Family First Health is proud to partner with Martin Library to support teen mental health through a new initiative aimed at creating safe, supportive spaces for youth in our community. This collaboration is part of our ongoing commitment to whole-person care, ensuring teens have access to the resources and support they need.
Watch the full story on WGAL News: https://www.wgal.com/nowcast
Family First Health is a federally qualified health center (FQHC) that is accessible and community-minded. They take a beyond healthy approach that goes outside the confines of the doctor’s office. Their goal is to have happy, healthy patients who can live better lives in better health. Accessible healthcare is critical to a healthy community.
Their new School-Based Health Center at William Penn Senior High Center provides routine health exams (school, work, driver’s license, etc.), diagnosis and treatment of illnesses, nutrition counseling, and behavioral health services. These services are provided during school hours and are available to all current William Penn Senior High School students, regardless of insurance status, ability to pay or current medical provider.
By having a health center directly in the school, students and their families are able to have access to care, with minimal disruption to the student’s education, or the family’s routine. YCCF’s Racial Equity Fund and supporting organization, the Memorial Health Fund are proud to support this innovative approach to health for our community.
View the story here. Family First Health Putting Student Care
Family First Health is making strides in enhancing dental care access for Pennsylvania communities. The organization is committed to integrating innovative strategies that foster not only improved patient care but also increased accessibility to essential dental services. As highlighted in recent updates, Family First Health’s efforts exemplify how integrating technological advancements and a holistic approach can help bridge the gap in healthcare, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to maintain their oral health. Their continued dedication to providing compassionate, quality care is shaping the future of community.
By Jenny Englerth
Millions of children nationwide are missing a significant number of school days for health-related reasons. While illness cannot always be prevented, more can be done to provide healthcare access to families to make it easier for kids to return to the classroom in less time.
A March 2024 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics found 5.8 percent of school-aged children in the U.S. experienced chronic absenteeism in 2022 for health reasons. That correlates to about 2.9 million students ages 5 to 17 who missed more than 15 days of school. Those missed days can lead to poorer academic performance and school engagement and increased risk for dropping out of school.
The problem is even worse for families struggling to make ends meet. A total of 7.9 percent of children in the study’s lowest income bracket were chronically absent due to injury, illness or disability.
Providing affordable, accessible health care to students can help more children get to school and stay in their classrooms. At Family First Health, a federally qualified health center (FQHC) serving patients at eight locations in Central Pennsylvania, we’ve seen the impact first-hand.
FFH’s Hannah Penn Center is the only school-based health center in York County. The health center provides pediatric care, routine health exams, preventive care, referrals and integrated behavioral health services to 40 percent of the students at the school. In addition to health services, FFH leads health and wellness lessons, supports school events and programs, distributes hundreds of hygiene products and books and forms connections with students in need of emotional support.
That kind of success can be emulated elsewhere. We want to be a part of bringing health care access to even more of the bright young minds in our community. That’s why we are looking towards the future of school-based healthcare and expanding our reach to William Penn Senior High School at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year.
The journey to being a healthy adult is challenging for all young people, but some face a steeper climb. At William Penn Senior High School, 55 percent of the district’s students experience acute poverty and the district reported a 28 percent transiency rate in 2018. These families often face significant barriers when it comes to getting their children medical care, such as missing work, finding transportation, lack of insurance and affording treatment.
FFH’s new school-based health center at William Penn Senior High School will provide primary medical and behavioral healthcare to students in school regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay. Students will get the support and care they need so health is not one of their barriers to engaging in education.
Patient visits to the center will reduce the amount of time students are outside of the classroom and provide much-needed support for the school nursing staff. Students will not need to leave school for a half or full day to see a doctor. Challenges related to transportation will be eliminated as students will be able to walk down the hall to get the care they need.
Meanwhile, the center will support overall student well-being, which has been shown to increase attendance, improve graduation rates and decrease dropout rates setting students up for success as they prepare to join the workforce.
Our community will be stronger in the future, if together, we support today’s students by investing in their health and education. With this new school-based health center, we can develop an environment where more children have the opportunity to thrive academically and personally. Let’s come together as a community to ensure that students are plugged into the resources and opportunities they need to achieve their best health, today and in the future.
Jenny Englerth is the President and CEO of Family First Health
We are proud to announce that we’ve partnered with York Tech to provide additional resources for their students. Sandra Frecon, one of our community health workers, will be available once a week in the high school office to provide the following health-related services:
Medical/dental enrollment and coordination of appointments
Insurance eligibility assessments
Food insecurity assistance
Housing insecurity assistance
Scholarship program for medical assistants (MA)
Family First Health employment opportunities
Students who wish to take advantage of these services should visit Ms. Frecon in the high school office on Mondays between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Alternatively, parents and caregivers of current students may contact her at sfrecon@ytech.edu.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 1 in 5 children between the ages of 5 and 11 have at least one untreated decaying tooth and children between the ages of 5 and 19 are twice as likely to have cavities if they come from low-income households.
