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This month’s Pulse newsletter reflects the strong commitment – of our team members, our board members, and our organization as a whole – to pursuing our mission and vision.
I’m always pleased to report on our new programs and services, or to highlight new team members who are joining us to pursue new and innovative efforts, but I’m especially pleased when we’re able to highlight the people and ways that SJ Health is a special resource in our community.
Read on to learn about one of our clinician’s special achievements in meeting the expectations of the patients she serves, as well as the personal efforts one of our board members makes to improve our region’s health. Both features reinforce how the alignment of special people – staff and volunteers – align with our innovative service delivery capabilities to make a difference for our patients.
Each August, we celebrate National Health Centers Week. In addition to recognition, treats and appreciation for our team members and patients, we also bring awareness to the role SJ Health plays in our healthcare delivery system. I want to thank Joan Singson for representing SJ Health at a recent Board of Supervisors meeting in which SJ Health was recognized for the unique contributions that nonprofit health centers bring to the communities they serve. There’s no question that over the last several years we’ve increasingly gained the attention of stakeholders and decisions-makers who know what an important role we have in the healthcare delivery system. You’re all a big part of that and should be proud!
Next month, we will be launching a fresh look and additional features in our team newsletter! Several of your colleagues are collaborating to bring it together and we’re looking forward to your feedback as new issues are created in the months ahead. Be on the lookout in September!
Karen Lee’s interest in health and wellness resonates throughout her personal and professional life. As a member of SJ Health’s governing board of directors, that interest furthers her engagement in the oversight of the health center’s operations, shapes her perspectives on the future services and programs that can be prioritized, and prompts her to personally volunteer in SJ Health outreach initiatives.
Karen just recently began to volunteer with SJ Health Mobile Health Center and has been both inspired and surprised by the volume of care provided to vulnerable community residents. “I arrived with the expectation to support some general outreach and patient registration, but I really wasn’t expecting, given where we are with the pandemic, that there would still be such a focus on COVID,” explained Karen. “It was eye-opening! We ran 127 tests in four hours – so efficiently. Everything was tightly coordinated, and all of that was occurring while two additional doctors provided support for various other patient needs.”
Beyond her volunteerism with SJ Health’s mobile health outreach, Karen notes she has a long history of
community service, with past efforts involving students, the unhoused, and food banks. She even takes advantage of her personal enjoyment of sewing and quilting to create blankets, socks, and pillows for kids in need.
Professionally, Karen teaches psychology courses at San Joaquin Delta College, and highlights that during the pandemic – to support community health needs even further – she pursued and received her licensure as an EMT and began working on an ambulance.
That focus on health makes her particularly receptive to the needs of SJ Health staff as they pursue their mission. “As a board, we’re there to serve them,” committed Karen. “If there are suggestions or needs, we want the team to reach out. They’re doing amazing work. Hard work. And they should know that it benefits the residents of our valley.”
SJ Health is committed to delivering quality health care and improving health outcomes, but also to achieving and improving our patient’s satisfaction. On a monthly basis, SJ Health engages in post-visit surveys to identify how our team is meeting our patients’ expectations and to identify how we can improve when necessary. We’re always pleased when our patient satisfaction is high, but a recent finding was noteworthy: Dr. Jackline Grace has had a 99% patient satisfaction rating over the last three-month measurement period! Dozens of surveys have been returned that validate that Dr. Grace and her MA, Kimberly Vales are reinforcing the positive patient experience SJ Health pursues. We’re appreciative of our full team as everybody continues to strive toward high satisfaction and are thrilled to recognize Dr. Grace for the “above and beyond” experience reflected in our survey.
A nationwide acknowledgement of nonprofit health centers was the perfect opportunity for San Joaquin Health Centers (SJ Health) to celebrate its community partnerships and its expansion of services and programs for some of the most vulnerable residents in our community.
“National Health Centers Week gives us pause to recognize the outstanding work that our team at San Joaquin Health Centers does each and every day, while also allowing us to amplify awareness of the various primary care, community outreach and patient engagement services and initiatives we’ve prioritized for our community,” said Farhan Fadoo, M.D., chief executive officer at San Joaquin Health Centers.
As a primary care home for over 30,000 San Joaquin County residents, SJ Health has expanded to become key organizer and collaborator with other healthcare partners to bring mobile health services into neighborhoods, housing developments and to reach those who are unhoused. During the pandemic, SJ Health was on the front line in testing, vaccinating, and treating residents impacted by COVID, and efforts continue as hundreds of patients continue to seek testing and treatment each month.
In the last year, SJ Health launched Connect2Care, a virtual primary care platform for its patients, expanding the availability of virtual healthcare that had been piloted during the pandemic, and reopened its Manteca Health Center, expanding access to primary care services for thousands of south San Joaquin County residents in Manteca and neighboring communities.
SJ Health is also collaborating with Health Plan of San Joaquin to pursue a new statewide program called
Enhanced Case Management, a high-touch outreach and engagement initiative that aims to bring together SJ Health case managers and social workers with high-need patients who are dealing with chronic health issues, housing instability, and the need for social services and resources.
“Our team continues to bring new, innovative and engaging programs and services to our community – all toward our vision of healthier futures for those we serve, enabled by nimble, adaptive, and progressive care delivery,” said Dr. Fadoo. “National Health Centers Week continues to be an important opportunity to engage our stakeholders, partners, employees and patients as we celebrate the progress we’ve made and look forward to our new initiatives ahead.