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Archives for October 2017

empowering kids

October 26, 2017

Empowering Medicaid recipients as advocates

Stereotypes and misconceptions about the individuals served by Medicaid are everywhere. In fact, “Medicaid Myths” are so widespread that I devoted an entire article explaining the four key groups that benefit from Medicaid: Children, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and adults.

As I explained in that article, while Medicaid does cover 1 in 2 low-income individuals in Pennsylvania, it also covers working adults who don’t have insurance through their employers, or working individuals who’ve lost their jobs or depleted savings due to an illness.

And yet misconceptions remain: Medicaid recipients are lazy. They’re entitled. They could improve their financial situation if they tried harder. They should be ashamed of accepting assistance.

These beliefs are harmful to the success of Medicaid as a health care safety net, and only add to the confusion around Medicaid and its impact on the communities and populations it serves.

It’s easy to see how these negative perceptions influence Medicaid patients themselves. At Family First Health, a federally qualified health center serving southcentral Pennsylvania, we regularly interact with patients who don’t understand Medicaid or distrust the system, have trouble navigating an ever-changing insurance exchange, or succumb to the stigma surrounding the program and don’t want others to know they’re covered by Medicaid.

A health center’s role

As the national conversation has shifted over the past year, our leadership team has had extended discussions as to our health center’s role in the Medicaid conversation. First and foremost, Medicaid is vital to our role in the continuum of care — to provide accessible, affordable care to underserved areas and populations. More directly, Medicaid impacts our communities by serving those who need it most, leading to better care and better health for our patients.

Our team feels strongly that we play a role in educating audiences on these topics, and debunking the common misconceptions of Medicaid.

Of course, I could shout this from the rooftops until I was hoarse, and perhaps only make a minimal impact. Our approach has to be strategic as we identify audiences who most need to hear our message.

Education in action

This year, National Health Center Week provided a key opportunity to engage our full team and our patient base in sharing Medicaid’s specific impacts. The theme for 2017 celebrating America’s health centers was “The Key to Healthier Communities,” and so our staff took advantage of this message to ask individuals to share why Medicaid matters.

Read through a few responses from our staff and patients (or check them all out on our Facebook page).

·        Without it, there are many services my child could not access to help him succeed.

·        It increases preventative care.

·        Without it, my brother couldn’t get the insulin he needs to survive.

·        It allowed my son to have three life-saving open heart surgeries, and also covered all follow-up care. Today he’s growing, healthy and medically stable.

·        It allows our patients to receive the health care and medications they need.

·        If my dad did not have insurance, he would never have gone to the doctor.

These stories collectively demonstrate the power of sharing your experience.

Imagine if, when legislation threatens to cut funding or eligibility for programs like Medicaid, every individual served by the program used their voice to speak up and advocate for themselves. What if we empowered this group of people to recognize their collective power, to persuade them that they, too, can affect change?

Where to begin

·        Education: Empowering our patients as advocates will always begin with education: Removing the stigma associated with Medicaid and ensuring all patients understand their benefits and how to best navigate the system. When changes arise, we must educate our patients as to their impact.

·        Conversation: We must also be open to hearing their stories — and to take it one step further, to ask for their stories. I was blown away during National Health Center Week by the number of individuals willing to share their personal experiences.

·        Action: Once a patient is fully engaged, they’re likely looking for that next step. How can I ensure I reap the full value of my Medicaid benefits? How can I make an impact for others? How can I share my story? This is where health centers can leverage their own platforms to amplify the patient’s voice: A video testimonial on social media, a story with local or regional media, even a blog post hosted on your website with an interview.

Understanding who benefits from Medicaid is critical. But it is also equally critical to get to know these individuals and empower them to advocate for themselves in our ever-changing health care system.

As we explore additional ways to do so in our own health center, I’d love to hear how you are tackling this challenge in your community.

