Board of Directors
John Beitzel, PhD
President
Frank DeSalvo, PhD
Vice-President
Denise Brown
Secretary
Vivian Brown
Treasurer
Jennifer Burkhardt
Lili Dodd, MD
Eric Lewis
Pam Scott
Lorraine Wall
Staff
Carl Weber, MD
Medical Director
Rose Gibbs, RN
MHA/MPA
Clinic Director
Sara Nicholls
Executive Director
Kathi Gunn, ARNP
Chronic Healthcare Clinic
Marian Needham
Administrative Assistant
Pennie Robinson
Wellness Program
Coordinator
|
A BIG THANK YOU
The last couple of years have been challenging for the WOW! Working On Wellness forum programs with the closure of the Fellowship Hall at Trinity due to Covid protocols. But thanks to KSQM FM (91.5) radio station outreach programs, we were invited to bring our monthly forum presenters as guests on the Olive Martini program which is hosted by Patricia Guthrie (former Clinic Board Member and Volunteer). She has turned this challenge into a real victory. Her interview skills have brought new energy and depth to these wellness forums and her ability to sit down and meet with new and different speakers each month and make them feel relaxed and comfortable has truly enriched these wellness forums and has brought a very large new listening audience to these wellness programs.
|
It is not the years in your life that count, but the life in your years
By Barb Paschal retired Physical Therapist, author, artist, teacher, veteran
It is never too late to start a new or renewed health plan! Our bodies are extremely resilient and muscle strength can be built at any age!
We always look for the highest quality in the berries and vegetables we choose at the store…and we have the same opportunity to choose the highest quality of health….both physical and mental for ourselves no matter how old we are.
What a wonderful word DAILY is! Resolutions needn’t start on the first of the year. Today is a grand time to truly exercise 30++ minutes. Today is a terrific time to spend 10+ minutes meditating and breathing calmly and deeply. Thinking kind and thankful thoughts and writing those same thoughts out with pen and paper (not on a computer!) boost your immune system and your sense of self-worth and generous ideas of how to help others.
We have the gift of 24 hours to start afresh!! Daily focus on your physical and mental health can only be accomplished by you. Envision true luxury of a rosebud opening with dew drops around your body! Better than any hot bath or cup of coffee is the fulfilling sense of making a difference in someone’s life! An amazing realization that you can become stronger, more flexible, more energetic, and more patient and caring today!
Deciding to be full of creativity and discovery and re-discovery of the joy in life and in yourself...takes 20++ years off your shoulders and your spirit and gives you hope and gentleness.
I work on all the above moments and ideas and endeavors everyday... and I hope you do too!
|
Enjoying this Email?
Many will also receive this newsletter in the mail. If you would prefer this method to the mail, please respond to this email and let us know.
We will never share or sell our email list. We also promise not to fill your inboxes with spam like emails.
If you would be interested in helping us reduce costs but still keep you informed, please respond to this email. Thank you
|
|
Clinic Director’s Report
By Rose Gibbs, RN, MHA/MPA
We are almost half way through this “third pandemic” year.
Normalcy of sorts is slowly returning to our community. However, some variant seems to be lingering in the COVID shadow. When these precautions can be stopped is not clear at this time. Thank you to our clients, community members and clinic volunteers who have received the vaccines and followed the guidelines which have allowed us to interact with greater safety while continuing services to the community. We continue to screen anyone who comes into the clinic. The cleaning of the clinic, physical distancing, screening of all clients and volunteer staff and so forth have complied with Public Health guidelines.
The expectation that there would be a flood of new clients, due to job loss and corresponding insurance loss, has not been realized. We are at least meeting last year’s visit volume on evenings. About two thirds of our clients have been seen here previously. Some increase also has been seen in those with insurance coverage and the inability to obtain a Primary Care Provider. Delays are four to five months for most. Some people remain cautious about coming to clinics of any kind.
Volume has been fairly stable in our Chronic Healthcare Clinic. A few clients have returned due to loss of insurance or affordability. Others have joined us because they are new to the area and have been unsuccessful in obtaining a primary care provider. We are pleased to be here as a health care safety net for our community and provide a bridge to care until acceptance by another clinic.
