Serving York County

December 2014

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Katallasso Provider Spotlight

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Nick Pandelidis, MD

has been serving here at Katallasso providing excellent care to our patients. Dr. Pandelidis is a board certified orthopedic spine surgeon, fellowship trained orthopedic spine surgeon and a founding partner of Orthopedic and Spine Specialists (OSS ) in York, PA. He received his undergraduate degree from Haverford College and attended medical school at The Pennsylvania State University School of Medicine. Nick has been married to his wife Lisa for 30 years and they have three beautiful daughters.

Thank you so much Nick for helping Katallasso to reach beyond healthcare!

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Volunteer of the Quarter
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Sheila Leskovec, RN

has been doing a great job here at the center using her skills to impact lives. Sheila has been a registered nurse for 25 years mainly focusing on cardiovascular services. She currently works at York Hospital on a cardio floor. Sheila had been praying for an opportunity to help the under and uninsured for some time and God led her to Katallasso. She is so "excited and thrilled" (her words) to use her skills here at the center. She has been instrumental in setting up our new ECG equipment. She lives in York County with her 3 teenagers.

Sheila, thank you so much for your heart and your willingness to serve God through Katallasso!

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Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

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To all our volunteers who give of their time and service to build relationships with our patients or maybe just work behind the scenes in some way to help make things work more efficiently.

The Board of Directors will be celebrating one more year of ministry by thanking all the volunteers of the center at a Dessert Social at the Yorktowne. It will be a great evening of fellowship as the whole center comes together to celebrate our volunteers!

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A Season to Reflect:

by Duane Furman

January 7, 2015 will mark the two year anniversary that Katallasso Family Health Center opened its doors to serve the community of York. The vision and mission remains as necessary today as it was more than two years ago when Katallasso was founded.

Countless stories have been shared of how our volunteers have been involved in impacting the lives of the patients coming through the doors.

A recovering heroin addict we treated for hypertension which resolved her headaches allowing her to apply and be accepted into college.
The gentleman who showed up with a basil cell carcinoma on his head the size of a baseball. The team worked to get him seen by a surgeon.
The young lady recently diagnosed with cervical cancer that would have been delayed in diagnosing if she would not have come to Katallasso.
A gentleman hungry for someone to listen, care and make him feel valued even though he didn't have any major medical issue.
The most memorable for me was the first patient seen at Katallasso.

The entire spectrum of people driven by the mission and vision of Katallasso to help a community in need has shown just how BIG God is as He works through His people!

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Don't forget about our gift of a Day Program...

Names are posted at Katallasso in the waiting room on the day of support and in the Medical Area permanently on the above plaques.

(This program was started in October 2013. $750

supports one day of service at Katallasso. Any donor contributing that amount in one year is a member of our Gift of a Day Program)

Thank you so much for supporting Katallasso!

Quick Links

Our Website

Scope of care

This is a good one!! So many awesome things are happening at Katallasso! How in the world can we not share all of the great things God is doing here at the center? As we mark our 2nd year on January 7th we recognize it is time to go to the next level and even start to plan into the future. Read on as we share just a few of these miraculous developments....

"A Culture of Excellence"

...a step to the next level

Katallasso is using the beginning of our third year to launch a quality improvement program called "A Culture of Excellence" in order to move to the next level. We are not "new" anymore and it is time to move beyond being new.....to excellence.

A culture of excellence is not a set of rules to follow. Instead, a culture of excellence is a choice derived and manifested as a commitment to go beyond the ordinary.

A Culture of Excellence will touch all parts of the organization...from the Board of Directors to the paid staff, to our valued volunteers and our clients as well as the rest of the community.

Just a few highlights:

Increase of paid staff for continuity of service and better communications
Development of an intake process to include an intake interview before first visit
Individual patient social profile to provider to facilitate "Going Beyond Healthcare"
Better communication tools to engage our patients at a higher level
Higher level of proficiency in electronic medical records
Better utilization of Quality Control Program
Enhanced volunteer communications...both ways
Flowcharting to improve phone call responses
Increased volunteer training
Better consistency among providers and staff through increased and more targeted communications
Increased program collaboration with other organizations to better serve clients
Scheduled board retreat to develop a more precise governance model and a defined strategic plan

Katallasso steps out in faith...again!

Because the need is so great, for about a year the patient wait time for an appointment has been 5-6 weeks. We knew we needed to react! Soooo...after a time of prayer, the Board of Directors has stepped out in faith and made the decision to hire our very own Duane Furman to be a part-time provider to serve at Katallasso one full day per week.

What a perfect fit! Duane is very dedicated to the mission and vision of Katallasso and has such a compassionate heart, excellent disposition and exudes such devotion and love for Jesus Christ. Duane works to make a tremendous difference in the lives of the clients he serves.