_______________________________________________________

Jenny Englerth, CEO of Family First Health

October 24, 2017

Mental Illness: Words Matter

Any disease can make a person sad and uncomfortable because it reminds us of our own vulnerability. Mental health disease even more so, because it affects our thoughts, feelings, behaviors and the ability to relate to others or manage daily activities. But unlike talking about medical illness, we don’t talk enough about mental illness due to the attached stigma.

But why is it so important to fight stigma against Mental Illness?  One reason is that it rests on false beliefs. They may include a perception that people living with mental illness are dangerous, incompetent, unreliable, irrational and difficult to interact with or these patients may be responsible for their own poor living conditions or poor attendance to medical and mental health care.

Very often, the behavior of a patient with mental illness is misunderstood.  One misconception is that “People with a mental illness are lazy and weak and if they tried harder they could “snap” out of it.”

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, Mental illness is very common:  1 in 5 American adults experience a mental health issue, 1 in 10 young people experience a period of major depression.

What can we do?  Most importantly, we can begin to see our patients as a whole person.  Our patients come to us for many reasons and we need to not label them as an illness, be it a medical or mental health illness.  We must begin by being aware of our verbiage.  Instead of referring to a patient as depressed, manic, schizophrenic or BiPolar, begin recognizing the difference in stating the patient (i.e. Jane) is struggling, managing or coping with (fill in the blank).  Our verbiage empowers patients to see themselves, as a patient managing an illness.

_________________________________________________________

Sheila King-Miller, LCSW, CCTP

Family First Health – Behavioral Health Consultant

Man sitting on boardwalk

October 9, 2017

Depression Awareness Month: What are the Warning Signs?

October is Depression Awareness Month and the staff at Family First Health are screening for and treating depression every day. Signs of depression are often characterized by a sad mood, loss of interest in activities, low motivation, and feelings of worthlessness or helplessness. Behavior changes associated with of depression often include problems sleeping, having a poor appetite or over-eating, irritability and an increase in substance use.

There are 5 common warning signs: change in personality, uncharacteristic anger, anxiety or moodiness, social withdrawal, lack of caring for oneself or risky behaviors and a sense of being overwhelmed or hopelessness. Depression is often defined by being a cycle that can be difficult to disrupt and in its most serious form, can lead to thoughts of suicide. The symptoms of depression can also be experienced by people who are dealing with significant life stressors such as the loss of a loved one, loss of job, divorce or other family difficulties. In these cases, such reactions are a normal response to life’s challenging situations and are not a diagnosis of depression.

Depression is different because the symptoms tend to last for longer and are more severe in nature. According to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance depression occurs in 20-26% of women and 8-12% of men nationwide. It is one of the most common mental health issues and is responsible for the highest percentage of disability among mental health and behavioral disorders.  Depression is also one of the more common mental health concerns presenting in primary care; 60% of patients in primary care are treated for depression and 79% of anti-depressants are prescribed in the primary care setting.

The good news is that depression can be treated. At Family First Health, we have Integrated Behavioral Health, providing on-site behavioral health consultants to assist patients in dealing with the symptoms of depression by improving or developing coping skills. One of the most effective ways to stop the cycle of depression is to encourage people to re-engage in pleasant activities. Often people forget the things they used to enjoy doing and need extra support and encouragement in getting back involved in their life.

Pleasant activities can include simple things like taking a walk, shopping with a friend, cooking a good meal or working on a puzzle. Exercise or physical activity is essential to both good mental health and physical health and is an effective way to combat depression. It is also important to make sure you have a good support system to help encourage positive activities and reinforce feelings of worthiness. Today we even have apps on our phones that can help with tracking symptoms, meditation, relaxing sounds for sleep and games to distract us from inactivity.

Depression Awareness Month provides an opportunity to be aware of our own mental health and the mental health of our loved ones. If you notice a change in any of the above described behaviors, it might be time to consider discussing this with your primary care provider or a mental health professional.

_________________________________________________________________________

Kathleen McCadam, LCSW

Family First Health – Director of Behavioral Health Integration

 

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