Posted: 8/13/2018
Celebrate National Health Center Week
National Health Center Week (Aug. 12-18) is an annual celebration with the goal of raising awareness about the mission and accomplishments of America’s health centers over the past five decades. For staff at Parkland Health & Hospital System’s network of neighborhood-based health centers, living and working in the communities they serve holds even more meaning.
Geneva Flores has worked at Parkland since 1991 and transferred to the Southeast Dallas Health Center six months after it opened. Flores, together with her co-workers, this year is celebrating the health center’s 25th anniversary. Nestled in Dallas County’s oldest settled community, Southeast Dallas Health Center was a gift of major proportions to Parkland and Pleasant Grove residents.
Methodist Hospital System (as it was then known) donated the building and property to the Dallas County Hospital District in February 1993 because it was unable to recruit and maintain medical staff. For Parkland, the 22-acre facility has filled many healthcare needs since first opening its doors.
“I love working for Southeast and serving our community,” said Flores, a financial counselor, who not only works at the neighborhood clinic but also lives in the community as well.
Licensed Vocational Nurse Juanita Collins added, “As a nurse, I choose to work in the community I live in to promote its health and wellness. Building long-term relationships with our patients is an added benefit. Through service, I feel a sense of fulfillment that I am making a difference in the community.”
Since the network of Community Oriented Primary Care (COPC) health centers came to fruition in the late 1980’s, staff has looked for ways to meet the growing demand for services. In fiscal year 2017, Parkland recorded more than 1 million outpatient visits.
Health centers across the country serve 27 million patients, a number that continues to grow along with the demand for affordable primary care. In addition to their long history as healthcare homes to millions, health centers produce innovative solutions to the most pressing healthcare issues in their communities and reach beyond the walls of conventional medicine to address the social determinants of health affecting special patient populations, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC).
“With an ever-expanding demand for access to primary and specialty care, Parkland continues to play a vital role in the lives of Dallas County residents. It’s our mission and our privilege to provide services that promote the health and well-being of individuals and communities entrusted to our care,” said Esmaeil Porsa, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy & Integration Officer.
This year, the NACHC and the Health Center Advocacy Network are celebrating the healthcare heroes – individuals who live and breathe the health center mission and exceed the call of duty to support health centers in providing quality healthcare for patients in the community.
Living in the community where she works is important for Stephanie Perez-Pantoja, unit technician at the Women’s Health Center located in the E. Carlyle Smith, Jr. Health Center in Grand Prairie, but it goes beyond providing a healthier community. By living nearby, Perez-Pantoja has cut down her commute – and emissions – and added hours to her day.
“Not only has the extra time given me the ability to enroll in school in the evenings, but now instead of just throwing things away, I’m helping my community by sorting through papers for recycling, along with donating clothes and household items,” Perez-Pantoja said.
Community is at the core of the COPC concept, which began in 1989 when the old East Dallas Health Center opened. In 2015, the aging facility closed and was replaced by the new Hatcher Station Health Center. Today, Parkland operates a dozen COPC health centers throughout the county, making primary and preventive healthcare more accessible.
In addition, Parkland operates a dozen school-based clinics, a geriatric clinic and senior outreach services, the Homeless Outreach Medical Services (HOMES) program, as well as providing correctional health for the Dallas County adult and juvenile jail system.
For a list of health center locations, visit www.parklandhospital.com/phhs/locations.aspx. For information about services available at Parkland, visit www.parklandhospital.com.