Promise CHC awarded $70,500 for ongoing high-quality service

SIOUX CENTER – Promise Community Health Center of Sioux Center was recognized as a leader among its peers nationwide in delivering high-quality, comprehensive care.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that Promise has been awarded $70,500 in federal grant funding to recognize quality improvement achievements in the past year and enhance future improvement efforts.

Promise was among 1,352 federally qualified health centers nationwide awarded $125 million as an investment in quality improvement. Iowa’s 14 community health centers were awarded more than $1.3 million.

Dr. Kenneth Tjeerdsma, dentist, and Sung-Ju Kim,
dental assistant, perform a dental screening during
Promise Community Health Center's Back-to-School
Block Party on Wednesday, Aug. 1. Promise has been
awarded $70,500 in federal grants to recognize its
achievements in high-quality care to patients.

The grant awards were announced during National Health Center Week, which was Aug. 12-18.

“These Quality Improvement Awards show the hard work of staff from all of our teams,” said Amy McAlpine, data and compliance specialist for Promise. “Every year, we work hard to make specific improvements in our care. We want to provide the best care for our patients – we want it to be high-quality, cost-effective and a good experience for the patients and care teams.

“These awards also say a lot about our patients. Many of the quality measures considered in these awards have to do with patients taking care of their health by getting screenings or immunizations completed or controlling their chronic conditions like blood pressure and diabetes. We are thankful for all of our patients who have given priority to their families and improving their health.”

The health centers receiving the grants are being recognized for high levels of performance in various categories. They will use the funds to expand quality improvement systems and improve primary care service delivery in the communities they serve.

Promise was awarded funding in the following categories:

• $19,750 for Health Center Quality Leaders. The award signifies that Promise placed in the top 30 percent among health centers nationwide for best overall clinical performance quality measures. Promise improved in 13 of 17 measures during 2017 to boost itself into the category. Eight of 14 community health centers in Iowa received the award. “This is significant because it shows that Promise is not only about making sure everyone can access care but that it is also very high-quality care,” McAlpine said.

• $15,750 in Clinical Quality Improvers by demonstrating notable improvement in one or more clinical quality measures in 2017. Twelve Iowa health centers received the award.

• $15,000 in Addressing Health Disparities, signifying that Promise met, exceeded or made considerable advancement toward Healthy People 2020 goals across different racial/ethnic groups. Six Iowa health centers received the award.

• $10,000 in Enhancing Access to Care by increasing the number of patients served and the number of patients receiving comprehensive services. Seven Iowa health centers received the award.

• $5,000 in Electronic Health Record Reporters by employing EHRs to report on all clinical quality measures data for the health centers’ patients. All 14 Iowa health centers were awarded.

• $5,000 in Advancing Health Information Technology for Quality, recognizing the use of HIT systems to increase access to care and advanced quality of care. All 14 Iowa health centers were awarded.

Promise is part of a network of nearly 1,400 community health centers nationwide that serve more than 27 million people at more than 11,000 sites.

During 2017, Promise cared for a record 4,750 patients – 22.4 percent more than the previous year. Those patients received a comprehensive range of services that included medical, prenatal, dental, vision/eye, behavioral/mental health and family planning – all under one roof. Of those patients, 44.3 percent were on Medicaid, and 36.4 percent had no insurance.

“Community health centers provide coordinated, comprehensive and patient-centered care to millions of Americans,” said Eric Hargan, HHS deputy secretary, in announcing the awards. “They have a track record of delivering quality care at significantly lower cost and are vital partners in our movement toward a health system that delivers quality, affordable, value-based health care for all Americans.”

Promise Community Health Center of Sioux Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center serving the northwest corner of Iowa. Promise provides medical, prenatal, dental, vision, behavioral health and family planning services. To learn more, visit www.promisechc.org and watch this video. To read more Promise news, visit promisechcnews.blogspot.com.