For the first time in three years, Americans without health insurance declined, with the number of uninsured dropping by 1.3 million people from 2010 to 2011, according to Census data.
There are, however, millions of underserved populations that seek access to quality health care. That’s where the Shalom Health Care Center Inc. comes in for residents living on Indianapolis’ Westside near the Lafayette Square Area.
“Many of the patients here have chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. Over 95 percent of our patients live close to the center and consist primarily of African-Americans and Hispanics. We see babies all the way to the elderly,” said Dr. Leonardo Ortega, executive director and CEO of Shalom Health Care Center.
The Shalom center provides a variety of family health care services that include: Primary and OB/GYN health services; acute care; health maintenance; screenings such as various types of cancer, diabetes, cholesterol, lead, STDs and blood pressure; chronic disease management; health education; diet and weight management; and smoking cessation.
For those with less severe ailments, the center offers wellness care for illnesses such as respiratory infections, colds, skin problems, pain, asthma and urinary tract infections.
They also offer sports and complete physical exams, immunizations, and nutrition education. Access to counseling is also available for those who need a professional therapist.
Dr. Adrienne Bedford, medical director and CMO of Shalom Health Care, said that because of the lack of health care, many patients’ chronic illnesses have gotten out of hand. A nurse case manager was hired to have intense discussions with patients and pinpoint barriers to wellness such as high medication costs.
Because the Lafayette Square area is known as an international area, interpreters are also available for patients who don’t speak English. Ortega said that Shalom physicians and employees also have cultural sensitivity training to make sure patients are comfortable and develop trust.
For the handful of services that aren’t available at Shalom, the center partners with other providers to make sure patients are never without health care.
What makes Shalom’s clinic exceptionally valuable to those generally living in zip codes 46222 and 46224 is that their services are offered to the uninsured with a sliding fee discount based on income. Shalom is also an Advantage Provider and offers “Shalom Advantage” to all uninsured patients who qualify.
“Here, we try to communicate immediately that you are not getting sub-par health care just because you don’t have (traditional) insurance,” said Bedford.
Medication may be available through the Patient Assistance Program for those who qualify. Shalom does accept Indiana Medicaid, Medicare and most major insurance carrier policies.
Patients can also access services 24 hours a day, which Ortega and Bedford hope will further promote the usage of preventive and primary care versus frequent emergency room visits or no health maintenance at all.
Due to the high demand for affordable and accessible health care, the center has had to expand. Currently, Shalom serves more than 7,000 people per year and also operates several school-based clinics housed in three Indianapolis Public Schools and four in the Speedway Metropolitan School District. The main office was recently remodeled and has space for Shalom’s inevitable growth.
Furthermore, Drs. Ortega and Bedford are in the process of hiring more physicians, a social worker, a mental heath expert and a health educator and are preparing to become a patient-centered medical home model, part of the Affordable Health Care Act.
“A lot of times, people will need more than just health care, so we try to partner with many people in the community to make sure those social service needs are taken care of. We are working towards becoming more comprehensive,” said Hilda Brady, the center’s community relations coordinator.
Shalom Health Care Center was established in 1994 to meet the needs of medically underserved residents of Indianapolis and is committed to the population of people it serves and strives hard to extend a kind hand and offer the best in health care.
“As the head of this agency I want to make sure we provide services to the underserved and uninsured. It’s hard to know the system so we do the hard work and advocate for our patients. We really want Shalom to be their home,” said Ortega.
For more information, call (317) 291-7422 or visit Shalom-hcc.org.