With the support of his family, Duane is ready to accept this opportunity which, along with the recent hiring of our Operations Manager Linda, will bring the consistency needed at the center as we strive to create a "Culture of Excellence."

Congratulations Duane!!

Katallasso expands services...

healthcare and medical concept - female doctor with stethoscope writing prescription

Because our strong desire is to develop solid relationships with our clients, it is in the ministries best interest to do our best to provide services that will not force our clients to jump from medical office to medical office. Because of this we have obtained our CLIA waived certification, purchased the proper equipment, received manufacturer training and are currently able to perform the following tests: fasting cholesterol panels, blood sugar testing, hemoglobin/hematocrit and urine screening testing. We also purchased ECG equipment so we can test the function of the heart. Thankfully we have professional staff that is trained and able to do this testing in house.

Another example of Going to the Next Level!

Impact of the Quarter

Just recently a woman needed our services. Her father had passed away earlier this year and she had been in town caring for him and her mother. During the time here, she developed some woman's health issues that needed to be addressed. She is the mother of two and without health insurance. She called her sister who knew of Katallasso and the services we provide for direction. After speaking with her, she was scheduled to come to the clinic for an evaluation. As all was well with the evaluation and mammogram that was long overdue, she was grateful for what Katallasso represents.

The impact from this story was not from a care perspective, but just as important is the relationship and environment perspective. She was asked what made a unique impression on her visit to Katallasso. She was quick to respond the value that she felt when she visited the clinic. She went on to say that at times it may be easy for someone to feel less valued and ashamed to be without insurance when attending a clinic for care. They may be apprehensive to show up out of concern for what "this free clinic" may look like and how it functions.

This patient was brought to tears during the conversation as she expressed how amazingly comfortable she felt, from the initial phone call to her amazement of the beautiful facility. There was no embarrassment, no feeling of being inferior or even a hint of lesser value as a child of God!

It is so pleasing to hear this response from a patient. It is important and always an encouragement to hear how a life is impacted by the healthcare provided, but even more meaningful to hear how a patient has felt loved, valued and encouraged by the entire experience of Katallasso.

Well done staff! We serve an awesome God that impacts lives.

That's Reaching Beyond Healthcare!

2014 NAFC Annual Summit (National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics)

In October President/Executive Director Brian attended the NAFC Summit in Kansas City. The Summit allows us to meet with and learn from clinics

of our type all across the U.S. Attendance at events like this has allowed Katallasso to keep up with what the current issues are concerning the under and uninsured and has guided us in areas such as what our role is and will be as it relates to the Affordable Care Act. Tons of topics are discussed through a workshop format where best practices are shared. Pictured is Brian with NAFC Executive Director Nicole Lamoreaux Busby.

The Katallasso Annual Breakfast Was a Hit!

The second annual Katallasso breakfast was held in October at Logos Academy. It was well attended with over 150 present. Dr. Chris Echterling was the guest speaker and spoke on the state of healthcare in York. He shared how the need for building relationships, understanding patient life events and a faith based approach that Katallasso models is a vital role in caring for those in need.

We also heard some wonderful testimonies from some of our patients and the impact that Katallasso has made on their lives. It was very inspirational!!

Following the breakfast, the clinic was open for touring and many people attended to see the facility. We had the privilege of meeting several individuals with an interest in volunteering their skillsets at Katallasso. Already one individual has committed to overseeing and completing our credentialing process while a retired pharmacist wishes to oversee our pharmaceutical inventory.

Oh yes, and praise God, many felt the calling of God to support the vital work of Katallasso financially!

How can you be part of Katallasso?

1. PRAYER! PRAYER!PRAYER!

2.We still have needs for volunteers. As we increase the patient hours our needs grow.

-What is your talent or expertise that Katallasso can use to impact the community? You don't necessarily have to be a medical staffer. We have many other needs.

3. Financial support. We cannot stop now. Please consider partnering with Katallasso by visiting the quick links section above this block.

4. Medical providers- Are you one or might you approach someone you know?

5. PRAYER! PRAYER! PRAYER!
(It's that important!)

***All of God's people must come together in order for this to be successful. WILL YOU ANSWER THE CALL?

Our mission is to emulate the love Jesus Christ by promoting wellness and providing quality healthcare for both the body and soul. In cooperation with the Church and others, Katallasso FHC will strive to reach beyond the health of the body for York City and surrounding communities.

Katallasso FHC: Reaching Beyond Healthcare

Click here to check out a detailed description of our mission.

2014 990's are available upon request by calling Katallasso

Katallasso, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non profit corporation