According to the University of Illinois College of Dentistry, there is a connection between oral health and a person’s overall health and well-being.
February is Children’s Dental Health Month and Dr. LaJuan Mountain, vice president of dental services at Family First Health, and Dr. Sam Mansour, Pennsylvania Dental Association’s statewide national children’s dental health month chair, joined us on The Spark Thursday to discuss the importance of children’s dental health, the barriers to receiving dental care and ways to overcome them.
Dr. Mountain said, a healthy mouth consists of firm and pink gums and no disruptions or discoloration in the enamel. She also said, oral health is not the general consensus that she is seeing in our communities because of a lack of accessibility, high costs, insurance challenges, dentist office schedules, a lack of oral health literacy and more.
On The Spark we also discussed the Family First Health’s Mobile School Dentist program that provides in-school dental care for all ages and grade levels in York, Adams and Lancaster County.
“It’s having a tremendous impact. I’ve been doing this program for almost a decade and I’m actually seeing kids that I first started to treat in Head Start, and they’re now in junior high. So that means we’ve actually followed kids throughout their entire academic life thus far, and we’re seeing improvement,” Dr. Mountain said. “We’re exposing them to the importance of their oral health, but also opportunities in health care, especially because the individuals we’re interacting with are often in that low socioeconomic environment.”
The partnership between LifePath Christian Ministries and the health care provider relieves shelter guests from having to find treatment on their own.
In September, LifePath Christian Ministries partnered with Family First Health to provide the first of many opportunities for guests at the men’s and women’s shelters to receive primary medical health screenings in-house, while then receiving referrals to additional services.
The objectives of Family First Health, which values collaboration and seeks to remove barriers to care, aligned with LifePath’s mission to connect its guests to support services.
Micah Heckert, LifePath’s Manager of Partnership Development, saw a gap in services, especially in medical treatment. Many guests who come to LifePath lack health insurance and a primary care physician. When a health concern arose, they found themselves heading to the hospital emergency room.
Heckert also saw the need to address the medical side of addiction recovery. It all aligned with LifePath’s core values to pursue Continuous Improvement and to provide Radical Hospitality.
The key was to find a community partner whose services could complement what LifePath can provide. Family First Health fit that bill.
At the same time, Erin Schmidt, who serves as COVID-19 Community Program Manager for Family First Health, was noticing a shift in the needs of the community as the pandemic waned. She saw a need for more mobile health services to reach people who otherwise might not receive care.
“We want to eliminate the barriers to come to a brick-and-mortar medical facility,†she says.
The collaboration began with listening sessions, where guests described services that would be most beneficial to them. The same needs kept coming up: vision and foot care, diabetes treatment, behavioral health services, and gynecological care and breast cancer screenings for guests at the women’s shelter.
While mobile health care is growing in cities around the country, that option is limited in York. It can be overwhelming for someone experiencing homelessness to try to secure health insurance, arrange a doctor’s appointment, and get follow-up care.
“What it takes for a homeless person to put it all together,†says Heckert, “it’s an insurmountable task. People get discouraged.â€
Heckert and Schmidt are on a mission to change that.
Michael Bucher, a guest at the Men’s Shelter, experienced the difficulty in finding treatment. While he was walking down the street, his leg gave out and he was unable to take another step. Being homeless and without transportation, his only option was to call for an ambulance ride to the hospital. Weeks later, he still can walk only short distances.
Having a connection to medical care in-house makes it much easier to get the care he needs.
“It’s been a new experience,†he says.
Many other shelter guests also are reaping the benefits.
“Considering that transportation is an issue,†says a guest at the women’s shelter, “having them come here is a great asset. I’m very grateful for that.â€
It’s through relationships with providers in the community that LifePath sees opportunities to further impact the lives of guests — giving them hope for the future and assurance that their needs will be taken care of.
YORK, Pa. (WHTM) — Acting Secretary of Health and Pennsylvania Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson visited the dental clinic at Family First Health today. This clinic is located in the George Street Center in York.
Dr. Johnson focused on emphasizing the importance of having access to oral health care for all Pennsylvanians.
“You cannot be truly healthy without good oral health,†said Dr. Johnson. “Many people do not realize that dental disease can cause a variety of health issues. Our hearts, lungs, and other organs can be harmed. Chronic conditions like diabetes can be worsened. Pregnancies are also negatively impacted. It can also take a toll on our mental health, as one factor leading to depression and low self-confidence.â€Â Â
At Family First Health’s George Street dental clinic, patients of all ages can receive dental care from dental providers. Dr. Johnson toured the clinic today, joined by Family First Health President and CEO Jenny Englerth and Vice President of Dental Services Dr. Joseph Mountain.
