Parkland network of community clinics has rich history
Health Center Week is Aug. 14-20
In the 1980s, Parkland Health & Hospital System’s then CEO Ron J. Anderson, MD had a dream of bringing healthcare to underserved communities in Dallas County. His vision of healthcare for all, regardless of ability to pay, paved the way for Parkland’s Community Oriented Primary Care (COPC), a network of neighborhood-based health centers that provide a “medical home” to primarily low-income communities.
At the time he had to convince skeptical hospital board members and local officials that clinics in Dallas’ poorest neighborhoods was the right thing to do. His vision came to fruition when, in 1986, the Dallas County Commissioners Court approved a request to go forward with the COPC concept. The first COPC, East Dallas Health Center, opened in 1989 and two years later the first clinic built from the ground up, Bluitt-Flowers Health Center, opened. Today, Parkland operates a dozen COPC health centers throughout the county, making primary and preventive healthcare more accessible.
In addition, Parkland operates a dozen school-based clinics, a geriatric clinic and senior outreach services, the Homeless Outreach Medical Services (HOMES) program, as well as providing correctional health for the Dallas County adult and juvenile jail system. In fiscal year 2015, more than 157,000 patients received care in the neighborhood health centers. Of those, 57.9 percent were Hispanic, 25.8 percent African-American and 10 percent white. The remaining 6.2 percent was comprised of American Indians, Asians, Pacific Islanders and others.
“Throughout the years, healthcare administrators and physicians have come from as far away as Thailand to study Parkland’s system of health centers,” said Sharon Phillips, MBA, RN, Parkland’s Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for Population Health. “The system became a national model for other communities across the country and won numerous awards for its ability to involve the community in clinic activities.”
Community is key to the success of the COPC program, Phillips said. Along with being Parkland patients, community members in neighborhoods where clinics are located serve on Advisory Boards. Through these boards, Parkland officials and residents gather to discuss community needs and how the health system can help.
“It really is a partnership, in that we can’t do this alone,” Phillips said. “We can’t just walk into a community and say ‘this is what we think you need’ and start doing it. What we have to do is talk to the community to see what they believe is needed and together we’ll determine whether Parkland can provide those services or is it some other agency.”
For Willie Mae Coleman, the Hatcher Station Health Center is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. Hatcher Station is the newest addition to the COPC network, having replaced the aging East Dallas Health Center in 2015. The Hatcher clinic grew from a partnership between Parkland and Frazier Revitalization, Inc., (FRI) a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2005 with the mission to revitalize and transform the Frazier neighborhood southeast of Fair Park through economic and cultural development.
“Patients tell us every day that the services offered at the clinic are helping to fill a care gap in the community and they express gratitude for the clinic and its staff,” said Gretchen Collins, Associate Site Administrator. “The staff and physicians are encouraged that we have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of our patients and the community.”
“It has been a life-saver. Everyone just loves it,” Coleman said adding that local residents would like “more” of Parkland’s newest health center by adding longer hours and making it larger. “The clinic has been a blessing. They really take care of you, and if it’s something that they can’t help you with they’ll send you to the big hospital to get you what you need.”
Coleman, who serves on the Hatcher Station Community Advisory Board, has been a life-long recipient of Parkland services. One child was born at the original Parkland located at Oak Lawn and Maple avenues, a second at the old hospital, 5201 Harry Hines and two of her grandchildren work for the hospital district.
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