SUMMER/FALL 2012
Public Health
DIRECTIONS IN THIS ISSUE: A Message from Richard J. Cohen (2)… Profiles from PHMC (4)... Advocating for Access through Nurse-managed Health Clinics: Q&A with Jamie Ware (6)... Targeted Solutions: Reaching Those with Special Needs (8)... Where in the (PHMC) World Is (9)... CHDB: Using Local Data to Identify Access to Care Disparities in Philadelphia (10)... The Public Health Bracket (12)
Closing the Gap in Primary Care: PHMC’s Health Center Network
W
hen she was 16 years old, Nellie
health. She spent two years in the Peace
Lazar was a candy striper, wear-
Corps in Guatemala, teaching health and hy-
ing the red-and-white striped
giene in primary school and helping to run a
uniform that resembled peppermint candy,
health clinic. She went back to San Francisco
working as a volunteer in the emergency
to work as a school nurse in a Latino high
room of her local hospital. Now her uni-
school. Lazar then moved to Philadelphia
form, a crisp white coat, bears her name
and got a job at The Children’s Hospital of
and her degree: Nellie Lazar, CRNP,
Philadelphia in adolescent medicine, provid-
Congreso Health Center.
ing primary care. She was hired in August
Lazar is a certified registered nurse
2009 by PHMC and worked as a CRNP
practitioner (CRNP), having earned her
at two health clinics managed by PHMC,
master’s degree in nursing at University
Rising Sun and Health Connection. With
of California, San Francisco. She heads
the opening of the Congreso Health Center
up Congreso Health Center, the
on December 2, 2011, Lazar came aboard
newest health center managed
to direct the clinic, which is located in Con-
by PHMC. Her team consists of
greso’s headquarters at 215 West Somerset
a combination of Congreso de
Street, in eastern North Philadelphia.
Latinos Unidos (Congreso) and
Congreso had already provided behav-
PHMC staff: a second CRNP,
ioral health, HIV counseling and testing,
a nurse, a social worker and
education, workforce, family and housing
two medical assistants. “We
services to more than 15,000 people per
have a fabulous team. We all
year. Now, partnering with PHMC, it is able
worked very hard together
to offer a much-needed service to the com-
to get where we are today.
munity: primary care.
We make decisions togeth-
“It is a very exciting partnership with
er on how we are to serve
Congreso to provide primary care to their
our patients,” Lazar says.
existing clients who are already seeing
background
robust social services from Congreso. The
was always in community
Lazar’s
continued on page 3
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