WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.910 >> COVID-19 IS DISPROPORTIONATELY INFECTING MINORITY POPULATIONS, WITH AFRICAN AMERICANS HAVING THE 2 00:00:10.910 --> 00:00:13.279 HIGHEST HOSPITALIZATION AND DEATH RATES. THE INDIANA PRIMARY HEALTH CARE ASSOCIATION SAYS THAT'S JUST ONE REASON WHY 3 00:00:13.279 --> 00:00:18.518 COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS ARE PLAYING A CRITICAL ROLE DURING THIS CRISIS. BUSINESS OF HEALTH REPORTER 4 00:00:18.518 --> 00:00:23.790 KYLIE VELETA IS HERE WITH MORE. >> THANK YOU, GERRY. >> THE INDIANA PRIMARY HEALTH CARE ASSOCIATION, OR IF-CA, 5 00:00:23.790 --> 00:00:26.259 OVERSEES COMMUNITY-ORIENTED PRIMARY CARE INITIATIVES, INCLUDING COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS, WHICH FOCUS ON 6 00:00:26.259 --> 00:00:31.598 UNDER-SERVED POPULATIONS. ONE OF IF-CA'S BIGGEST VICTORIES DURING THE PANDEMIC HAS BEEN SPEARHEADING A HUGE INCREASE IN 7 00:00:31.598 --> 00:00:37.871 TELEMEDICINE. HERE TO TELL US ABOUT THAT AND OTHER WAYS COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS HAVE BEEN ON THE 8 00:00:37.871 --> 00:00:46.146 FRONTLINES OF BATTLING COVID-19 IS BEN HARVEY, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF IF-CA. BEN, THANKS FOR BEING ON THE 9 00:00:46.146 --> 00:00:50.517 SHOW TODAY. >> THANKS FOR HAVING ME. I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY. >> 10 00:00:50.517 --> 00:00:53.520 BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT HOW COVID-19 HAS IMPACTED YOUR WORK, LET'S TALK A LITTLE ABOUT COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS IN 11 00:00:53.520 --> 00:01:01.327 GENERAL. 35 OF THEM IN INDIANA - EXPLAIN THE GENERAL MISSION OF THESE CENTERS? 12 00:01:01.327 --> 00:01:09.169 >> YEAH. SO COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS ARE COMMUNITY DRIVEN PRIMARY CARE HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS THAT REALLY COME IN 13 00:01:09.169 --> 00:01:17.577 TERMS OF INDIANA FROM THE LAKE TO THE RIVER. AND SO THEY'RE FEDERALLY DESIGNATED CLINICS PROVIDING PRIMARY CARE SERVICES, 14 00:01:17.577 --> 00:01:24.851 OUTPATIENT SERVICES, PROVIDE MEDICAL, DENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES, PROVIDE THEM IN UNDERSERVED AREAS OF THE STATE, 15 00:01:24.851 --> 00:01:36.830 COMMUNITY DRIVEN, SO THEIR BOARDS ARE COMPOSED OF AT LEAST 50% OF PATIENTS. THEY SERVE ALL PATIENTS REGARDLESS OF ABILITY 16 00:01:36.830 --> 00:01:46.873 TO PAY, MEDICARE, UNINSURED, UNDERINSURED, PARTICULARLY FOR COMMUNITIES UNDERSERVES, MINORITY POPULATIONS, 17 00:01:46.873 --> 00:01:55.915 PARTICULARLY FREQUENTLY UTILIZERS OF COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS. SO COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS, THOSE COMMUNITY-BASED 18 00:01:55.915 --> 00:02:03.256 OUTPATIENT PRIMARY CARE HEALTH HOMES FOR UNDERSERVED HOOSIERS. >> COVID-19 