Everyone has the right

By C ORI U RBAN

Special To The Republican

Leon Wyatt has utilized medical services at Caring Health Center ever since the Brooklyn, New York, native moved to Western Massachusetts in 2006.

“Everywhere else there is a wait or a problem,” Wyatt, 51, of Springfield said. “With Caring Health Center – whether you have an appointment or you’re a walk-in – there are no problems. You get to see someone.”

While nearly 19,000 patients like Wyatt come to Caring Health Center annually for adult and pediatric primary care, such as physicals, immunizations and treatment for acute and chronic illness, the center also provided preventive and restorative dental care to about 6,000 patients in 2022. In addition, the behavioral health team touched lives through individual and group therapy and psychiatric medication. With the pandemic adding to daily stress and forced some to live in isolation, the behavioral health team accomplished 5,770 virtual visits through Telehealth in addition to 1,340 clinic visits.

Caring Health Center, according to its mission statement, is committed to eliminating health disparities and achieving health equity by providing accessible, value-driven healthcare for diverse, multi-ethnic communities in Western Massachusetts.

Wyatt, who relies on MassHealth for his insurance needs, described the staff and level of medical care he receives at Caring Health Center as “not just good, it’s great.”

CHC is firmly committed to the belief that everyone has the right to accessible and affordable medical care, regardless of economics, ethnicity or beliefs, according to Tania M. Barber, president and CEO of Caring Health Center. “Access to affordable healthcare is a long-standing problem with ties to race and economics,” Barber said.

“COVID-19 hospitalization and death rates were far higher for people of color, according to a study by the Journal of the American Medical Association. Sadly, those disparities were not new or unique to the recent pandemic. Key to tackling these disparities is addressing the social determinants of health.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified five key areas:

• Neighborhood and physical environment (affordable housing, access to transportation and access to nutritious, affordable food)

• Health and healthcare (lack of access to quality healthcare, insurance and/ or linguistically and culturally responsive health care

• Occupation and job conditions (those whose jobs pose more health risks)

• Income and wealth (financial challenges that make it difficult to pay medical bills, access affordable quality housing and nutritious food

• Education (inequities in access to high-quality education, which can limit career options).

“Addressing these ‘upstream’ social determinants of health is critically important,” Barber said. “Specifically, what are the barriers to quality care that need to be addressed for people like refugees, the elderly and the economically disadvantaged? Transportation, cultural and language differences and financial costs are some of the barriers faced by refugees, the elderly and the economically disadvantaged.” to the cultural differences of our patients,” Barber noted.

The center’s community outreach includes an annual food drive that feeds 1,500 in Greater Springfield, and its Wellness Center offers free physical activity, dietary instruction and chronic disease management classes.

“The CDC estimates six in 10 Americans live with at least one chronic disease, and prior to the pandemic, chronic diseases were responsible for

The center’s community outreach includes an annual food drive that feeds 1,500 in Greater Springfield, and its Wellness Center offers free physical activity, dietary instruction and chronic disease management classes.

Caring Health Center also addresses the social drivers that may cause poor health –diet, nutrition, mental illness and homelessness.

As a federally qualified health center, Caring Health Center is obligated to provide health care services regardless of one’s ability to pay and therefore often provides free services that are not covered by health insurance.

The center offers translation services in 39 languages and has a pharmacy that delivers life-saving medications to patients at no additional cost. It offers free transportation to those who have need of these services so families and individuals can meet with healthcare providers and get the care they need.

“We have a diverse, professional staff that is respectful seven out of 10 deaths nationwide, killing more than 1.7 million Americans annually,” she pointed out.

Barber explained that a Stanford University School of Medicine study revealed the level of quality care offered by health centers is as good or even better than what patients may experience visiting a private practice. “The range of services found here is also affordable. … We will not deny healthcare to anyone based on their ability to pay,” she said.

According to Caring Health Center’s annual report, “All people have the right to accessible and affordable medical care that prevents illness, promotes wellness and is respectful to the unique needs of particular communities and cultures.”

Such community health centers were founded on the philosophy that everyone deserves the right to access quality health care, and it is with this same doctrine that CHC believes everyone should, as a right, have access regardless of one’s socioeconomic status and linguistic barriers.

“Community health centers, like Caring Health Center, serve 30 million people nationwide who would otherwise be at the mercy of big business healthcare or have no care at all,” Barber said. “Caring Health Center is patient-centric and understands the needs of the people and community we serve. With a focus on social determinants of health, we address health disparities and health inequities, which ultimately impacts the health, well-being and longevity of an individual’s life. Socioeconomic disparities, to a great extent, underlie other bases of health disparities and everyone deserves a right to accessible, affordable medical care to prevent illness and promote wellness.”

Barber — who earned a bachelor’s degree in organizational management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2007 and a master’s of business administration in entrepreneurial thinking and innovative practices from Bay Path University in 2009 — contends that the importance of community health centers cannot be overstated in providing affordable healthcare for all. Currently there are 1,400 community health center organizations spread throughout 14,000 rural and urban communities. They receive federal funding through the Health Resources and Services Administration. Health centers serve more than 30 million patients, including one-third of all people living in poverty in the United States.

Caring Health Center serves 20 cities and towns in Hampden, Franklin and Hampshire counties with three locations in Springfield. In addition, there is a mobile health unit.

As president and CEO, Barber has overseen the addition of the pharmacy, patient transportation services, the mobile health unit, health insurance navigators, behavioral health and substance abuse treatment, community health worker services and a wellness center; coming soon is a Learning Institute.

“We are the largest Refugee Health Assessment provider in Massachusetts and nationally recognized for our federally-funded research and contributions,” she said. “We played a vital role in testing and vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccinating well over 20,000 individuals.”

More than 80 percent of patients are classified as low income with 75 percent covered by Medicaid. The center also offers sliding-fee discounts based on federal poverty level guidelines; individuals can qualify based on income and household size.

Barber’s vision for the future of the Caring Health Center is that it further expands/increases access to care to meet the needs of the community. It is in the midst of a $2.5 million capital campaign to grow and meet those needs.

For more information call (413) 739-1100 or go online to caringhealth.org