providencechc.org
connecting families
to quality care
Tirelessly Working
Toward our Vision
Prairie Avenue Phase Two Complete
With this exponential growth, PCHC needed
to hire additional support staff and six new
providers. In the interim, we implemented a
“new patient sessions” program which enabled
patients to be seen by existing staff for an
introductory visit. The growth, having occurred
in such a short time, was surely a strain on
our people and systems, so we thank all who
stepped up to the challenge. By October, all of
our new hires will be in place.
Phase two of the Prairie Avenue Capital Project features the new PCHC Dental Clinic (tall building on the left), the Lifespan offices on the
right and a new Walgreens Pharmacy.
After thousands of hours of
planning and hard work, PCHC’s
Phase Two construction project
is nearing final completion!
With two tenants successfully
occupying space and our Dental
Clinic now opened, we are
now in the final stretch. We
are completing punch lists and
adding minor last touches. Over
the span of this project, we’ve
collaborated with Lifespan, The
Providence Center, and Walgreens
to ultimately provide expanded
and much-needed services to
our patients and the community
of South Providence. PCHC has
invested more than $30 million
into this neighborhood, and has
Dental Clinic Expansion
Health reform is not all about numbers, however.
Quality and outcomes of care are critical to
success and two important areas where we’ve
made great strides. Meaningful use, performance incentives, Patient Centered Medical
Home, and UDS quality measures are just a few
of the clinical initiatives we have implemented. I
am proud to announce that we received official
accreditation from the National Council on
Quality Care (NCQA) and were awarded Patient
Centered Medical Home Level III status this
summer. This is testimony that PCHC provides
high-quality care to our 45,000 patients who
come to us every day. Thank you to all who are
making our vision a reality.
Merrill R. Thomas
CEO, Providence Community Health Centers
Walgreens
Now Open
The new Walgreens Pharmacy opened
for business on July 9th. The oneof-a-kind 5,000 square-foot store
is a pilot project with an emphasis
on supporting the Pharmacy needs
of PCHC’s patients and providers,
while offering retail services as well.
Walgreens offers convenience and
accessibility for our patients and the
entire community, and has hired a full
complement of staff. It is open during
Health Center hours, evenings and
weekends included.
The major impact of health care reform, our
tireless work towards completing Phase II of
our Prairie Avenue project, and our tremendous
growth, have all contributed to a very hectic —
yet highly productive past several months.
In January, PCHC found itself at the center of
all the tremendous changes occurring with the
implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Signups across the state were rapid. We prepared
by assembling a dedicated group of “assistors”
who helped patients navigate the new and
sometimes complicated insurance enrollment
system. They assisted with some 5,000 successful applications into the Exchange program
and provided support to countless others —
resulting in thousands of newly insured patients
looking for a medical home.
Issue 21
Fall 2014
The new PCHC Dental Clinic located at 335R Prairie Avenue, Providence, is now open and
features nine dental operatories with plans to expand to nineteen by the end of next year.
transformed a vacant, dilapidated
mill building into a vibrant campus,
with close to 200 staff and a
successful retail operation. We also
met our ambitious goal of having
MBE and WBE workers perform
30% of the construction work.
Thanks to all who have made this
vision a reality.
The PCHC Dental clinic at 335R
Prairie Avenue, Providence, opened
for business on September 8th.
This completed the move from our
leased space on Broad Street which
had five dental operatories and
2,500 square feet of space. Our new
space now has the third and fourth
floors of the four story building
dedicated for dental use with nine
dental operatories and a total of
10,160 square feet. We expect ten
more operatories to be added by
the end of next year. Our goal is to
quadruple the level of PCHC Dental
services to meet the growing needs
of the community. Currently PCHC
has over 18,000 patients under the
age of 18. Plans are underway to
hire an additional full time dentist,
a hygienist, a part-time dentist
and support staff. In addition, we
will expand hours to include more
evenings and weekend access.
Annual Benefit,
October 23rd
What better place to host our annual
benefit event than our new Dental
Clinic at the Prairie Avenue Campus?
Please join us on Thursday, October
23rd as we honor several key people
who have made major contributions to
PCHC and our patients. Our friends,
supporters, and the community will
have the opportunity to tour the
beautiful dental facility. Contact Susan
Cyr at [email protected] to
RSVP or to contribute.
PCHC Mission Statement
375 Allens Avenue
Providence, RI 02905
“Provide neighborhood-based, high
quality and accessible primary
medical care to improve the health
status of the residents of Providence
and surrounding communities,
regardless of their ability to pay.”
First Eye Exam Elicits Dramatic Results
Last fall a concerned mother brought
her 33-year-old, mentally challenged
daughter “M.J.” to the PCHC eye clinic for
her very first exam with Dr. David Ferris.