CHANGES EVERYTHING. SO EXPLAIN HOW COMMUNITY HEALTH 19 00:02:03.256 --> 00:02:10.263 CENTERS HAVE REALLY BEEN ON THE FRONT LINES OF THIS CRISIS HERE IN INDIANA? >> YEAH, SO THERE ARE 35 HEALTH 20 00:02:10.263 --> 00:02:17.337 CENTERS IN THE STATE OF INDIANA, AGAIN, THEY HAVE ABOUT 250 CLINICAL SITES, THEY SERVE AROUND 600,000 HOOSIERS EVERY 21 00:02:17.337 --> 00:02:24.544 YEAR, AND THEY BECAUSE, AGAIN, BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE COVID-19 HAS IMPACTED COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, PARTICULARLY IN THE STATE 22 00:02:24.544 --> 00:02:29.649 OF INDIANA, HEALTH CENTERS HAVE BEEN ON THE FRONT LINE AND TESTING TREATMENT THAT CONNECTION IS A PRIMARY CARE 23 00:02:29.649 --> 00:02:35.922 PROVIDERS, ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THEY'VE DONE IN TERMS OF REACHING PATIENTS, THERE'S A BIG PUSH RIGHT NOW TO REACH PATIENTS 24 00:02:35.922 --> 00:02:43.897 WHERE THEY ARE, TO REACH INTO A PATIENT'S HOME BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO BE EITHER QUARANTINED OR WITH THE GOVERNOR'S STAY-AT-HOME 25 00:02:43.897 --> 00:02:57.510 ORDER, HOW CAN YOU CONTINUE TO PROVIDE SERVICES. ALL 35 NOW PROVIDE TELEMEDICINE SERVICES. KIND OF A PARADIGM SHIFT OF THE 26 00:02:57.510 --> 00:03:07.020 PROVIDERS COMING TO FIND THE PATIENT IN THE PATIENT'S HOME. THAT'S A BIG TRANSFORM. RETURN TO FORM TO MEDICINE. 27 00:03:07.020 --> 00:03:11.925 TRANSFORMATIVE EVENT, YOU CAN PRETTY EASILY CONNECT WITH YOUR PROVIDER. ALSO, A PIECE OF THAT, FOCUSING ON PARTNERSHIP WITH THE 28 00:03:11.925 --> 00:03:17.864 STATE IS A PROGRAM CALLED VIRTUAL CARE HOME. SO IF SOMEONE'S COVID SUSPECTED OR COVID POSITIVE, AND THEY ARE 29 00:03:17.864 --> 00:03:23.102 CONCERNED ABOUT EITHER GOING INTO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OR HAVING TO TRAVEL TO A HOSPITAL THEY CAN BE CONNECTED WITH A 30 00:03:23.102 --> 00:03:29.409 HEALTH CENTER AND THE HEALTH CENTER CAN MONITOR AND EVALUATE THAT PATIENT IN THEIR HOME AND STAY CONNECTED WITH THEM THROUGH 31 00:03:29.409 --> 00:03:38.318 THE LENGTH OF THEIR INFECTION OR THEIR BAD FEELINGS. SO WE PILOTED THAT WITH A NUMBER OF HEALTH CENTERS IN THE STATE AND 32 00:03:38.318 --> 00:03:44.157 HAD PRETTY GOOD SUCCESS WITH IT SO FAR. AND APPRECIATIVE OF THE PARTNERSHIP OF THE STATE'S ENTERED INTO AND HOSPITAL 33 00:03:44.157 --> 00:03:50.863 PARTNERS AND OTHER PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS AND OTHER HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS IN THE STATE. TRULY AN AMAZING EFFORT. WE'RE HAPPY TO 34 00:03:50.863 --> 00:03:57.670 BE ABLE TO SERVE THE ROLE WE HAVE. >> IT HAS BEEN HUGE STRIDES MADE IN THAT AREA, MORE THAN DOUBLED 35 00:03:57.670 --> 00:04:04.210 COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS THAT HAVE TELEHEALTH MEDICINE. THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR