SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING
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Aug 24
Fountain House and Brightpoint Health Announce Agreement to Operate Sidney R. Baer Jr. Center
The integration of comprehensive psychiatric and medical services will increase access to care for New Yorkers with serious mental illness.
The integration of comprehensive psychiatric and medical services will increase access to care for New Yorkers with serious mental illness.
August 24, 2017. Fountain House and Brightpoint Health announce a new affiliation agreement to operate the Sidney R. Baer Jr. Center, a community health center providing integrated psychiatric and primary care services. For the past two decades, the Sidney R. Baer Jr. Center has been serving people with serious mental illness who participate in Fountain House’s community-based mental health program. Brightpoint Health operates Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in New York City, providing primary care, behavioral health services and substance abuse treatment. This affiliation will increase the number of people who are able to access high quality care at the Center while demonstrating the effectiveness of integrating psychiatric and primary care.
“We are thrilled to begin working with Brightpoint Health, and believe that with their leadership we will be able to serve an increased number of New Yorkers with serious mental illness and to address the issues of excess mortality and co-morbidities of this population,” said Fountain House President Kenneth J. Dudek. “The affiliation of Brightpoint Health with the Sidney R. Bear, Jr. Center reflects the shift towards integrated care that we are seeing within the city and state. Fountain House’s Comprehensive Community System of Care goes beyond integrated care to include social interventions.” Paul Vitale, President and CEO of Brightpoint Health said “The integrated care model that Brightpoint will offer at the Sidney R. Baer, Jr. Center is best practice – treating the whole person, addressing their physical, emotional, and social determinants of health.”
Recent research from New York University Health Evaluation and Analytics Lab has shown that that high-utilizers of Medicaid services have a 21% decrease in total cost of care after enrolling in NYC-based Fountain House.
The Baer Center, led by Medical Director Dr. Ralph Aquila, is a valuable psychiatry and medical services component of Fountain House’s effective community based recovery program for people with serious mental illness. The Center is located in two lower floors at 347 West 37th Street, a residential building owned by Fountain House.
ABOUT FOUNTAIN HOUSE
Since 1948, NYC-based Fountain House, recipient of the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, has empowered people with serious mental illness to live and thrive in society.
Each year, over 1,300 members come to Fountain House to contribute their talents, learn new skills, access opportunities and forge new friendships.
Fountain House has inspired the creation of hundreds of similar programs in 34 countries that serve more than 100,000 people annually.
www.fountainhouse.org
ABOUT BRIGHTPOINT HEALTH
Brightpoint Health is a leading nonprofit provider of integrated health care and social support services to New Yorkers, especially those challenged by poverty, discrimination and lack of access to health care. With nearly 800 employees and locations throughout the five boroughs, Brightpoint serves 40,000 people with over 130,000 health care visits annually. Brightpoint is known for providing the highest quality care and improved outcomes while treating each and every patient with the kindness and respect they deserve.
