Donate Patient Portal

Family First Health

A community health care center

Meet Our Center of Excellence Staff: Anika Jackson

Family First Health’s Center of Excellence provides patients with substance use disorders the support they need to reach, and maintain recovery. Our team links patients to community resources/support services, then walks alongside each patient to ensure that critical needs are met and that the patient remains in care for as long as needed. The goal – to give each patient the supports needed to get, and stay healthy. The team is currently seeing patients at our George Street, Hanover, and Columbia centers. For more information please call 717-801-4864.

Meet Anika Jackson, the Center of Excellence (COE), substance use program, director! Anika has Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Elon University and a Master of Science in Public Relations from S.I. Newhouse School at Syracuse University. She has spent a lot of time working in community based organizations, which is why she was led to Family First Health, it was a “no-brainer” for her.

Anika particularly enjoys working with the substance use treatment population because it gives her the opportunity to help this vulnerable population put their lives back together. With her position in particular she gets to work to build internal capacity for the program and also build partnerships and relationships in the community to help facilitate care for patients.  When asked why this program is so important for Family First health, she shared:

“There are many paths to recovery.  Family First Health’s Center of Excellence allows individuals seeking recovery the opportunity to get healthy in a holistic way.  Our team provides social, biological and psychological support services all in one place.  Having this program in the context of primary care destigmatizes substance use.  Patients in our program can get all of their medical and substance use related concerns addressed with a single medical provider – it’s simply ‘going to the doctor’.”

It’s easy to see why Anika is a great leader to be at the helm of the COE program.  She has fit into the Family First Health family easily and has enjoyed making connections with both staff and patients. During her downtime, Anika likes to spend time with her family.  Lately, she spends most evenings at the baseball field – either watching her son play or watching the York Revolution.

 

Meet Our Center of Excellence Staff: Erin Cosgrove-Findley & Tadd Hoffman

Family First Health’s Center of Excellence provides patients with substance use disorders the support they need to reach, and maintain recovery. Our team links patients to community resources/support services, then walks alongside each patient to ensure that critical needs are met and that the patient remains in care for as long as needed. The goal – to give each patient the supports needed to get, and stay healthy. The team is currently seeing patients at our George Street, Hanover, and Columbia centers. For more information please call 717-801-4864.

Erin Cosgrove-Findley joined the Family First Health Center of Excellence (COE) program as the program manager at the onset of the program. She has a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology from Millersville University, a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from York College of Pennsylvania, and is a Licensed Professional Counselor. She feels privileged to have assisted with starting this program from the ground up and is very passionate about the work she does.  When asked about the impact COE has on its patients, Erin shared that she has seen them “moving towards a healthier lifestyle and achieving the goals that they have always wanted to achieve.” Erin loves the positive impact the program has with patients and has watch them change their lives and build confidence.

Erin joined Family First Health because she knew about the good work being done and I wanted to be part of it to help the people in the community. In her free time Erin enjoys hanging out with her husband and animals, cooking, and being on the water or at the beach.

Tadd Hoffman joined Family First Health four years ago because he thought it was a great grass-roots organization that was really concerned about quality care for patients rather than profiting from them. He has spent time in our patient benefits department, the Caring Together HIV program, and ultimately joined the Center of Excellence (COE) program in spring of this year as their data analyst/administrative assistant. So why the change, and what drew Tadd to COE?

“It’s important to the communities that we serve. We are making our patients and their families lives better by providing them the necessary skills and assistance on their road to recovery.”

Tadd shared that getting to report out on the hard work and effort that the team puts in for their patients and building a sustainable program, makes it all worth it.  In his spare time Tadd enjoys playing music, fishing, reading, and taking care of his cat-buddy, Deacon.

 

 

Meet Our Center of Excellence Staff: Jeffrey Scheerer & Mark McCullough

Family First Health’s Center of Excellence provides patients with substance use disorders the support they need to reach, and maintain recovery. Our team links patients to community resources/support services, then walks alongside each patient to ensure that critical needs are met and that the patient remains in care for as long as needed. The goal – to give each patient the supports needed to get, and stay healthy. The team is currently seeing patients at our George Street, Hanover, and Columbia centers. For more information please call 717-801-4864.

