Agenda 04-01-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Attachment 1: BOCC/BOH Joint Dinner Meeting 04/01/04 COMDetitive Analvsis The Institute of Medicine's report on Core Public Health Functions stressed the importance of assessing the needs of the community and assuring that quality health services are available and accessible to all persons. A comprehensive Primary Care Needs Assessment was completed in October 2003. It revealed that the Town of Hillsborough including the Northern Orange County unincorporated areas offer only three primary care medical practices. These medical practices routinely require payment in advance and limit the number of uninsured and Medicaid patients that they serve. Access to primary care services in Northern Orange is substantially limited particularly for low - income, uninsured, vulnerable populations. An OCHD client survey, as part of the Primary Care Needs Assessment, revealed that, of Whiffed clients, 36% indicated they did not have a place to go when sick, but of those, 73% considered OCHD to be their medical provider. 56% of Whitted clients had used the Emergency Department in the past year one to three times. 91 % of Whiffed clients surveyed said they would choose OCHD as their primary care provider if primary care services were offered'. The North Carolina Public Health Statutes state that the mission of the public health system is to promote the availability of quality health care services through the private sector and to provide quality health care services when they are not otherwise available. OCHD proposes to offer primary care services to residents in the Hillsborough and Northern Orange county area who are currently enrolled in the traditional services offered by the Health Department, namely the Family Planning, Child Health and Maternal Health programs, and who do not have access to a primary care provider. In addition, women who age out of or are otherwise no longer eligible for Family Planning Services will be offered continued services. Through the provision of `preventive primary care' to women and children in public health preventive programs on a sliding fee scale basis, OCHD seeks to improve the health status of our clients by reducing fragmented care and increasing the continuity of care. MarketinLy Strate The marketing strategy will be aimed at women and their children who are participating in the Family Planning, Child Health and Maternal Health programs who account for over 60% of all current clinical encounters. The OCHD currently offers several preventive services for women and their newborns, such as prenatal care, birth control counseling, well child care, and immunizations. The primary care services will promote and build upon the relationships already established with these clients and offer early detection and treatment of common illnesses. Marketing will be focused in -house and to OCHD's traditional populations. Marketing strategies may include one or more of the following approaches: • Posters inside the OCHD waiting room • Posters placed inside the exam rooms at the OCHD • Brochures that can be given to clients during their clinical visits • Brochures that can be mailed to current clients • Featured information about primary care services on the OCHD's website Cultural and language barriers are some of the impediments to receiving quality healthcare. To address this issue, all marketing materials will be prepared in Spanish and English to reach all segments of the population. A minimum fee of $15 will be assessed in advance of services, with the balance payable based on the sliding fee scale. This minimum fee was developed following a needs assessment, which asked current 2