www.brightpointhealth.org
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Feb 13
Brightpoint Health Offering “Sneak Peek” Tour of New Health Care Center in the South Bronx
On Monday, February 13th, 2017, neighborhood residents, prospective patients, elected officials and colleagues will attend the first of a series of “Sneak Peek” tours of, the Brightpoint Health Hub Family Health Center—a new state-of-the-art, fully integrated clinic in the South Bronx.On Monday, February 13th, 2017, neighborhood residents, prospective patients, elected officials and colleagues will attend the first of a series of “Sneak Peek” tours of, the Brightpoint Health Hub Family Health Center—a new state-of-the-art, fully integrated clinic in the South Bronx. Brightpoint Health, a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), provides high-quality health care services at locations throughout New York City, serving over 40,000 people each year. They are inviting the community to tour the new site and learn how integrated health care is changing the face of health outcomes for vulnerable New Yorkers. The Brightpoint Hub Family Health Center will provide adult and pediatric primary care and behavioral health services, as well as women’s health care. In addition, care management services will be provided, helping patients to connect with appropriate specialty care and receive support services and entitlements. ,. Providing all these services in one location enables Brightpoint to comprehensively treat patients with multiple chronic conditions and co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders. “We are excited to be expanding our services in the Bronx and to be part of making the Hub a showcase for the Bronx and all of New York City,” said Paul Vitale, Brightpoint Health’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our existing facilities in the Bronx are filled to capacity, indicating a much greater need for community health services in the area. Our new Hub center will allow us to serve more people in one place which makes it easier for their care to be truly integrated and therefore more effective.” Brightpoint currently operates 5 other locations in the Bronx, and 20 locations throughout the rest of New York City. For several months, Brightpoint has been providing services from a Mobile Health Unit in the neighborhood of the Hub, and will officially open their new clinic doors in March of 2017. The 16,000 square foot, fully integrated Hub Family Health Center will be Brightpoint’s largest facility. The Hub section of the Bronx is the second busiest district in NYC after Times Square. More than 200,000 pedestrians live, work, or pass through the neighborhood every day. The Center is located on the second floor of the Triangle Plaza Hub, a mixed-use office and retail facility. Brightpoint Health began in 1990 in the Bronx with a residential facility that was the first modified therapeutic community serving HIV/AIDS patients who also suffered from substance abuse disorders. Today, Brightpoint Health serves 40,000 New Yorkers annually in all five boroughs with primary and behavioral health, dental services, pediatrics, outpatient substance abuse treatment and social service support.
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Mar 31
Connecting Disabled Patients With Care
Last month, Brightpoint Health received $90,000 in federal funding through the Federal Transportation Administration’s 5310 program, which is administered by the New York State Department of Transportation.
Last month, Brightpoint Health received $90,000 in federal funding through the Federal Transportation Administration’s 5310 program, which is administered by the New York State Department of Transportation. These funds will increase Brightpoint’s capacity to provide wheelchair-accessible transportation to engage more patients with disabilities and keep them connected to care. Two accessible vehicles will be added to Brightpoint’s current fleet of 21 transportation and outreach units. The new vehicles will service high-need communities in Brooklyn and the Bronx.
Section 5310 is a discretionary capital assistance program that awards grants to nonprofit organizations to serve the transportation needs of the elderly and people with disabilities.
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Mar 30
Medical Records Department Becomes Health Information Management
Recognizing the key role that Health Information Management (HIM) plays in the delivery of high quality health care, Brightpoint’s Medical Records Management Department is being renamed the Health Information Management Department.
Recognizing the key role that Health Information Management (HIM) plays in the delivery of high quality health care, Brightpoint’s Medical Records Management Department is being renamed the Health Information Management Department. This change will be effective April 4, 2016. Brightpoint’s HIM Staff, Uma Mahabir, HIM Manager, and Sadrac Senatus, HIM Technician, report to Patricia Williams, Vice President, Clinical Operations.
Health Information Management (HIM), an allied health profession, works to ensure availability, accuracy, integrity and security of all data related to health care interaction. HIM partners with other departments (Privacy, Practice Management and Clinical Informatics) to establish and maintain efficient and effective documentation processes.
To honor our Health Information Management team, Brightpoint Health is joining the American Health Information Management Association, and other health care organizations, to celebrate Health Information Professionals Week (April 3-9). This year’s theme is “Accurate Information – Quality Care.”
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Mar 28
Federal Funding To Expand Brightpoint Substance Abuse Services
This month, Brightpoint Health was awarded almost $300,000 in Affordable Care Act (ACA) funding by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
This month, Brightpoint Health was awarded almost $300,000 in Affordable Care Act (ACA) funding by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The grant was given as part of a special round of ACA funding to 271 health centers in 45 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to improve and expand the delivery of substance abuse services in health centers, with a specific focus on treatment of opioid use disorders in underserved populations.
