As an ambulatory care center and a primary healthcare provider, Project H.O.P.E. treats chronic conditions among our patient population, such as Diabetes. Often patients who are low income or homeless do not have the resources or tools to manage this disease.

Traditionally, patients who had diabetes would receive basic education and a prescription for medication, but would not return to Project H.O.P.E. for several months. In order to allow patients to learn self-management tools, Project H.O.P.E. started the Diabetes Self-Management program The Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) classes allow patients to better control their blood glucose, reduce the risks of side-effects of the disease when it goes unmanaged, and ensure diabetics have a more comfortable, satisfying life.

In the Fall of 2016, Project H.O.P.E. held its first weekly DSME classes. The classes are held in a four-week series and repeats monthly. In order to provide team-based care, a variety of Project H.O.P.E. staff oversee the program. Staff nurse, Sharon Forney, RN, conducts the weekly classes, assisted by Danielle Orlando, our Community Health Worker. Registered Dietician and Certified Diabetes Educator, Fran Grabrowski helps guide Sharon in teaching the classes. Once a month one of Project H.O.P.E.’s medical providers attends the class and holds a group visit with the patients. The medical providers also refer new patients to the program so they can receive this critical education.

Patients have responded favorably to the classes. They enjoy the interaction with the staff, as well as their peers. Conversation Maps is the curriculum used to walk class members through various topics as they learn self-management. Several patients continue to come month after month because of the positive impact the tools and resources have on their life. Some patients who have had Diabetes for years are finally able to begin to manage the disease. New patients are not so overwhelmed with the diagnosis when they learn about the support and resources available to them. Not only do patients who attend class have better lab results, but they feel better, have increased energy, and are motivated to continue to focus on their health.

On August 20, 2018, Project HOPE hosted an Opioid Forum to provide education, awareness, and advocacy on this crucial topic. The event was well attended by community members from the local neighborhood, patients and staff members. Grant Jenkins, Family Nurse Practitioner and Addiction Medicine Specialist led an impassioned discussion about the effects of opioids on both individuals and the community.

Pictured above is Project H.O.P.E. Family Nurse Practitioner, Grant Jenkins.

A delicious meal was catered by Camden’s Cathedral Kitchen.

Narcan was provided along with education and training on how to administer the drug and recognize the signs of opioid overdose.

The event was sponsored by the CVS Foundation and the National Association of Community Health Centers.

As the opioid epidemic ravages the country, small cities also struggle to address the crisis daily. Camden City, New Jersey has experienced the crisis first hand, but also juggles to address high rates of poverty and crime. Our community has witnessed lives ruined by addiction and overdoses. At Project H.O.P.E., we are working to change that.

Fortunately, Community Health Centers are in a unique place to support the efforts to combat this deadly epidemic. As Camden’s elite Federally Qualified Health Center, we recognized that being on the front lines of community health care made us well-equipped to offer effective treatment that patients often could not access otherwise. In 2013, Project H.O.P.E. was one of the first FQHCs in New Jersey to offer Medication Assisted Treatment (also known as MAT) in the form of buprenorphine (Suboxone) and naltrexone (Vivitrol). These life-saving medications were previously difficult and expensive for people in the community to access and often out of reach for the most vulnerable individuals.

Over the past 5 years, we have served 1000 patients with MAT. During this time, we have learned many lessons and developed valuable expertise. When Cooper Hospital’s Urban Health Institute made the decision to join this crucial endeavor, we collaborated with the Hospital to share resources and to help support more agencies get involved. As a result, we formed a monthly “Suboxone Breakfast” for agencies who provide MAT meet regularly to share the lessons learned and resources as well as support new prescribers who want to get started. The meeting has grown to include two additional FQHCs, CAMcare Health Corporation and CompleteCare Health Network, Cooper Hospital’s Infectious Disease program, several Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOPS) and Camden County’s Department of Addiction Services.

The monthly meetings give clinicians the chance to meet regularly face to face to share patient success stories and discuss medication issues. During the meetings, clinicians also develop plans for fighting barriers to care such as insurance prior-authorizations that block access to medications, exchange paperwork, and forms. In addition, the cohort of diverse stakeholders provide support to one another.

Project H.O.P.E. is proud to have hosted the Suboxone Breakfast on the first Friday of every month for the past year. We look forward to continuing this important work because we know it has had a tremendous impact in bringing various agencies together who are working to rebuild our community.