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News You Can Use
September 2020 | Volume 12, Issue 3
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Greetings!
This has been a year unlike any other, but New Hope Clinic continues to do our best to provide quality healthcare services and support to low income, uninsured Brunswick County adults in a caring, patient centered setting. Thank you for the part you play in making it possible for New Hope Clinic to meet the needs of our community!
Below you'll find updates on our programs, fundraising (including a chance to make a splash this weekend), new staff, a new way for patients to communicate with the Clinic, our COVID-19 response, and more.
Together we will make our community healthier!
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An Interview with our Executive Director, Sheila Roberts
Introduction: Sheila, we would like to let our patients, staff, volunteers and donors know how COVID-19 has affected the work at New Hope Clinic. We appreciate you taking the time to provide us with this helpful information.
Which specific challenges has New Hope Clinic been facing during the COVID-19 pandemic?
It has felt like a whirlwind of changes! We had begun changing practices before the government stepped in with mandated masking and distancing, but are still finding new workflows to accommodate this current norm. We initially had difficulty obtaining Personal Protective Equipment and disinfecting supplies so had to commit more time and funds to find alternative sources. To conserve resources and ensure the safest environment possible, we have temporarily closed our Shallotte location as well as the dental program and on-site spirometry testing. Thanks to help from the NC Association of Free and Charitable Clinics and UpDox we quickly implemented a tele-health program that let our providers see patients from the Clinic or their home, and also received grant funds to purchase a tent and other supplies to see sick patients outside and test for the coronavirus, as well as to set up for curb-side pharmacy pick-up. We are getting ready to have a drive-thru flu vaccine event on September 24th with Walgreens.
Also, the Clinic is usually a-buzz with many volunteers working collaboratively with staff on projects and coordinating patient care, but for over four months we functioned on a skeleton crew with less than 30 volunteers coming in throughout the month at strategic times, compared to previous years when we average 85+ volunteers each month.
We also found many patients and prospective patients caught in a tough situation. As with many programs, we have a financial requirement. As you know, unemployment funding for several months was quite generous, so much so that prospective patients were actually making more money now (temporarily), which exceeded our income levels, yet they couldn't have signed up for insurance and gotten in with a new doctor since most offices stopped taking new patients. Our solution - for the people with this temporary income who had been patients with us, we created an opportunity for them to continue at the Clinic, but asked them to make a financial contribution for the services. This issue could continue if additional unemployment funding is approved by Congress. Unfortunately, this also does not change the fact that many employers of essential workers do not provide healthcare.
What has COVID-19 revealed or made more evident about our health care system?
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In the News:
Click here to see some photos and read the article about New Hope Clinic's tele-health program that was published in the State Port Pilot.
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GO! JUMP IN THE A LAKE 2020
The ‘Go! Jump in the Lake’ 5K and 1.5 mile walk/run is going to be a little different this year… Thanks to COVID-19 concerns, this will be a virtual race with the finish line in a pool, lake, creek or anywhere else you can enjoy getting wet!
This is the Southport Rotary Club’s 12th annual event and is a fundraiser to support the important work New Hope Clinic and other Rotary sponsored charities.
The virtual event will take place from September 5th to September 30th. All participants registered by the end of Labor Day weekend will receive a race t-shirt and medal. Additional shirts and medals may be available for later registrations but can not be guaranteed.
Special thanks to platinum community sponsors, Dosher Memorial Hospital, First National Bank, and Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center, as well as all event sponsors.
It will probably be hot so when you finish the race, you can go jump in A lake! We can’t wait to see everyone’s pictures!
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Employee Spotlight
Meet Jenny Perkins -- Volunteer Turned Employee
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The New Hope Clinic has lost a volunteer, but gained a valuable new employee. Jenny Perkins volunteered with the Clinic from the end of 2018 until April of this year. Upon her graduation from the Doctorate of Nursing Practice program at East Carolina University, Jenny became a full time Nurse Practitioner at the Clinic.
Jenny believes that our work at New Hope Clinic is a powerful addition to our community. She is a firm believer that the full scope of primary care services is at the heart of the safety net for our most vulnerable patients. Jenny thrives on the personal connections she establishes with our patients. She affirms that “it takes a team to care for our patients.”
Jenny’s goal is to encourage a sense of empowerment in our patients, so they can create positive change in their own lives. Jenny believes that primary care should start well before a health intervention is needed. She encourages patients to make incremental changes in their lifestyle—making wise food choices, walking for exercise, quitting smoking. Through these changes, patients can become a profound influence for their family members.