The funds will support expansion of Brightpoint Health’s Substance Abuse Services Program in Brooklyn. The East New York and Brownsville neighborhoods surrounding Linden Boulevard are afflicted by higher rates of morbidity and mortality related to opioid and heroin abuse. The program will now be able to provide additional screening and treatment for substance abuse disorders and expand staffing to include a psychiatrist and an additional nurse. Brightpoint will also increase education, screening, care coordination, risk reduction interventions and counseling for patients with or at risk of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, and other diseases associated with substance disorders.
The expanded program will also include an education component to inform patients and community members about opioid and heroin use disorders, including the use of opioid antagonists (Narcan, Naloxone) in preventing opioid overdose. Narcan is now available to the community in New York State without a prescription at CVS pharmacies and other locations.
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September 22 2017
Queens Community Celebrates Expanded Matilda Raffa Cuomo Health Center
Brightpoint Health’s Successful Queens Facility Will Be Renovated and Renamed the Matilda Raffa Cuomo Health CenterBrightpoint Health’s Successful Queens Facility Will Be Renovated and Renamed the Matilda Raffa Cuomo Health CenterBrightpoint Health, a leading nonprofit provider of healthcare services to New Yorkers in need, is renovating their successful clinic in Jamaica, Queens to better serve the community. The new facility is being renamed the Matilda Raffa Cuomo Health Center in honor of New York’s former first lady’s long history of charitable and humanitarian efforts and the Cuomo family’s commitment to the founding and sustainability of Brightpoint Health.
The renovated Matilda Raffa Cuomo Health Center will offer co-located, integrated behavioral health and primary care services to better address the disproportionate rates of mental health and substance use problems and high rates of avoidable hospitalization in the area. The existing center has a high success rate with patients and surveys show that an impressive 96% of patients say Brightpoint Health gives them good medical care. Brightpoint Health currently serves over 60,000 patients and clients with primary health care and behavioral health and support services. With almost 800 employees and locations throughout the five boroughs, Brightpoint is a leader in the provision of integrated health care in New York City.
“My mother has dedicated her life to helping the less fortunate and uplifting New Yorkers in need, and I applaud the renaming of this facility to honor her long career of service,” said Governor Andrew M. Cuomo . “The new Matilda Raffa Cuomo Health Center will provide much-needed services to the Queens community and support our efforts to make a stronger, healthier New York for all.”
“Matilda Raffa Cuomo and the entire Cuomo family have done so much to help the people of New York State, including their founding of this organization,” said Paul D. Vitale, CEO of Brightpoint Health . “We are so thankful to the entire Cuomo family, and proud and honored to name this clinic the Matilda Raffa Cuomo Health Center.”
"The naming of the Brightpoint clinic is a fitting honor for my mother, who has dedicated her life to the welfare and health of vulnerable children and families,” said Maria Cuomo Cole, Brightpoint Care Board Member.
“Former First Lady Matilda Raffa Cuomo continues to this day to be a fierce, unwavering and effective advocate for health, children and families. She is a global inspiration of what it means to embody service,” said Queens Borough President Melinda Katz . “The Matilda Raffa Cuomo Health Center here in Queens named in her honor, as well as the first-class, integrated healthcare now available to so many in underserved communities, are fitting tributes to the legacy of a true, lifelong humanitarian.”
“With the renaming of the Matilda Raffa Cuomo Health Center, we honor a true champion for the people of New York,” said Congressman Gregory W. Meeks . “Throughout her career, Matilda Raffa Cuomo has fought to create opportunities for all, and I can think of no one more deserving of this honor. The newly renovated Health Center will be able to provide the essential services that our community deserves, including primary care, mental health services, and substance abuse treatment, to even more New Yorkers. I commend Brightpoint Health for their innovation and leadership in the healthcare field.”
