from the medical center for all deliveries.
The health center also is taking steps to reduce disproportionately high rates of breast and cervical cancer for women of color through enhanced patient care services and research. As part of its overall effort to educate women of all ages, races and backgrounds about health and wellness, each spring Dimock hosts "Body and Soul," a free health forum for all women.
South Cove Community Health Center has made it a priority to tailor obstetric and gynecological care around the culture-specific needs of the largely Chinese population it serves. The center's midwives and obstetricians combine their expertise to deliver more than 250 babies every year.
Elders Living Longer, Living Better
BIDMC and the community health centers continuously seek to improve the quality of life for the senior population through many joint initiatives designed to promote independent living while ensuring seamless delivery of appropriate care.
To address the special needs of elders in Boston and Quincy's Asian communities, clinicians from South Cove Community Health Center supplement onsite services by making weekly home visits to adult day care centers, nursing homes and senior housing complexes.
Cultural Awareness at BIDMC
With an increasingly diverse patient population at BIDMC, we understand the impact that cultural factors have on patient-caregiver interactions. We maintain the commitment to integrate this understanding into both the delivery of clinical care and the working environment for our staff. The medical center is working steadily to increase its bilingual/bicultural staff, and sponsors ongoing caregiver education opportunities on cultural awareness issues.