Jeffrey Scheerer joined Family First Health’s Center of Excellence (COE) program this spring as a recovery support specialist. Prior to that he spent three years at the Harford County Health Department in Maryland and has experience in recovery support. Jeff once struggled with addiction himself and enjoys helping people since he has the unique perspective of showing patients that recovery is possible, “that we can, and do, recover.” When asked why this work is important he shared that during this substance use epidemic, Family First Health is a place for patients to go and receive help from unique staff of different skill levels.

Jeff is excited to be a part of the team that is building the COE program from the ground up. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his family, camping, and attending church, and other recovery-related activities.

Mark McCullough is local to York County and has spent time as a carpenter, butcher, cook, carney, and rapper. Ultimately, he became a certified recovery specialist and joined the Center of Excellence (COE) program.  Joining the Family First Health team was important to him because it enabled him to perform his discipline in its purest form, by operating within the team dynamic. His goal is to help the individual in recovery find a medium where they feel comfortable that their recovery is not a hindrance in their life, but part of achieving their goals.  When asked why he enjoys doing this type of work, he shared “I like working with people to help them realize their potential and find hope in seemingly hopeless situations.”

Mark is energetic and will talk to just about anyone. He enjoys spending time with his family and doing as many family-related activities as possible.

The Role of Primary Care in the Opioid Epidemic

Family First Health’s Center of Excellence provides patients with substance use disorders the support they need to reach, and maintain recovery. Our team links patients to community resources/support services, then walks alongside each patient to ensure that critical needs are met and that the patient remains in care for as long as needed. The goal – to give each patient the supports needed to get, and stay healthy. The team is currently seeing patients at our George Street, Hanover, and Columbia centers. For more information please call 717-801-4864.

As I prepare for my day, I look over my list of patients and see a name that is unexpected. I typically see Mr. Jones three to four times a year for his blood pressure, which is generally under control. He is listed as coming in to discuss a “personal issue” with no other information. When the time of Mr. Jones’ appointment arrives, my nurse rooms him but is unable to gain any further information. When I walk into his exam room I discover to my surprise that he has brought a friend with him who talks first explaining that that his friend has asked him to come with him to support him as he tells me something. Mr. Jones goes onto to explain that he is using heroin every day and he wants help to get rid of this problem. He shares that as he works to provide for his family he is tired of having to keep using just to keep the withdrawal symptoms under control so that he can function. We go onto have an initial conversation about his struggles, how he ended up in this place of addiction and how he hopes things can change if he can be free of it. We then proceeded to get him setup for a more formal intake visit with myself and the Substance Use Services team to start him on buprenorphine and connect him with the various services we have to offer to support him in the recovery process.

Later I had the chance to reflect on this interaction and the various interactions I had experienced with Mr. Jones previously. Last October we began using a different screening tool for substance use in our patients at each visit. Since that time I had seen Mr. Jones on three previous occasions where each time he answered the screening questions denying any illicit drug use or misuse/overuse of prescription medications. Entering into this work of treating addiction in the context of primary care, I thought that these occasions would be rare, but there have been a number of them where existing patients disclose their struggle with addiction to drugs and alcohol. They, like Mr. Jones, have expressed that because of the relationship we had developed and then hearing that we were providing this service to help patients with addiction, they felt comfortable disclosing to me their history of use.

As a result of these kinds of experiences, I am convinced that integrating screening and treatment into primary care is key to addressing the current levels of opioid and alcohol dependence in our country. The relationship that exists with a primary care provider establishes a foundation of safety for disclosure for patients who want their lives to be different. By then utilizing this bridge created by primary care, behavioral health providers, and treatment facilities can experience more meaningful connections with patients resulting in improved outcomes.

______________________________________________________________

Debra Bell, M.D.

Medical Director, Center of Excellence: a Substance Use Program of Family First Health

Meet Our Center of Excellence Staff: Jenny Smith & Alicia Shiflet

Family First Health’s Center of Excellence provides patients with substance use disorders the support they need to reach, and maintain recovery. Our team links patients to community resources/support services, then walks alongside each patient to ensure that critical needs are met and that the patient remains in care for as long as needed. The goal – to give each patient the supports needed to get, and stay healthy. The team is currently seeing patients at our George Street, Hanover, and Columbia centers. For more information please call 717-801-4864.

