October 2020
In this issue...
A Few Pandemic Thoughts and Feelings
CEO Connection
A Message from Your Board Chair
Cindy's Update
The Stories Behind the Numbers
Deputy Director
NAFC Charitable Health Care Symposium
Upcoming Events & Deadlines
Quick Links
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A Few Pandemic Thoughts and Feelings
Rob Jordan, MSW, LCSW
During the past few months, both in my job as a behavioral health therapist and as a human being, I’ve talked to a number of people about how they’re experiencing life right now. The most common theme is that we’re all overwhelmed, and I can tell that some of us are at our breaking point. Between the COVID-19 pandemic, racial injustice and the divisive world of politics, many Americans are at their limit. For some people, the pandemic is the bigger stressor, for others it’s another issue, but for the sake of brevity, I’ll refer to all of this collectively as the pandemic.
As the effects of the pandemic continue to be prevalent in our lives, we are having what I call “pandemic plus…” problems. Pandemic plus the loss of a loved one. Pandemic plus the loss of a job. Pandemic plus back to school. Pandemic plus pregnancy. Pandemic plus a wedding. Pandemic plus a cough or cold. Pandemic plus birthday/anniversary. Pandemic plus caring for an elderly loved one. Pandemic plus an election. Pandemic plus vacation. Pandemic plus sports. It’s hard enough to be in a car accident, but to decide whether you want to be transported to a hospital due to possible exposure to COVID, a car accident has now become even more stressful than before. What I’ve noticed is that typically positive experiences have now been tainted by the pandemic. Getting married, having a baby, the first day of school, vacation and many other positive life events are being marred by everything going on around us.
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CEO Connection
Randy Jordan, CEO
Great Things
I recently read a quote about change that said, “great things never came from your comfort zone.” Without a doubt, the thing that has taken me out of my comfort zone the most during 2020 is the impact of COVID-19. I no longer feel comfortable in retail stores, restaurants or public gatherings. I miss the hugs from family and friends. I no longer go to my yoga studio or gym. My spiritual support rarely occurs in person. And, after 35 years of office work, I no longer work in an office. I could go on and on and, probably, so could you. I’ve never given a lot of thought about the contours of my comfort zone, but these things definitely take me out of it.
I have to admit, though, that some great things have happened while I’ve been feeling “uncomfortable.” I am rediscovering my wife’s wonderful kitchen skills and a few of my own as we are eating at home for nearly every meal. We’re eating healthier too. When we get to see family and friends in person, it is so very special. I’ve learned some new yoga techniques while taking virtual classes and started walking in the mornings again. Hurray – my sugar and triglycerides levels are lower. We’re learning that spiritual fulfillment is not dependent on a building or a meeting schedule. And, while working from home, we’ve raised more money than ever for our Member clinics and are implementing important strategies at minimal cost through virtual meetings. All these great things came from outside my comfort zone and I’m very thankful.
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A Message from Your Board Chair
Thank you so much for taking time to listen to the regionalization presentation that the board has been working on this past year. We so wished we could have given this presentation in person to better facilitate dialogue around this project.
We are looking forward to some candid and exciting discussions for those that consider participating in this regionalization process at the first scheduled regional meetings. What the board hopes is that each of you will meet in your region to explore the possibilities. The possibility of sharing resources, reducing duplication of services, access to additional specialists and regional grant writing could open new possibilities resulting in lower costs and increased efficiencies. We need your leadership, expertise and experience as we develop the policy and procedures that would address the more complicated issues, i.e., who would be the lead agency when writing regional grants, etc.
We are looking forward to great discussions and new ideas from those that choose to take a chance to see if “systemness” through regionalization brings us closer together while enabling us to deliver incredible healthcare to the uninsured!
Happy Fall!
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October Updates
2019 Annual Outcomes Survey – Health Gains Outcomes Measured by Ethnicity and Race
To assist our members' efforts in population management and to promote health equity within their patient population and the communities they serve, in 2019, NCAFCC requested that outcome metrics be collected and reported by ethnicity and race.
The NCAFCC Accreditation Program has gone Digital
Due to the impact of COVID-19 the NCAFCC Accreditation Program, site visits have been postponed, and the process is now a digital format. A virtual visit will be performed in somewhat the same way as an in-person visit, including an interactive review of the NCAFCC Accreditation Standards and Indicators Self-Assessment Matrix.
Notify Cindy at cindy@ncafcc.org if you’re interested in applying for NCAFCC Accreditation status.
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The Stories Behind the Numbers - NCPRO
Allison Kelly
COVID-19 Grant Manager
As the grant manager for the COVID-19 State Appropriation, it’s probably no surprise to you that my days are filled with numbers. Allocations, reimbursements, metrics. It feels like a lot some days. I know it does to you too.
And then this magical part of the month happens on the 10th day of each month. This is the day that everyone sends in their monthly reporting identifying eligible expenses incurred due to the coronavirus pandemic. Magical? How can that be magical, you might ask? Sifting through all of those figures and numbers! We’re in the midst of a global pandemic for goodness sake!
Let me explain. In addition to the dollars and cents, the payroll reports and the many invoices, your stories are being told. This, to me, is the essence of what this COVID-19 appropriation is all about. The stories that inspire, stories of hope and moments of blessing. The moments that matter to the people of our state. They are being heard by many.
Nearly 8,000 new patients and over 66,000 established patients have stepped through the doors of one of your free and charitable healthcare organizations since the start of the pandemic. Nearly 1,300 of your patients were diagnosed with COVID-19 during this time and received the vital care they needed. To date, over $3.7 million dollars has been distributed throughout our membership. These metrics do not even represent the full membership of the Association, as some clinics have not been able to participate in the appropriation yet! The volume of good occurring in this state because of each of your organizations is quite remarkable.
