Saint Alphonsus Mobile Health Clinic Earns 2018 Community Health Award
Idaho Medical Group Management Association Honors Rural Outreach
Nampa, ID – Saint Alphonsus Mobile Health Clinic was selected as the recipient for the 2018 Community Health Award, by the Idaho Medical Group Management Association (Idaho MGMA). This award recognizes an organization that has been innovative to improve the health of the community in Idaho.
“We are honored to recognize Saint Alphonsus Nampa for their outstanding contribution hitting the road to ensure basic health care needs do not go unmet as a result of travel limitations,” said Steven Sumter, executive director of the Idaho Medical Group Management Association. “Each year, some Idahoans go without necessary medical and dental services because of various social, economic, or environmental disadvantages.”
Sumter continued, “As a result of the leadership and innovation demonstrated by Saint Alphonsus in developing the mobile clinic, some individuals with chronic diseases and other health conditions received appropriate treatment, avoiding unnecessary complications and costly medical care they might have faced had they remained undiagnosed. We celebrate the clinic’s accomplishment in giving back to the community by providing free essential healthcare services and screenings to underserved populations in Southwest Idaho.”
Established in 2016, the Mobile Health Clinic reaches out to those in rural and agricultural communities, who would not otherwise have access to medical, dental, or vision services and who often, due to lack of preventative care, end up in a hospital or emergency department. The Mobile Health Clinic provides medical exams, as well as preventative care and the program ensures critical follow-up referrals are made after each exam.
The Mobile Health Clinic makes extensive use of community partners in order to address the additional needs of the communities Saint Alphonsus serves.
“Medical health needs do not exist in a vacuum. Social determinants of health – or those factors that impact general health, such as inability to attend a doctor’s appointment because of lack of transportation or poor nutrition because of lack of healthy food – are addressed through the work we do together with our community partners,” said Sheri Ainsworth, the Saint Alphonsus Medical Center-Nampa, Mission & Community Health Director. “This is why partnerships like Northwest Farm Credit Services, Idaho Food Bank, Southwest District Health, Terry Reilly Health Services and many of the other partners we have are so important. We are able to all come together in one outreach area, to provide these much-needed services.”
“This award is a true testament to the community health and well-being work we do at Saint Alphonsus and follows the legacy of our sisters over 100 years ago,” said Travis P. Leach, President of Saint Alphonsus Medical Center-Nampa. “We know this is how we make communities better and stronger, helping those in need to become healthier and avoiding the devastating effects of a health crisis. It's both rewarding and humbling.”
Since hitting the road in 2016, the Saint Alphonsus Mobile Health Clinic has:
• Held over 29 Mobile Outreach Clinics
• Seen over 2,500 patients
• Provided over 3,875 medical services or screenings
The Mobile Health Clinic will be in the following community locations in the upcoming weeks:
October 13, Nazarene Care House, 1524 6th St. South, Nampa, 10am – 3pm
November 9, Wilder Fire Station, 601 Patriot Way, Wilder, 4:30-7:30pm
If you are interested in more information on the services that the Mobile Health Clinic provides or how to get involved, please contact Maria Lee, the Saint Alphonsus Mobile Health Clinic Coordinator at Maria.Lee@SaintAlphonsus.org.
About Saint Alphonsus Health System
As a faith-based Catholic ministry and not-for-profit health system, Saint Alphonsus Health System reinvests in the communities we serve, through charity care and other benefits. Our goal is to improve the health and well-being of people by emphasizing care that is patient-centered, physician-led, innovative and community-based. Saint Alphonsus Health System serves the people of southwestern Idaho, eastern Oregon and northern Nevada through these facilities: Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center - Boise, ID; Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Nampa, ID; Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Ontario, OR; Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Baker City, OR; and, Saint Alphonsus Medical Group with primary and specialty care providers at over 60 clinic locations, all of which are members of the Saint Alphonsus Health Alliance, a network of over 1900 employed and independent providers. Saint Alphonsus is a proud affiliate of Trinity Health, one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation. Trinity Health serves people and communities in 22 states from coast to coast with 94 hospitals and 126 continuing care facilities, home health and hospice programs, and PACE center locations that provide more than 2.5 million visits annually. To find out more go to: www.saintalphonsus.org
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Dr. James Gardner from Saint Alphonsus Family Medicine Clinic in Caldwell, Saint Alphonsus – Nampa, Board Member Lynda Clark, Mobile Clinic Coordinator Maria Lee, Mission & Community Health Director Sheri Ainsworth and Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Nampa President Travis Leach receive the Idaho MGMA Community Health Award.