Jenny takes her advice seriously. She became a runner three years ago. She turned 40 last month and has made a promise to herself to run a marathon (26 miles!) during her 40th year. Her husband Scott and her daughter Grace (6 years old) are cheering Jenny on!
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New Hope Clinic is excited to introduce Sydney Meadows! She worked with us this summer as a program assistant through the SECU Public Fellows program. Sydney is a rising junior at UNC-Wilmington, pursuing a degree in Nursing. Sydney worked closely with our staff to create a multi-disciplinary program for managing diabetes mellitus. She examined research and participated in webinars in an effort to make this program thorough and instructive. Sydney is also utilizing online programs to help us better connect with our patients. She is very excited to have a successful launch of the program this fall or spring. At school, Sydney plays for a Club Ultimate Frisbee team and is involved in the Association of Nursing Students. In her free time, she loves to read and hike! Sydney is currently training for her first half marathon. |
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Getting Ready for Diabetes Care Days |
Will the help of our summer intern's research and team member input, we are preparing to launch a new program to provide a patient-centered approach to diabetes management that includes a multidisciplinary team with the goal of encouraging better compliance and early detection and prevention of long-term complications.
The program allows small groups of patients to speak with multiple providers in one day. Patients will meet and greet with each other, receive a healthy lunch and take part in a group conversation. This allows patients to learn how others manage their diabetes. Labs and other exams will be completed on the first day, as well as meeting face-to-face or virtually with a variety of providers. Following this appointment, the cohort will meet for subsequent meetings for further education and progress management. Sessions are held each month at the clinic or virtually, depending on the current virus situation and patient interest. Patients will be provided with the tools to monitor their own health status and will be asked to keep in touch with their care manager with weekly check-ins on their weight and blood sugar. Care Team members include the endocrinologist, primary care nurse practitioner, nurse, peer support specialist, diabetes educator, optometrist, pharmacist, care managers, nutritionist, exercise facilitator, and a coordinator to keep it all together!
We will be seeking additional guest speakers who can talk about their experience with diabetes or another aspect of how diabetes can impact your health and life, as well as sponsors for this program.
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2020 Bald Head Island Auction |
Stay tuned for details about our annual year-end auction, traditionally held on December 30th at the Bald Head Island Club.
One thing you can do now, is to start dreaming of how much you'll enjoy winning this great looking golf cart that has been donated for the event!
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We are pleased to have been awarded the July cash prize of $2,500 from CoBank, Cabot Creamery Co-operative and the Reward Volunteers program. CoBank is a cooperative bank and a member of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of banks and retail lending associations chartered to support the borrowing needs of U.S. agriculture, rural infrastructure and rural communities. Sign up online to log your volunteer hours on behalf of your favorite small, rural 501c3 non-proft!
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St. James Service Club Gives |
Thank you to the St. James Service Club for supporting our services since we were founded, and especially for your extra grant in 2020 to keep us going during the pandemic to cover unexpected expenses. |
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New Hope Clinic Patient Portal now available |
Taking just a few minutes to register will give patients access to valuable information and services provided in a secure and confidential manner. Once registered and logged in, you will be able to:
- Exchange messages with our clinic.
- Request prescription refills.
- Research health topics.
- Review personal health information
- Complete and update medical forms.
- Update your profile and contact information.
Click here to register to access your patient portal.
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Walgreens will be helping us kick off flu vaccination season again! Call (910) 845-5333 or click here to sign in to the patient portal to schedule your flu shot now!
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Do you know someone who is going without medical or dental care, or only going to the emergency room, because they have no health insurance and can't afford appointments?
Please tell them about New Hope Clinic! Information about our programs, how to sign up, and the patient application are available on our website, or have them call (910) 845-5333 to speak to one of our eligibility specialists about their situation. If we're not the right answer for them, we will do our best to refer them to another area program that may be able to help.
We can all do our part to improve the health of our community!
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To provide quality medical, dental and pharmacy services to low income, uninsured Brunswick County adults in a caring, patient-centered setting. |
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Main Clinic & Mailing:
201 W. Boiling Spring Rd, Southport, NC 28461
Satellite Clinic:
4600-10 Main St, Shallotte, NC 28470
Phone: (910) 845-5333
Fax: (910) 845-5366
Email: info@newhopeclinicfree.org
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Contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law. New Hope Clinic, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. EIN: 31-1614379. Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the NC Charitable Solicitation Licensing section at 1-888-830-4989. The license is not an endorsement by the State. |
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