We hear your stories through your reporting and are grateful for your good work. I smile as I read the narratives that demonstrate what this support means to your patients, your communities, you and your staff. This pandemic is hard, but the work you do shines a bright light on the hope that you create for so many.
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More News...and even more news...
Mark Scheerer
Deputy Director
Happy October! This is my favorite time of year and it's not just because I can eat the candy I buy to give to trick or treaters. The temperatures are glorious as are the leaves as they change. Even when they fall, it can make life interesting. One year I made a maze of leaves in the back yard for my son. Another year, I made a maze for the ghosts and goblins for them to follow to get candy. That reminds me of another story about my son. One year he was mowing the grass and my wife called to me to take a look. He had cut his name in the yard in about 15 foot letters. I asked why and he said he was bored. I have to admit it was pretty funny. It can be fun to look back on memories and during the past five years that I've been at the NCAFCC, I have many fond memories; and now as we embark on the new regionalization initiative, I anticipate more memories to be made. We'll have plenty to discuss, decisions to be made and as we go along, my hope is we'll find new ways to work together for the benefit of your clinic and your patients. Let's create some new memories for our Association as we move forward to bigger and even better things. To get started, we will be scheduling regional meetings and a board member will be in touch with each region to begin the planning. During these initial meetings you'll start to build relationships with others in your region and then we want to hear from you. This will be a listening session for us about what is on your mind. From there, we'll identify next steps for each region.
View and share with your board and staff the regionalization PowerPoint and video presentation from the Annual Members’ Meeting. Both are also located in the Members' Only section of our website.
NCAFCC Website
We are updating the look of our website and are asking you to complete a new clinic profile f orm which can be found here. Please return to mark@ncafcc.org by Thursday, October 15.
Donor Engagement in the Era of Covid-19
We recently held a webinar with Bloomerang about donor engagement. Many of you participated and there were requests for the slides and the video from the presentation. Slides can be found here. Video can be found here.
New Board Members
Members elected new board members during the Annual Members' Meeting. They begin their board terms on October 1, 2020.
Clinic Representative Members:
Sherri FIsher - The Good Samaritan Clinic of Morganton
Janet Jarrett - Albemarle Hospital Foundation Community Care Clinic
At-Large Members
Michael Lischke, Northwest AHEC, WFU School of Medicine
John Mills, ECHO
John Price, NC Office of Rural Health, Retired
NCAFCC Awards Presented during the Annual Members' Meeting
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The Don Lucey Award
For more than 35 years, Dr. Don Lucey has been a champion for improving the state of health care for underserved populations in North Carolina. He has set an example of service to the uninsured. Since 2001, the NCAFCC has presented the Don Lucey Award as the highest honor of our association recognizing the service of clinic volunteers. During the Annual Members’ Meeting we were honored to recognize Bill and Mary Hurt, volunteers at the HealthReach Community Clinic in Mooresville, for their dedicated work at the clinic.
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The Spirit of Free and Charitable Clinics Award
The Spirit of Free and Charitable Clinics Award is presented each year to one individual who exemplifies the spirit of the free and charitable clinic movement. This person has exhibited leadership characteristics critical to advancing the cause of the uninsured in North Carolina and has been engaged in activities and initiatives of our association. We were pleased to honor Janet Jarrett, Executive Director of Albemarle Hospital Foundation Community Care Clinic in Elizabeth City with this year’s Spirit of Free and Charitable Clinics Award during the Annual Members’ Meeting.
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New Infographic Available
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Looking for a way to tell your clinic's story? Our new infographic is now available for download from the Members Only section of the website. It be can customized with your clinic's information or used with just the statewide facts. If you want it customized, contact Mark for more details.
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The NAFC Board has decided to transition the 2020 NAFC Annual Symposium to a virtual conference which will take place October 25-27, 2020. If you have already registered for the meeting or were selected as a speaker, the NAFC team will be reaching out to you individually via email. Read more about it and register here.
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Upcoming Events & Deadlines |
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Board of Directors
Board Chair
April Cook, MBA
Lake Norman Community Health Clinic
Vice Chair
Tony Price
Moore Free and Charitable Clinic
Treasurer
John Price, MPA
ORHCC – Retired
Secretary
Tracy Salisbury
Open Door Clinic of Alamance County
Sherri Fisher
The Good Samaritan Clinic of Morganton
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Andy Kurtzman, MHCA
Scotland Community Health Clinic
Sissy Lee-Elmore, MBA, MPA
WATCH Healthcare Program
Past Chair
Janet Jarrett
Albemarle Hospital Foundation Community Care Clinic
Michael Lischke, EdD, MPH
Northwest AHEC
WFU School of Medicine
John Mills, CPC
ECHO
Krista Woolly, MS
Community Care Clinic of Rowan County
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The first four of our Healthy Neighbors podcasts are online on our website. In the first series, Randy Jordan and Dr. Andy Barbash discuss telemedicine and how NCAFCC clinics are adopting this model of care during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
COVID-19 Crisis Response Webinars
Sponsored by the NC Association of Free and Charitable Clinics and the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics.
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Messaging & Communications – Developing Your Clinic’s COVID-19 Narrative | Watch
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Financial Resources – Building Your Clinic’s Value Proposition | Watch
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Human Resources – Sustaining Your Clinic Team | Watch
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Strategic Opportunities – Leveraging the Crisis for Change | Watch
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NCAFCC COVID-19 Workbook by Next Stage | View PDF
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Staff
CEO
ext. 104
Deputy Director
ext. 101
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Director of Quality & Clinical Support
ext. 103
Office Manager
ext. 102
COVID-19 Grant Manager
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