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Dear Spartanburg Community,   
  

It is March and the sun is shining here at AccessHealth Spartanburg! We are very excited for spring with the growth and renewal that it brings. This month we will be welcoming new staff, replanting our community garden, planning client focus groups, and working on a variety of exciting projects. We are so proud of our innovative partnerships. Thank you for helping us provide the best comprehensive care for our clients!
 
If you have any feedback, comments, or suggestions, please send them to drydzak@srhs.com
 
Client Feedback

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"I was very pleased with everyone. Just knowing that if I don't have the money, I don't have to do without my blood pressure meds and other meds. I would be taken care of. Showed much love and understanding with a smile." - J.M.

 

"I am very thankful for Access to Health. They are helping me to get on the road to be able to work a job. This is a good program. Thank you for being here for me. The doctors are great and really care." - J.E.

New Staff Member
AccessHealth Spartanburg is proud to welcome a new addition to our staff. Sheri Crocker is joining AccessHeath as a Community Case Worker for HOPS (Healthy Outcomes Program Spartanburg). In this role, she will be helping clients achieve better health by connecting them with medical and social resources. Sheri holds an Associates Degree as an Administrative Medical Associate from Spartanburg Community College. She has worked in numerous administrative support roles for Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System including Patient Access Representative (Admissions, EMS, Rehabilitation Services), Senior Patient Access Representative (Wound Center), Patient Account Representative (Business Office), and Scheduling Coordinator (Rehabilitation Services).
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Spotlight
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently released an article about how communities can improve health equity. Although there are no set instructions, the article isolates three key lessons learned from the Culture of Health Prize Winners.

1. Start a conversation about race and health, then do something about it.
2. Facing the past: acknowledge and begin to heal from historic trauma.
3. Get creative about engaging- and leveraging- partners for health.

Spartanburg was used as an example of number three, getting creative about partners for health. According to the article, "Spartanburg organized a collective of about 40 organizations including the regional health care system, neighborhood groups, churches, barber shops and more to focus on health, together. In one example, the city's jail system partnered with the local hospital and saw that the ER's super users had cycled through the jails. Mental health and substance abuse were big drivers, so they worked together to bring mental health and substance counseling to people in jails. Yoga and mindfulness classes were also offered. Hospital readmissions are down and those once called prisoners are now people with support and the tools to succeed. Working with a local medical school, which built a new campus on the site of an abandoned mill, Spartanburg is connecting low-income residents to community resources. This helps people receive coordinated and ongoing care rather than sporadic care punctuated by emergency room visits."

For more information about the other key lessons and to learn more about how communities are improving health equity, visit: RWJF Article on Health Equity.
March Health Facts
March is National Social Workers Month. Please take time to recognize the contributions of the social workers throughout Spartanburg County. We truly appreciate all the work that they do for our community.
 
March is also National Women's History Month. Throughout history, women have played an important role in medicine. Read on to learn more about some of these women and their accomplishments.
  • Rebecca Lee Crumpler: Crumpler was the first female African-American Doctor. She graduated with her medical degree from Boston University in 1864. She was also one of the first African-Americans to publish a medical book. Following the Civil War, she cared for freed slaves who did not have access to medical care.
  • Clara Barton: Barton founded the American Red Cross in 1881 following her time spent caring for soldiers during the Civil War. The American Red Cross is still thriving today and March is considered Red Cross Month.
  • Gertrude Belle Elion: A 1988 Nobel Prize winner, Elion developed 45 treatments to help the immune system fight cancer during her time as a chemist. Perhaps the most famous of her contributions was Purinethol, the first major drug to fight leukemia.
  • Rosalyn Sussman Yalow: Yalow, also a Nobel Prize winner, developed the technique that made it possible to determine concentrations of antigens in the body. This technique was adapted and used to scan blood donations for infectious diseases, such as HIV and Hepatitis.
For more information about these women and more influential women in the world of medicine, visit: Medical Daily Influential Women in Medicine.
 
jogging-women.jpg March 30th is National Take A Walk in the Park Day. Walking is a great way to exercise! As a matter of fact, walking regularly may lower your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes, strengthen your bones and muscles, help you burn more calories, and lift your mood. So, grab a friend or family member and head to your local Spartanburg park to soak in the sunshine and stretch your legs. For more information about walking and sample plans for gaining the best health benefit, visit : National Institute of Health- Walking.
Donations

Please consider an in-kind donation! We are currently having a shortage and have not been able to offer toiletry items to our clients. We are in need of the following:

 
texture-graphic-community.jpgToothpaste
Deodorant (Men's and Women's)
Razors (Men's and Women's)
Shaving Cream (Men's and Women's)
Soap
Shampoo

Please note that all toiletry items must be unopened and unused in order to be accepted as donations. If you have any questions regarding donations, please contact drydzak@srhs.com.

 

Community Shout Outs
  • March 10th at 7pm is the Benjamin B. Dunlap Chamber Music Series at Wofford College. This music series features internationally renowned performers. Admission is free. For more information about this event, visit: Chamber Music Series.
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  • March 12th is Space Day at Roper Mountain Science Center in Greenville, SC. There will be family activities for all ages from 9:00am-3:00pm. Admission prices are $8 for adults, $7 for children (ages 5-12), and free for children ages 4 and under. For more information about this event, visit: Science Day at Roper Mountain.
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  • March 15th is the Miracle Hill Fundraising Banquet at the TD Convention Center in Greenville, SC. The event will feature Rob Mitchell, author of Castaway Kid, as the main speaker. To reserve your seat, visit: Miracle Hill or call (864) 268-4357.
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  • March 19th is the Upstate South Carolina National College Fair at the TD Convention Center in Greenville, SC. More than 100 colleges and universities will be in attendance. The event runs from 1:00pm-4:00pm. For more information, visit: Upstate College Fair.
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  • March 26th is the iRecycle Half Marathon and 5k at Spartanburg High School. The races start at 8:00am. Proceeds from the run fund scholarships for area high school students who actively participate in school and community recycling programs. For more information or to register, visit: iRecycle Races.           
If you have any community shout outs that you would like us to share in our April newsletter, please email  drydzak@srhs.com.
If you would like to support 
and contribute to 
AccessHealth's mission click  HERE!

In Good Health, 

AccessHealth Spartanburg
 
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