Even with the challenges of the last three years, we continue to survive and thrive. We would not be here without the outstanding community and individual support. Every effort is being made to follow guidelines and provide a safe environment for all clinic participants. Change is inevitable, but our contribution to a healthier community remains our goal. After 21 years, we continue as “a beacon of health and hope”.
|
Sequim Health
& Housing Collaborative –
Impact Update
In response to a request by the City of Sequim in the fall of 2018, the Sequim Health and Housing Collaborative (SHHC), currently composed of DVHWC-Sequim Free Clinic, Sequim Food Bank, Healthy Families of Clallam County, Peninsula Behavioral Health, Olympic Peninsula Community Clinic and Olympic Community Action Programs was born. Focusing on five areas set out by the City of Sequim – physical health, behavioral health, sheltering, substance use, and food insecurity– SHHC is creating a unique outreach network that promotes community health and offers pathways to housing in a synergistic and unified approach.
January to May 2022 individual agencies reported the following details to the City of Sequim in the SHHC mid-year report:
· 63 people visited the Sequim Warming Center in
January February
· 1,289 unique families made 4,374 visits the
Sequim Food Bank, receiving enough food for
238,375 meals
· 124 unique individuals are currently receiving
mental health therapy services at Peninsula
Behavioral Health in Sequim
· $107,212 in Energy Assistance funding and
$4,449 in Community Support funding was
provided to Sequim residents through OlyCAP
· 188 unique patients utilized Sequim Free Clinic
for care with 198 visits and writing 125
prescriptions
· 21 dental vouchers have been issued by the
Sequim Free Clinic for individuals in need of
emergency dental care.
Made up of staff from Peninsula Behavioral Health, Olympic Peninsula Community Clinic and Olympic Community Action Programs, the HOPE Outreach Team of Sequim Health and Housing Collaborative was established in 2020. HOPE is an acronym for Helping Our People Engage. The top services provided by the HOPE navigators:
2021:
Hotel Nights
Homeless Prevention
Case Management
2022:
Emergency food and gas vouchers
Referrals and linkage to services
Case Management
|
The Need Continues to Increase
|
Note: 2020 data is for the entire year,
2021 data is January-June and
2022 data is January-May
|
The SHHC mobile outreach unit continues to be a valuable resource and is utilized for community outreach and various SHHC sponsored events.
The van is stocked with:
· Hygiene items
· Outdoor survival gear
· Food and water
· Clothing and blankets
…and is equipped with internet connection, computer access and printing and scanning capabilities.
What We are Seeing:
· Increased need in rental/utility assistance
· Increased inquiry for housing/shelter
· Increased domestic violence/behavioral incidents
· Increased healthcare needs (including behavioral
health)
· Increased need for food
· Increased need for financial assistance (vehicle
repairs, storage unit fees, gas, phones & phone
minutes)
· Complex needs of vulnerable populations
· Need for Shelter/Medical Respite Care
Goals for the rest of the Year:
· Develop mobile shower outreach project
· Foster partnerships with community
organizations and work to build
solutions for service gaps
· Build upon data collection processes
· Continue design and planning for centralized
service center (service hub)
· Create a three year plan of action; setting goals
for services and establishing pathways for long
term Collaborative sustainability
|
State Grant supports current and Expansion Free Clinic Services
The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) received $35 million in federal resources for the provision of health care services for uninsured and underinsured individuals who qualify as under 200 percent of the federal poverty level, regardless of immigration status.
All eligible federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, free clinics, public hospital districts, behavioral health providers or facilities, behavioral health administrative service organizations, and community-based organizations were encouraged to apply. HCA received over 150 applications totaling approximately $166,332,000 in funding requests. Proposals were rated based on the description of how each organization will spend grant funds to provide care for uninsured and under-insured individuals at 200 percent of federal poverty level, regardless of immigration status. Only 33 one-time grants were awarded.
Dungeness Valley Health & Wellness Clinic, Sequim’s Free Clinic, is honored and humbled to announce that we were selected by HCA to receive a one-time award of $347,764. This award is a testament to the excellence demonstrated by our volunteer providers, nurses, and support staff as well as the Board of Directors and the part-time paid staff. It demonstrates what our community has known for 21 years; that the services provided by the clinic are a great investment and worthy of support.
This award will be used to fund the Basic Urgent Care and Chronic Health Care Clinics as well as the Working on Wellness (WOW) program. We are also exploring expansion services such as Dental Hygiene and Podiatry services as well as video productions of the WOW Forums.
While this award is significant, it is also time limited. We are proud to have received it, and want you to know that your ongoing support will be used in the same manner that impressed the HCA to select Sequim Free Clinic as one of 33 organizations in Washington to be recognized. We would like to thank all our volunteers, donors and the entire community for helping to assure that the underserved in our community have a place in which they can receive high quality, compassionate health care.
|
Is the content of this email relevant to you?
|
|
|
|