Putting Faith into Action

QHFP is the example of living, breathing faith, touching those in need of complete health in body, mind and spirit.

”I check in with the nurse every week just to be sure I am using this testing machine right and my blood sugar is safe. I don’t think I could have been able to stick myself everyday if she hadn’t been here, at my church. She really helped me and my family understand this Diabetes thing better.”
A. Gonzalez, St. Agatha’s Parish Family Parishioner.

Mr. Gonzalez is like many other individuals who utilize QueensCare Health and Faith Partnership Programs. Established in 1993, QueensCare Health and Faith Partnership (QHFP) has made healthcare easier to access in neighborhoods where underinsured and underserved populations reside. Many of these neighborhoods, such as Metro and East L.A., have some of the highest percentages of uninsured families in Los Angeles County. These communities also have the greatest numbers of economically disadvantaged families, many living below 200% of the federal poverty level. QueensCare is committed to providing and maintaining a complete and comprehensive system of healthcare to these families. For many, QHFP is the entry point to this system of quality healthcare.

QHFP collaborates with over 45 faith communities to promote health and wellness to families and individuals of all ages in their neighborhoods. Our partners work together to identify the health needs of their communities and to develop programs to help meet these concerns. This is accomplished through a health council that QHFP and the local faith community develop in each location. Through these councils, QHFP is able to deliver health services at various sites throughout Los Angeles. While this is a necessary and valuable function of QHFP, our greater purpose is to educate and motivate others to accept more responsibility and to be proactive about their health and the health of their community. This involves understanding the link between spiritual, mental and physical health and how the balance between them affects an individual’s well-being.

The primary mechanism to achieve these goals is through the interventions of QHFP’s Parish Nurse Program. Wholistic healthcare refers to the connection between body, mind and spirit. A problem that originates in one area can manifest itself in other areas. For example, a chronic illness such as diabetes can cause psychological depression, significantly disturbing thoughts can cause headaches, and an unsatisfied spirit can manifest itself in maladies of both the body and mind. Our complete health requires that all three of these interconnected parts receive care. Parish nurses achieve this by empowering individuals and communities through support, guidance and links to needed resources.

The gap between healthcare needs and accessible services to the low-income, uninsured and under-insured is a significant public health concern in Los Angeles County. The Department of Health Services is faced with the overwhelming task of providing and managing healthcare for over two-thirds of the populations in Metro and East L.A. QHFP Parish Nurses help to fill this gap by providing regular access to free basic health screenings such as blood pressure readings, blood glucose testing, immunizations and seasonal flu vaccinations for both children and adults as well as current health information and education.

Parish Nurses are a conduit for managing disease and increasing health awareness within low-income, uninsured and underinsured communities. For instance, morbidity and mortality related to cervical cancer have sharply increased and are at significantly high levels within these communities. Most uninsured women do not receive an annual Pap smear. Thus, identification of the presence of the disease is markedly delayed, causing a need for more aggressive, costly treatment. Through QHFP, women’s and men’s cancer screenings can be provided at trusted and respected locations in communities most in need of these services. QHFP Parish Nurses are able to provide community case management, referrals and spiritual support.

Parish Nurses are also in a unique position to facilitate awareness and change in communities. QHFP has recently implemented a community Mental Health Program that primarily targets children and families dealing with traumatic life events. Working in collaboration with Los Angeles Unified School District and UCLA, QHFP piloted the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) with one of our faith partners that had identified a significant increase in traumatic events occurring within families as well as within the geographic area of the their faith community. This program opened access to licensed mental health professionals who provide a wide range of therapeutic interventions for these families in their community.

With over 45 faith community partners, rich in cultural and linguistic diversity, QHFP Parish Nurses provided approximately 60,000 encounters through culturally and linguistically sensitive services ranging from health education, preventive health screenings (blood pressure, blood sugar assessments) children’s immunization and parenting education. Last year, QHFP’s Community Immunization Program served 5,260 children and their families residing within the Metro and East Los Angeles areas with access to the recommended childhood vaccinations. Information and health education were provided in English, Spanish, Korean, and Armenian.

During the flu season, QHFP is committed to providing flu vaccinations to those at highest risk for developing severe complications from the flu, as well as those who have a high potential for spreading the virus to others who are most vulnerable. Last year, QHFP was able to vaccinate 525 high-risk individuals residing within the communities of Metro and East Los Angeles.

QHFP’s diverse group of Parish Nurses also works in tandem with the QueensCare Family Clinics to provide community case management services for the clients referred to, and treated by, QueensCare Family Clinics. Any patient requiring more thorough healthcare is encouraged to meet with a physician at one of seven QueensCare Family Clinics.

Each of these clinics is staffed by highly trained physicians and a full complement of medical personnel who are always sensitive to the cultural and linguistic diversity of our County.

The clinics offer a full variety of healthcare needs. Family Practice, Internal Medicine, OB/Gyn, Pediatrics, Optometrics and Dental Care services ensure that patients are able to receive the care that they need, regardless of insurance or ability to pay. A pharmaceutical dispensary is also available for medications a patient may require. If hospitalization or speciality care is required, QueensCare can provide that, too.

The healthcare meltdown is real. QueensCare Health and Faith Partnership provides front-line healthcare services to our community in safe and familiar places – churches and schools. When more extensive services are needed, QueensCare and QueensCare Family Clinics offer one part of the solution to our crisis.

For more information on QueensCare Health and Faith Partnership or QueensCare Family Clinics, please call 800-454-1800.

First published in the Los Angeles Business Journal, November 27, 2006.