Press Releases

MEDIA ADVISORY

Media contact:

Kate Harmon

Marketing and outreach coordinator

Kharmon@familyfirsthealth.org

717-801-4855

Family First Health, a federally qualified health center, opens its doors to patients in Columbia, Lancaster County on Monday, October 11, 2016. The health center, located at 369 Locust St., will be the sixth location for Family First Health which operates five other health center sites in Adams and York counties.

A community assessment in 2014 found that while health services in Columbia were available for those with insurance but for those without, affordable and accessible care was difficult to find. The assessment also identified a lack of mental health services and noted individuals may not take prescribed medications due to cost.

Led by Dr. Marie Kellett, Family First Health – Columbia Center offers family medicine and participates in most insurance plans, as well as offers integrated, on-site behavioral health services. A sliding-fee scale based on family size and income is offered to those who are uninsured.

Join Family First Health staff for an open house Thursday, Oct. 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a ribbon cutting at 4 p.m. Doors open to patients for appointments on Tuesday, Oct. 11.

About Family First Health

Founded in 1970, Family First Health is a non-profit, federally qualified health center dedicated to increasing access to affordable, quality health care. With sites in York, Hannah Penn Middle School, Lewisberry, Hanover, Gettysburg and Columbia, Family First Health provides a broad range of primary health, dental care and social services to insured, uninsured and underinsured patients with the goal of improving the health of our communities as a whole. For more information, visit www.familyfirsthealth.org. Se habla español.

MEDIA ADVISORY 

Media contact:

Kate Harmon

Marketing and outreach coordinator

717-801-4855

kharmon@familyfirsthealth.org

What effect can childhood trauma have on a child’s future? Childhood experiences, both positive and negative, have a tremendous impact on future violence victimization and perpetration, and lifelong health and opportunity.
Studies reveal toxic stress can trigger hormones that wreak havoc on the brains and bodies of children putting them at a great risk for disease, homelessness, prison time and early death. While poverty can worsen the effects, all parts of the community can be at risk.
Join Family First Health, the York City School District and Community Progress Council on Tuesday, Oct. 25 at Hannah Penn’s auditorium for the showing of the documentary “Resilience” which chronicles the birth of a new movement among pediatricians, therapists, educators and communities, who are using cutting-edge brain science to disrupt cycles of violence, addiction and disease.
Doors open at 6 p.m. The film starts at 6:30 p.m. Reserve your free tickets on Eventbrite or by calling Kate Harmon, marketing and outreach coordinator, 717-801-4855. It will be followed by a Q&A session and panel discussion featuring: Dr. Christopher Echterling of WellSpan Health; Sue Yohe, Director of Early Head Start/Head Start; Catherine Edwards, Supervisor of Family First Health’s Nurse-Family Partnership; Gladys Dyson, a Kindergarten Teacher at Logos Academy and Laura Bloss, a licensed social worker in the York City School District Office of Special Education.

About Family First Health
Founded in 1970, Family First Health is a non-profit, federally qualified health center dedicated to increasing access to affordable, quality health care. With sites in York, Hannah Penn Middle School, Lewisberry, Hanover and Gettysburg, Family First Health provides a broad range of primary health, dental care and social services to insured, uninsured and underinsured patients with the goal of improving the health of our communities as a whole. For more information, visit www.familyfirsthealth.org. Se habla español.

Media Advisory 

Family First Health’s Dr. Luis Garcia has been named to this year’s Physician 40 Under 40 list by the Pennsylvania Medical Society. PAMED’s new award is one of the several efforts to recognize the state’s efforts in training physicians and encouraging them to stay and practice here.

Garcia is a York-area native, engaged not only in the area’s medicine, but it’s community. He also advocates for the Latino population, and serves as a teacher for the York Hospital Family Medicine Residency Community Medicine curriculum.

He was nominated for the award by Douglas McCracken, WellSpan Community Health Center’s Interim Medical Director.

“Luis is a modest person, but his footprint is large,” McCracken wrote in the nomination letter. “… He uses teaching and media (TV and radio) to inspire generations of community medicine physicians, and to inspire patients – outside the exam room – toward better health.”

Garcia joined Family First Health in 2014. He received his Bachelor of Science in Biology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville and received his Doctor of Medicine degree from Temple University School of Medicine. Garcia completed his family medicine residency at York Hospital.

“Dr. Garcia sets the standard for young physicians,” said Family First Health CEO Jenny Englerth. “He sees beyond the individual patient and into the community when assessing health status while maintaining an personalized approach to care. This recognition is well deserved!”