Jenny Smith says that her job is not work, it’s a privilege. Jenny joined Family First Health as a drug and alcohol case manager for the Center of Excellence (COE program) and has 12 years of experience in the mental health field.  Jenny has worked in other substance use programs but saw that Family First Health was doing it differently and working here has allowed her to give patients a safe space where they are care for and not judged. When asked why this work is importance, she stated:

“Substance use can touch anyone. Accessing treatment is not always possible and people need the help regardless of economic status. Walking into your doctor’s office and hearing that there is help to treat an addiction and you don’t necessarily need to leave your job and stop providing for your family for a month to get help is a much-needed resource in our communities.”

In her spare time Jenny shared that she spends way too much time watching videos of goats wearing pajamas. Don’t we all?

Alicia Shiflet, one of the Center of Excellence’s (COE) two drug and alcohol case managers, has a Bachelor’s degree from Bloomsburg University and is currently enrolled in Southern New Hampshire University’s Healthcare Administration Master’s degree program. She joined Family First Health because she wanted to be involved in a community-based program and focus on direct patient care. Alicia truly understands the importance of the COE program for our patients and health center.

“Our program brings active recovery and medication assistance to people in the community who may benefit from the services. Without the COE, patients may have to leave our community health center in order to seek treatment.”

An energetic person with a busy, non-stop life, Alicia enjoys spending time with her family, running, and being a swim coach.

Born Into the Cycle

Family First Health’s Center of Excellence, substance use treatment program provides patients with substance use disorders the support they need to reach, and maintain recovery. Our team links patients to community resources/support services, then walks alongside each patient to ensure that critical needs are met and that the patient remains in care for as long as needed. The goal – to give each patient the supports needed to get, and stay healthy. Call us at 717-801-4864.

It started in college. It was fun, it was with the frat brothers, and it was an escape. The nursing program was hard, then came the new wife, and not long after, a baby girl. They were young and life was stressful. First, it was just alcohol but then he started dabbling with pills. It was especially easy to sneak those as an R.N. in the hospital. He got caught, was asked to resign, and came clean with the family. There was anger, confusion, sadness, depression – and then the cycle started all over again, for all of us.

I was that baby girl, so I guess you could say that I’ve never known a father not in recovery. There have been many times when I’ve taken a step back and looked at my father, my family, and these cycles, and I think “this isn’t my family, this can’t be happening.” I grew up in a solidly middle-class privileged white family. We moved from the city to the suburbs, I took ballet classes, we went on vacations, and always had two working cars. Two more kids came along, my younger brothers, who I adore. We also had this secret. This giant elephant in the room, but let’s just go along like normal, keep our eyes straight ahead and hope for the best. We can’t let the boys know what’s happening, they’re too young.

Things settle down until another cycle begins. One of my brothers was diagnosed with Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes at the age of 10. Stress goes up and here we go again. This time the boys know something is wrong and I tell Dad that he has to come clean with them. He does and now they’ve joined the rollercoaster too. I’m more sad for them than any of us. I want to protect them, I want to be there for Mom, I want to make Dad get the help he needs, and I want to be this stone cold support system for everyone. It just doesn’t work that way.

He pulled it together after that, for a good long time, nearly 20 years. I could blame this last cycle on the back surgeries he desperately needed. I know he’s in pain and I know how hard this is for him while in recovery. Then comes the cop knocking on my parent’s door with a subpoena for Dad. He’d been calling in fake prescriptions – and so the cycle rolls.

I wish I had a fairy tale ending for this story, but recovery is hard and it’s different for everyone. All I want is for my Dad to be well. I wish he didn’t have to fight and I wish that I wasn’t angry with him the times he gave up on the fight. Recovery isn’t just once and done, it’s forever and it effects the whole family. No matter where you are in the cycle and whether you are someone in recovery yourself or a family member that’s recovering with a loved one, get help. There are many options for treatment so find what works for you to help stop the cycle of addiction. You don’t have to do it alone.

___________________________________________________________________

Shannon L. McElroy, Family First Health Marketing and Outreach Coordinator