YOUR POPULATION, YOU MENTIONED 36 00:04:04.210 --> 00:04:09.082 TRANSPORTATION ISSUES, TALK A LITTLE ABOUT THAT. >> TREMENDOUSLY, THERE'S TREMENDOUS TRANSPORTATION 37 00:04:09.082 --> 00:04:18.024 ISSUES, BEING IN A RURAL AREA OR URBAN, HAVING TO DRIVE 50 MILES IN A RURAL AREA TO ACCESS PRIMARY CARE, TO ACCESS 38 00:04:18.024 --> 00:04:23.896 SERVICES, HAVING TO MAKE TWO OR THREE DIFFERENT BUS CONNECTIONS IN URBAN AREAS OF THE STATE. BEING ABLE TO, ALSO, IF YOU HAVE 39 00:04:23.896 --> 00:04:30.269 A KID, WE HAVE THREE KIDS AT HOME, IF YOU HAVE TO TAKE A CHILD IN WITH YOU, IF YOU'RE TAKING THE CHILD INTO THE 40 00:04:30.269 --> 00:04:37.577 PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT PIECE OF TIME, AND NOT ALWAYS EASY TO GET IN TO SEE YOUR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN. SO, 41 00:04:37.577 --> 00:04:43.082 TELEMEDICINE REALLY STARTS TO BRIDGE THAT GAP. IT REALLY REDUCES THE TIME, IT'S BENEFICIAL FOR THE PATIENT, IT 42 00:04:43.082 --> 00:04:50.223 HELPS THE PATIENT CONNECT TO PROVIDERS IN A WAY THEY COULDN'T OTHERWISE DO. AND ALSO, I WANT TO FOCUS ON THIS, THIS IS A BIG 43 00:04:50.223 --> 00:04:56.295 PIECE THAT, IDEA OF A PROVIDER COMING TO SEE YOU AT YOUR HOME, EVEN THOUGH VIRTUAL, THAT CONNECTION AND OPPORTUNITY TO 44 00:04:56.295 --> 00:05:04.871 TALK TO A PROVIDER IN YOUR OWN HOME, THAT'S A BIG DEAL. IT REALLY IS. I'VE SEEN NATIONAL NUMBERS, PROBABLY ABOUT 25% OF 45 00:05:04.871 --> 00:05:11.711 ALL AMERICANS NOW HAVE VISITED PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN OR A PHYSICIAN VIA TELEMEDICINE, WHICH IS A HUGE INCREASE IN 46 00:05:11.711 --> 00:05:18.184 TERMS OF ACCESS TO CARE FOR EVERYBODY. PARTICULARLY THE UNDERSERVED WHEN THERE'S TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS OR OTHER 47 00:05:18.184 --> 00:05:24.657 BARRIERS TO CARE. >> WE HEAR SOME MEDICAL CENTERS ARE STRUGGLING FINANCIALLY, HOW ARE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS 48 00:05:24.657 --> 00:05:31.531 WEATHERING THAT STORM. >> SAME FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS, A BIG DROP-OFF IN PATIENTS GOING TO SEE THE 49 00:05:31.531 --> 00:05:39.205 PHYSICIAN. A BIG DROP-OFF IN PATIENT VOLUME. WE HAVE TAKE -- HEALTH CENTERS ARE ROBUST, COMMUNITY DRIVEN, 50 00:05:39.205 --> 00:05:43.710 MISSION DRIVEN, ALWAYS THERE TO PROVIDE SERVICES, THERE HAS BEEN RELIEF FROM THE FEDERAL SIDE, WORKING WITH THE STATE TRYING TO 51 00:05:43.710 --> 00:05:48.581 FIGURE OUT IF THERE'S AN AVENUE THERE FOR THE STATE TO SUPPORT HEALTH CENTERS, BUT I WOULD ENCOURAGE PEOPLE IF YOU NEED TO 52 00:05:48.581 --> 00:05:56.656 SEE A PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN, HEALTH CENTERS ARE THE GOOD PLACE TO GO, PARTICULARLY WITH THE ABILITY TO SEE A PHYSICIAN 53 00:05:56.656 --> 00:06:00.460 VIA TELEMEDICINE. >> BEN, THANK YOU FOR BEING ON THE SHOW TODAY, APPRECIATE IT.