Her mother explained that M.J. could only
speak in single syllables and recognize
pictures only if held up closely to her
face— about three to four inches. Carla,
a PCHC nurse, brought a magazine from
the OB/Gyn waiting area and handed it to
M.J. Sure enough, M.J. immediately put
the magazine up to her face, four inches
away. As Carla pointed to the pictures,
M.J. responded, “baby, diapers, bottle.”
Dr. Ferris began M.J.’s examination with
the auto/RK instrument. The instrument
is used to provide the doctor with a gross
refraction. In layman’s terms, this is an
eyeglass prescription. Dr. Ferris said,
“The auto/RK is a great instrument that
allows us to observe and record the light
reflection of the cornea which is the front
surface of the eye, and the retina (back of
the inside of the eye).”
“Upon looking at the auto R/K data on the
printout, I determined that M.J. was a very
high myope, about 13 diopters,” Dr. Ferris
added. “Essentially this means that M.J.
was very nearsighted and her eye focal
point was indeed about four inches in
front of her face!”
The eye clinic has trial lenses that can
be placed in a trial frame for a patient
to experience his or her eye glass
prescription. Dr. Ferris put half of M.J.’s
prescription into the trial frame and
placed the glasses on her face. At this
time, the magazine was placed in M.J.’s
lap. She immediately identified all of
the pictures, without having to bring the
magazine up to her face! “After getting
her new glasses, the smile on her face
was truly beautiful,” Dr. Ferris said.
does raise important questions. What
if M.J. had an eye exam at five or six
years old? How much could she have
achieved in her formative years? This is
why it is important for all children to have a
comprehensive eye exam at an early age.”
Neither M.J. nor her mother had medical
insurance, so the PCHC optometry lab at
Prairie Avenue was most likely the first
opportunity for M.J. to obtain a complete
eye exam. According to Dr. Ferris, “This
Dr. David Ferris
recently helped a
PCHC patient see
clearly for the first
time in 33 years.
has nearly 30,000 NHPRI members
as part of our patient panel. The
growth in NHPRI is accompanied by an
increase in both Blue Cross and United
members as well, but those numbers
were significantly less than NHPRI’s.
The influx from ACA and these rapid
National Health Center Week
Celebration Event
In honor of the National Community
Health Center Week which takes place
annually in August, PCHC hosted a
Rhode Island Health Center event on
Friday, August 1st, at our new Dental
Clinic at the Prairie Avenue Campus.
Senior Senator Jack Reed and Senator
Sheldon Whitehouse were joined
by Lt. Governor Elizabeth Roberts,
who shared a proclamation from the
Governor in honor of Rhode Island
health centers. Jane Hayward, CEO
of the Rhode Island Health Center
Association also shared the release of
the Statewide Economic Impact of the
community health centers in Rhode
Island. Attendees toured the new dental
facility which was nearly complete and
being readied for the September 8th
official opening.
increases compel PCHC to expand so
that we are positioned to meet the
demand of newly insured patients.
PCHC “Assistors” signed up more
than 5,000 new patients into the ACA
between last October and this March,
Welcome Dr. Saal
PCHC’s new Medical Director, Dr. Andrew Saal
(right) with Dr. Michael Fine, Rhode Island
Director of Health at the PCHC Rhode Island
Health Center event, August 1st.
and continue to work on helping newly
eligible patients enroll and recertify.
PCHC has a manager and a team of
five full time staff dedicated to working
with our patients and the community
regarding ACA enrollment.
PCHC is pleased to announce that
Dr. Andrew Saal has joined the PCHC
team as our new Medical Director.
Working previously at community health
centers in Arizona and Vermont, Dr.
Saal comes to us with many years of
community health medical leadership.
Dr. Saal joined us back in March during
a very crucial time when we were
not only experiencing tremendous
growth in numbers of patients, but also
responding to the rapid change in the
health care delivery system. We are very
proud to have Dr. Saal and his family
join us here in Rhode Island.
8th Annual Golf Tournament a Success
Thank you to all of our sponsors for their
attendance and support as they joined
PCHC at Shelter Harbor Golf Club for our
Eighth Annual Golf Tournament this past
June. The event was again a success,
and we also thank Susan Cyr and all the
volunteers for their help.
(left to right) Merrill Thomas, Chris Little, James Hooley and Chuck Jones at the beautiful
Shelter Harbor golf course.