When he’s not working, Garcia volunteers his time at the Catholic Harvest Food Pantry and has served as Team Leader Assistant on Mission trips to Ecuador. Garcia is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians and the Catholic Medical Association.

“I sometimes have challenging days, and I have to say, when I hear him on the radio or see a patient of his, I am reminded of what an asset he is to our community,” McCracken wrote. “His impact and his humility inspire me to be a better physician.”
About Family First Health

Founded in 1970, Family First Health is a non-profit, federally qualified health center dedicated to increasing access to affordable, quality health care. With sites in York, Hannah Penn Middle School, Lewisberry, Hanover and Gettysburg, Family First Health provides a broad range of primary health, dental care and social services to insured, uninsured and underinsured patients with the goal of improving the health of our communities as a whole. For more information, visit www.familyfirsthealth.org. Se habla español.

Media contact: 

Kate Harmon, Marketing and outreach coordinator, Kharmon@familyfirsthealth.org, 717-801-4855

Media Advisory

Media contact:

Kate Harmon

kharmon@familyfirsthealth.org

717-801-4855

This week, Gov. Tom Wolf announced that Family First Health received funding to develop a Center of Excellence for treating opioid-related substance-use disorder.

The goal of treating the whole person with a substance-use disorder falls in line with the collaborative care work already going on at Family First Health sites. The award is an infusion of resources that support our ability to work with others to have a broader community impact, versus a more narrow focus on our existing patients.

The Center of Excellence will be based in York and through existing Family First Health sites and partnerships, additional access points in key locations will be identified throughout the county.

The implementation plan is in development, but Family First Health’s vision “is to create a hub and spoke model that will build on existing resources, fill gaps where necessary and always be guided by those impacted most by dependency and addiction,” said CEO Jenny Englerth.

“Our intention is leverage best and promising practices in the treatment field to enhance the delivery system with direct services and to be a ‘go-to’ source for all of those in the community seeking to address this complex issue.”

As Family First Health grows as a Center of Excellence, it will be adding expertise and dedicated individuals to expand our reach in line with the vision of the state Department of Health.

For more information about the Centers of Excellence, visit www.dhs.pa.gov.

About Family First Health

Founded in 1970, Family First Health is a non-profit, federally qualified health center dedicated to increasing access to affordable, quality health care. With sites in York, Hannah Penn Middle School, Lewisberry, Hanover and Gettysburg, Family First Health provides a broad range of primary health, dental care and social services to insured, uninsured and underinsured patients with the goal of improving the health of our communities as a whole. For more information, visit www.familyfirsthealth.org. Se habla español.

MEDIA ADVISORY

Media contact:
Kate Harmon
Kharmon@familyfirsthealth.org
717-801-4855

Caring Together, a collaboration between Family First Health and WellSpan Health, that provides continuous case management for people living with HIV/AIDS has been nationally recognized for its quality of  HIV care.
The National Quality Center and HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) announced today that Caring Together won the Quality of Care Award for Measurable Improvements in HIV Care. Caring Together serves approximately 550 clients living in the York-Adams County area.
In the past three years, the Caring Together program has restructured to become more comprehensive, inclusive and productive. It has focused on retention numbers, digging deep into data and what barriers to care exist for its clients. The team worked to clean up processes around refilling medications and lab work while also reviewing clients who fell out of care. The Caring Together retention rate has risen from 64.46 percent to 76.84 percent.
These increases show the benefits of retention but bring increased viral load suppression rates. As more clients come to their medical appointments, they’re having improved suppression rates. Viral load suppression for the program’s clients is currently at 87.91 percent.
“This is a huge honor for us and I have to say again how proud I am to work with this team,” Shannon McElroy, Caring Together program manager said announcing the award to the staff. “You all know you do great work and here is first hand recognition of that work.”
People who are HIV positive have unique needs and challenges in accessing medical care, case management and other services. Caring Together works to provides a seamless system of coordinated, high quality HIV care for people who are HIV positive so they can easily access the services they need.

About Family First Health
Founded in 1970, Family First Health is a non-profit, federally qualified health center dedicated to increasing access to affordable, quality health care. With sites in York, Hannah Penn Middle School, Lewisberry, Hanover and Gettysburg, Family First Health provides a broad range of primary health, dental care and social services to insured, uninsured and underinsured patients with the goal of improving the health of our communities as a whole. For more information, visit www.familyfirsthealth.org. Se habla español.