Jubilee Clinic: A Model in Community Care

The Jubilee Clinic: A Model in Community Care

By Libby Hayhurst, Advancement Coordinator at Jubilee Park and Community Center

Jubilee Park & Community Center (Jubilee) is excited to announce the Jubilee Clinic—a novel partnership between Parkland Hospital and Jubilee. This new health venture will provide primary healthcare and wrap-around health and wellness resources on the same campus our community has come to know and trust for education, housing, childcare, and more. Embedding a health clinic in the Jubilee Park neighborhood, as a joint venture including social services and health programs, will be life-changing for so many—a true model for community care.

THE PROBLEM

Our Southeast Dallas neighbors have the right to lead healthy, full lives, but the reality is that simply living south of I-30 means that our residents live decades less. Designated as a Medically Underserved Area by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, Jubilee has a large aging population, high rates of chronic disease, and extremely limited access to healthcare. In fact, the Dallas Community Health Needs Assessment survey found that Southeast Dallas has just 54 physicians per 100,000 residents (the national average is 225 physicians).

The chronic underinvestment in health resources in Southeast Dallas has resulted in a dire situation: our Jubilee neighbors live an average of 22 years less, are 139% more likely to die from diabetes, and experience cancer-related deaths at a 30% higher rate.

LISA’S STORY

Lisa approached the front desk, sweaty and weak from the two-hour bus ride to the clinic. As a mother of four with two jobs, it was unusual for her to take off work and miss a day’s wages, but she was scared. She hadn’t felt well in weeks, and intensifying nausea had started to affect her work. Grimacing with pain, Lisa introduced herself to the receptionist, and after a moment of confusion, she realized that the receptionist was telling her that the doctor didn’t speak Spanish and she would have to reschedule. Because less than 20% of doctors in Dallas accept Medicaid, it took weeks to secure this appointment and she knew it would be weeks still until she would be seen. Lisa knew this would mean she would have to lose a second day’s wages that she couldn’t afford, waste another four hours on public transportation, and suffer through another four weeks of uncertainty and pain.

A SENSIBLE PRESCRIPTION

Lisa’s story is not unique. That’s why Jubilee and Parkland have partnered to bring equitable access to healthcare to residents in Southeast Dallas through the Jubilee Clinic. The Jubilee Clinic will be a new, 14,000 square-foot facility housed on Jubilee's growing campus. The clinic will provide both preventative medical care and holistic health services to address the full spectrum of social health determinants. This ground-breaking partnership will be the first of its kind for our city, combining the wraparound services that a Community-Based-Organization (CBO) offers with the medical services of a community clinic.

BEST IN CLASS PARTNERSHIP

Most of us know that getting checkups regularly or eating the proverbial “apple a day” is key to leading a healthy life. But did you know that health is determined by far more than nutrition, fitness, and healthcare? In actuality, community health is a more complicated picture, made up of six main pieces called social health determinants: education, community, economic stability, environment, food, and healthcare. These factors determine our health outcomes like life expectancy and health status.

In an age where ZIP codes can determine a person’s life expectancy, CBOs are poised to make a significant difference in health equity among disenfranchised populations. That is because CBOs like Jubilee take a holistic approach to community renewal, providing programming and services that aim to touch on every major area of need. From workforce training to affordable housing to education, Jubilee currently offers programming that addresses five out of the six social health determinants, and the Jubilee Clinic will be the last and missing piece to achieving comprehensive community health!

The Jubilee Clinic will not only help bring health justice to our Southeast Dallas neighbors, but serve as a replicable model for community care; an innovative solution to the urgent problem of health inequity in our community.

A MEDICAL HOME IN SOUTHEAST DALLAS

By embedding a medical clinic on the same campus our neighbors have come to know and trust for education, housing, and more, the Jubilee Clinic will help overcome access barriers like trust in the healthcare system, a lack of health insurance, and language and transportation barriers. On the first floor, clients can utilize medical services offered at the Jubilee Clinic, whether that be point-of-care testing or pediatric to geriatric medical care through Parkland, while the second floor will house Jubilee’s health education, wellness classes, youth sports programs, and fitness classes, as well as behavioral healthcare through our nonprofit partner, Jewish Family Service.

Providing a space for multi-generational health and learning will help families build healthier lives as an entire unit to spark generational change in Southeast Dallas. The Jubilee Clinic will not only serve the essential medical needs of the community, but by providing preventative care alongside physical, mental, and nutritional health services, will promote good health for life.

By offering quality care from infancy to old age, the Jubilee Clinic will provide a medical home deserving of the resilient community it serves. To help Jubilee take these first steps towards achieving health equity and to learn more about the Jubilee Clinic, visit our website at jubileecenter.org/jubilee-clinic.

Help us take the first steps towards achieving health equity by donating to the Jubilee Clinic and Community Center Capital Campaign. To learn more, visit jubileecenter.org/clinic-capital-campaign.

You can donate to fuel our health programming at jubileecenter.org/donate or stock our food pantry at jubileecenter.org/wishlists.

Are you a medical professional interested in hosting a pop-up clinic? Are you interested in donating medical or hygiene supplies? Email hello@jubileecenter.org to get involved!