“It’s easy to protect your smile just by turning on the tap and drinking a glass of water,†Dr. Johnson said. “Community water fluoridation has been recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. The evidence from numerous academic, government and independent studies over the years has continued to demonstrate that community water fluoridation is safe, effective and economical resulting in significant benefits and cost-savings to communities.â€
Family First Health is a federally qualified health center (FQHC) that offers accessible and affordable quality care in York, Adams, and Lancaster counties. This center also has a mobile dental program that visits local elementary schools, as well as childcare centers.
“We welcome the Secretary and appreciate the spotlight her visit is shining on the importance of access to oral health care,†said Englerth. “Our team works to connect the dots between medical and dental care which supports better overall health for our patients and the communities we serve.â€Â
The Department of Health is working to promote the benefits of water fluoridation, as well as helping to ensure that oral health care is affordable and accessible to all by utilizing federal grants to improve the oral health workforce across the state.
Funding totaling $3.45 million will help to provide education to oral health professionals and increase the outreach to communities and vulnerable populations.
GETTYSBURG, Pa. — Becca Holding knew she needed a fresh start when moving to Adams County.
The Gettysburg resident was battling an addiction and domestic violence with a previous partner in Texas before the move.
She picked up her life and started over in Fairfield, she said, adding that she got pregnant here in Adams County and did not know what resources were available to her at the time.
A flyer at the doctor’s office changed her life. It was for the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP), an evidence-based community health program under Family First Health.
After successfully graduating from the program, Holding said her past self would be most proud of her sobriety and stability.
“I am not by any means perfect, but I have the life I never thought I could,†she said. “I have a family I love and a fulfilling career.â€
Joining the program when she was six weeks pregnant with her daughter, Abigail, Holding did not know what to expect.
“It taught me a lot,†she said. “It helped me grow as a mother. It helped me find answers and feel confident in myself and my parenting abilities.â€
As a first-time mother, Holding said she had a lot of questions.
“It’s scary. It was really nice having a nurse to help ease my anxiety and come up with solutions, even if not baby-related,†Holding said.
Holding said Chelsea Boyde, the lead nurse home visitor in Adams County, supported her in reaching milestone goals like obtaining her own apartment and getting a job.
While the NFP expanded into Adams County four years ago, it had only gotten started one year prior to the pandemic, Boyde said.
Facing staff turnover in healthcare after relationships were built, the program was put on the backburner during the pandemic, according to Boyde.
Through the grant and federally funded program, nurses provide mentorship, assessment, and education prenatally and through the child’s second birthday in the people’s homes at no cost, Boyde said, adding that the program serves high-risk and low-income first-time mothers.
NFP currently has funding to serve 50 families in Adams County this year with some spots already filled, according to Boyde.
“We are working toward the growth to fill those,†Boyde said. “We can then apply for more funding and expand, which is what we hope to do.â€
Boyde said she has seen the need in Adams County for a program like this.
“We work really hard to empower women and follow what they already innately know,†said Boyde.
To be eligible for the program, individuals must meet the low-income criteria, be a first-time mother, be their first-time parenting, and be enrolled by the 28th week of pregnancy, according to Boyde.
Challenges facing first-time mothers include homelessness, substance abuse, difficulty in gaining access to community resources, educational and intellectual barriers, and lack of support, Boyde said.
“The biggest problem is finding affordable housing for people in Adams and York counties,†said Lisa Lathrop, the program manager for both counties.
Before becoming a program manager, Lathrop’s dream job in nursing school was to work in the field, like Boyde.
“I fully believe in this job,†said Lathrop, who faced financial hardship when her husband was self-employed. “As a first-time mom, I know the stigmas because I lived within that.â€
Through education, Lathrop said she was able to pull herself out.
“A lot of these women have such big goals to further their education and move forward with their lives,†Boyde said. “They just need that mentorship.â€
The National Service Office (NSO) recorded the median age for Pennsylvania moms is 23 years old at the time of intake. The organization also noted 80% are unmarried at intake and 74% are enrolled in Medicaid in Pennsylvania.
Additionally, the annual median household income in Pennsylvania at intake is between $6,000 and $9,000, according to NSO.
Boyde said NFP is part of the newly-formed Adams County Maternal Child Advisory Board, which partners with agencies helping families with children under 5 years old.
The virtual meetings have brought together 40 people each month to collaborate with one another, Boyde said.
“It shows the huge need for maternal support in Adams County,†Boyde said. “I know the need is out there. I hear it every single day.â€
Those interested in more information about the program can visit the website at www.nursefamilypartnership.org/nfp-moms.
Additional ways to reach NFP include calling 717-843-6330, texting 717-916-4099, or emailing dcaraballo@familyfirsthealth.org.
