50 Years Of Caring For Our Community
Our 50th year will mark a re-commitment to doing the hard work of breaking through the health disparities that can stem from social inequities. As we look ahead to our next 50 years and beyond, we’re making a renewed commitment to our patients and the communities we serve.
Racial tension high across the nation, riots in York City prompts community input through Charette
A public meeting, called the York Charrette, was created to enable open communication and problem solving in the community. It prompted the start of a much-needed community health center that would provide care to the underserved.
York Health Corporation, now known as Family First Health, opened its doors
Following the Charrette, the York Health Corporation, or YHC, (now known as Family First Health) opened our doors on East Market Street with volunteer doctors and nurses.
Hanover Center Opens
The Hanover community welcomed our new center on Frederick Street.
Lewisberry Center Opens
The need for health care continued to grow, and we responded. Our Lewisberry Center opened their doors.
Addition of Dental Services at George Street Center
We moved a few blocks down the street to 132 South George Street to allow for further expansion, including the addition of dental services.
Caring Together program launched
We received funding from a federal program, the Ryan White Care Act, to provide HIV/AIDS social services. This program is a partnership between us and Wellspan Health.
Hannah Penn Center opens
In partnership with York Hospital and the York City School District, our Hannah Penn center was opened, which is still the only school-based health center in York County.
Nurse-Family Partnership program added
In March, we incorporated the national program, Nurse-Family Partnership into the organization. We began helping first time mothers through pregnancy and the first 2 years of the child’s life.
Delivery model refreshed, relaunched as Family First Health
York Health Corporation gets a new name! Family First Health became the new name to better reflect our mission and the work we do every day.
Addition of Dental Services at Hanover Center
The goal of providing dental services in Hanover was accomplished! Starting in November 2007, patients were able to receive dental care at our Hanover Center.
Gettysburg Center Opens
Family First Health continued to expand its services in Adams County by opening the Gettysburg Center. The medical site was launched following a community needs study and an initiation by Healthy Adams County.
Addition of Dental Services at Gettysburg Center
Our services expanded at the Gettysburg center and dental care was now available!
Kids Against Cavities program launched
Our team saw a need to make dental visits easier for local families and a new program was born, Kids Against Cavities. Kids Against Cavities is a mobile school dentist program designed to allow our dental team to provide services in schools and childcare centers, including local Head Start and Pre-K Counts programs.
Addition of Behavioral Health Services
We recognized that there are many reasons why our patients may not receive the behavioral health services that they need when they needed them. This sparked the development of integrated behavioral health at our sites, with licensed professionals that could assist our patients in navigating the immediate stressors in their life, as well as accessing more intensive services as needed. Our work in this area has proven a successful model for identifying areas of need and engaging patients in their journeys to improve their overall wellness.
Columbia Center opened
We expanded our services to Lancaster County and opened a new medical center in Columbia.
SBIRT screening started for all patients 13 and above
In order to ensure all patients are receiving the care that they need, we began including the SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) screening during patient check-ins, for all patients 13 and above. SBIRT allows for early intervention and treatment to people with substance use disorders and those at risk of developing these disorders.
Addition of Substance Use Services at George Street Center
The rise in opioid-related overdose deaths and addiction in our communities led to a coordinated effort to build an internal team of professionals to work with patients with substance use concerns. While medication-assisted treatment is an essential component of these services, whole-person care is at the center of our program and includes staff members who are themselves in recovery to walk the path of recovery alongside our patients. Integrated behavioral health is also a part of this important work for our patients. Access to care through primary medical services has helped to reduce stigma for our patients who are seeking support in their recovery.
Connections For a Healthy Pregnancy program launched
For women in at-risk communities, they’re often not aware of the resources available to help them to give their child a healthy start. Our team saw a gap for these soon-to-be mothers and families, and our Connections For a Healthy Pregnancy program was started with a team of Community Health Workers.
Behavioral Health and Substance Use Services integrated with Medical Services
To make things more accessible to our patients, behavioral health and substance use care was integrated into medical appointments. This eliminates the need for patients to find care in a variety of settings and it is much easier to access than traditional behavioral health services in the community.
Connections For a Healthy Pregnancy program expands to a robust Community Health Worker program
Connections is a collective effort by residents, businesses, and organizations within the York City neighborhood of Hannah Penn. The primary purpose of this work is to build a connection between Hannah Penn residents and community organizations to work together to enhance neighborhood health and well-being. A key strategy of this work is our Community Health Worker team, which interacts with Hannah Penn students, their families, and community members to help navigate their social determinants of health and connect them to care at our school-based health center at Hannah Penn.
Lebanon Center opened
In February 2020, we opened our first center in Lebanon County. This center was in collaboration with Wellspan Health and the Dixon Foundation.
Columbia Dental Center opened
Responding to a great community need for dental health care, especially for pediatric patients, we opened our Dental Center in Columbia and began offering the Kids Against Cavities program in the Columbia School District.
Supported our communities in every way possible through COVID-19 Pandemic
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we quickly pivoted to care for our patients in new ways. Patients could chose phone or video appointments instead of in-person office visits and our community health programs used new and creative ways to reach their patients when they needed it most.