CORPORATE SPONSOR
Walgreens
LUNCH & DINNER SPONSORS
East Side Clinical Labs
Gilbane Building Company
TEE SPONSORS
Commonwealth Purchasing Group
Delta Dental of Rhode Island
SPECIAL GIFT SPONSOR
Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island Paolino Insurance Agency
PCHC Achieves Patient Centered Medical Home Level III -NCQA Accreditation
We are pleased to report that The
Providence Community Health Centers
has achieved the NCQA recognition
status for Patient Centered Medical
Home (PCMH) Level III at all eight of
our eligible locations. The PCMH is
a model of care emphasizing care
coordination and communication to
transform primary care into “what
patients want it to be.” Research
shows that medical homes can lead
to higher quality and lower cost, and
improve patients’ and providers’
reported experiences of care.
To receive recognition, PCHC
demonstrated the ability to meet the
program’s key elements embodying
characteristics of the medical home.
Medical home clinicians demonstrate
the benchmarks of patient-centered
care, including open scheduling,
expanded hours, and appropriate use
of proven health information systems.
Currently only 15% of national
practices meet the NCQA standards
to meet the PCMH accreditation. This
project was a major undertaking for
PCHC, and we thank all of our providers
and staff whose hard work every day
makes the achievement possible. There
was also a lot of behind the scenes
IT and Clinical/Operation teams work
involved to meet the application and
reporting requirements. So again,
thanks to all of our PCHC team who
worked to make this possible.
In response to the ACA implementation,
and tremendous influx of newly insured
patients, PCHC’s Board of Directors
approved a “2014 Growth Plan” for the
organization. It called for changes in
space and exam room changes as well
as the hiring of additional providers to
meet the demands of the community.
PCHC has hired this year alone, one
new full time Pediatrician, one half
Senior Staff
Stanley Hoyt Block, M.D. FAAP
Chief Medical Officer
Denise Fortin, PHR,
VP, Human Resources
Mary Jean Francis, MS, RN,
VP, Performance Improvement
Elaine Hardman,
VP, Chief Operations Officer
Andrew Saal, M.D.
Medical Director
Gregory J. Young, CPA,
VP, Chief Financial Officer
THE PROVIDENCE
COMMUNITY HEALTH
CENTERS LOCATIONS
Administrative Offices
375 Allens Avenue
(401) 444-0400
PCHC at Prairie Avenue
355 Prairie Avenue
(401) 444-0570
PCHC EXPRESS
355 Prairie Avenue
(401) 415-9000
PCHC at Capitol Hill
40 Candace Street
(401) 444-0550
PCHC at Central
239 Cranston Street
(401) 444-0580
PCHC at Chafee
One Warren Way
(401) 444-0530
PCHC at Chad Brown
285A Chad Brown Street
(401) 274-6339
PCHC at Crossroads
160 Broad Street
(401) 861-2403
PCHC at North Main
530 North Main Street
(401) 415-9500
PCHC at Olneyville
PCHC at 100 Curtis Street
(401) 444-0540
PCHC Dental Clinic
PCHC at 335R Prairie Avenue
(401) 444-0430
Lifespan Moves In PCHC Growth
Lifespan, who had committed to
supporting the Prairie Avenue building
project several years ago, was finally
able to move into its space this past July.
Lifespan occupies 27,000 square feet
of space and as of July 2014, offers the
following programs: Child Neurological
Testing Center; School of Diagnostic
Imaging; Youth Development; Lifespan
Community Health Services; and the
Lifespan Community Training Center. We
welcome them and wish them continued
success in their new space.
Vivien Acevedo, LCSW
Marta Dougal
Emillian Egbuche
James H. Hardy, Esq.
Carol Hartley, CPA
Hugh F. Lena, Ph.D.
Zenaida Martinez
Roanne Osborne-Gaskin, M.D.
Michael L. Pearis, MBA
Keo Phrathep, D.A.
Glenn Rawson, Ph.D.
Wendy Thomas
Christina Zanfagna
Merrill R. Thomas
Chief Executive Officer
ACA Enrollment Bolsters New PCHC Patient Numbers
The Providence Community Health
Centers report, as of August, 2014
indicated that nearly 10,000 new
Medicaid Neighborhood Health Plan of
RI (NHPRI) patients have been assigned
to us since the Affordable Care Act took
effect on January 1, 2014. PCHC now
Board of Directors
51% of PCHC board members
are also our patients.
time Ob/Gyn provider, three full time
Nurse Practitioners, and one full time
Internist. In addition, each provider also
requires a nurse and a health assistant,
so PCHC has hired over 30 new staff
in the first half of 2014. Through the
first seven months of this year, PCHC
has delivered over 6,000 more patient
encounters than through the same
period in 2013. PCHC has also had
to make some program and space
changes to accommodate the need
for additional exam rooms for our new
providers. Three new exam rooms
were added at our Olneyville site, and
a whole new suite was converted at
our Capitol Hill site which resulted
in three exam rooms and additional
support space.
PCHC at The MET
325 Public Street
(401) 752-2693
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