“The new Matilda Raffa Cuomo Health Center in Jamaica, Queens will embody the spirit of a woman who worked tirelessly to uplift our most vulnerable New Yorkers,” said Rep. Joe Crowley (D-Queens, the Bronx) . “The renaming of this new facility is a fitting tribute to our former First Lady and the work she has done to promote wellness throughout our communities. The center’s renovation and expansion will now allow the clinic to deliver comprehensive health care services for the people of Queens, and I thank Brightpoint Health for making this critical investment.”
“Matilda Raffa Cuomo was a wonderful and dedicated First Lady of New York and renaming this facility in her honor is a great tribute to the many charitable and humanitarian causes that she led” said Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) . “I congratulate our state’s former first lady for receiving this honor, and look forward to the clinic’s expansion better serving the health needs of our borough.”
“Mrs. Cuomo is a very special person who has worked tirelessly to support the community through her years of work, advocacy and mentoring programs. I applaud her being honored today—and I am very pleased that our community is getting increased health care services with the expanded Matilda Raffa Cuomo Health Center,” said Assemblywoman Vivian Cook.
The new center will include the addition of 3,000 square feet that will allow the facility to become a “one-stop shop” for residents. Currently, a key healthcare challenge is the area’s severe lack of primary health care and behavioral healthcare services, particularly considering the overlapping health issues that the area’s low-income residents experience. The shortage of primary care providers in Jamaica contributes to residents’ poor health outcomes, high rates of preventable hospital admissions due to chronic illnesses and behavioral health conditions, and limited access to care.
A dedicated advocate for women, children and families, Matilda Raffa Cuomo has lead state, national and international initiatives that heightened visibility to such causes as children’s rights, volunteerism, and mentoring. As First Lady of New York State from 1983 to 1995, Mrs. Cuomo co-chaired the Governor’s Commission on Child Care and chaired the NY Citizens’ Task Force on the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. Mrs. Cuomo also led New York’s role in the UN’s World Summit for Children and the USA’s ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. She established in 1984 the nation’s first school-based one-to-one mentoring program, connecting over 10,000 students to trained mentors, and helping them to succeed in school, graduate, advance in the workplace and become productive citizens. Under Mrs. Cuomo’s leadership, the program has continued as Mentoring USA and its reach expanded internationally. Mrs. Cuomo published an edited volume in 1999, revised in 2011, and entitled The Person Who Changed My Life: Prominent Americans Recall Their Mentors. She currently chairs the New York State Mentoring Program, recently reinstated by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo.
About the Matilda Raffa Cuomo Health Center (Federally Qualified Health Center):Patient population of clinic● 2,122 patients seen in 2016, with over 13,000 visits● 72% of these patients were homeless or unstably housed● All of the patients were poor or working poor.● 89% of patients were people of color – 55% Black/African American and 25% HispanicServices rendered● Over 13,000 visits to the clinic● 52% were for primary medical care● Close to 1/3 of visits were for behavioral health services – mental health and substance use treatment● Other visits included case management, nursing and nutritional services Patient outcomes & success● HIV positive patients at this site had a viral load suppression rate of 77% viral load suppression – higher than the average rate among the general population of HIV+ people in New York● 34% of patients who received their primary care here also received co-located mental health services – the gold standard for excellent care AIDS Adult Day Healthcare Center● Serves HIV+ people needing intensive health and social services Provides medical monitoring, health groups, individual counseling, care coordination and meals● 211 unique clients used this service in 2016, with over 16,000 visitsAbout Brightpoint Health
Brightpoint Health is a leading nonprofit provider of integrated health care and social support services to New Yorkers, especially those challenged by poverty, discrimination and lack of access to health care. Brightpoint Health currently serves over 60,000 patients and clients with primary health care and behavioral health and support services. With almost 800 employees and locations throughout the five boroughs, Brightpoint is a leader in the provision of integrated health care in New York City. Brightpoint is known for providing the highest quality care and improved outcomes while treating each and every patient with the kindness and respect they deserve—like family.
Contact: Emilie Tippins, 917-971-5293, Emilie.Tippins@chasiny.org