Parkland pairs up with Jubilee Park to add much-needed health care services in southern Dallas

Jubilee Park and Community Center has long been a staple of the southeast Dallas community between Fair Park and Interstate 30.

Within its walls, residents will find resources in terms of education, housing and work opportunities to break the multi-generational cycle of poverty.

And soon they too will receive basic medical, dental and psychiatric care at the site.

The community center is working with Parkland Hospital to build a clinic on their campus in southeast Dallas to provide holistic health care to the community

Construction on the site began in late May, and Jubilee Park estimates the clinic will open in June 2022.

The two-story building on Bank Street will serve community members of all ages. General medical and dental care is provided by Parkland Hospital, while psychiatric care is provided by the Jewish Family Service. Jubilee Park will also sponsor preventative health and wellness programs. Approximately 40% of the clinic’s staff will be members of the community it serves.

The Jubilee Clinic’s health and wellness programs and psychiatric services are free. For general medical and dental services, Parkland has financial advisors who can determine if families are eligible for government programs or grants. The Parkland Financial Assistance program is also available to assist people on a tiered basis according to financial need.

“We don’t want them to feel like I have no resources, so I don’t want to go to the clinic,” said James Perez, vice president of clinic operations. “We’ll do our part to study them, see what opportunities there are, and work with them to make sure they’re getting the health care they need.”

Since the late 1980s, Parkland has focused on meeting health needs in medically underserved areas by providing health care to the community and improving accessibility through its Population Health Initiative. These include community-based primary care clinics, youth and family centers, and the HOMES program.

In the south of Dallas, this need was met with four clinics and four youth and family centers. In addition to the Jubilee Clinic, Parkland plans to open the Red Bird Clinic in September 2021 and a rapid clinic in Bonton in late 2022 or early 2023.

Christina Mintner, senior vice president of Population Health, said Parkland relies heavily on the Community Health Needs Assessment, a study conducted every three years, to help decide where clinics should be located.

“If you look at our community health needs assessment, you can see that there were huge gaps in south Dallas and that we had to be and care for and work with the community to really be a part of the community. “Said Müntner.

In this area of ​​Dallas, the differences in health care are evident. The Jubilee destination area has a significantly lower life expectancy than other parts of the city and a higher disease and death rate.

Parkland usually works with local organizations like Jubilee Park to make clinics a reality.

“It’s not good for parkland or the community if we just come in and decide what services or where to set up a clinic,” Mintner said. “We really need to integrate and be part of the community and listen to feedback from the community about which services they need.”

The main purpose of the Jubilee Clinic is to remove obstacles for those who seek medical care.

“Our ultimate goal is to provide access,” said Perez. “Just having a clinical team there will hopefully ensure that people who live in this area feel comfortable coming to our location and building a so-called patient medical home.”

In a survey conducted by the University of Texas at Arlington, 55% of respondents in the Fleetwood area did not go to clinics or hospital because of lack of transportation, and 45% did not go because of lack of insurance.

Alejandra Saldana, Health and Wellness Manager at Jubilee Park, experienced this firsthand. Saldana recalls going to clinics and being told that the next available appointment was months away for her.

In the early mornings, she would often wait in lines outside the clinics, hoping there would be room for her. Saldana assumed that going to the doctor was a day-long effort for everyone.

“Growing up in the neighborhood, I knew everyone was doing the same thing, and I didn’t realize it wasn’t normal until I started working after college,” Saldana said. “It’s always been one of those things that we want people to understand that there is an easier way.”

Saldana leads the preventive health programs at the Jubilee Clinic, which will offer cooking classes, nutritional advice, and exercise classes.

When it comes to mental health in southeast Dallas, there are even fewer resources. Jubilee Park currently provides mental health resources with the Jewish Family Service through two consultants, Nancy Hall and Gustavo Barcenas.

“Even if you google mental health services in this area, you will see almost none on this side of Dallas,” said Barcenas. “It’s one of our goals to reduce mental health inequalities.”

The new clinic will have a playroom for play therapy, confidential waiting rooms and consultation rooms of various sizes. The new space can also give more advisors the opportunity to meet the high demand and waiting list for advice.

“I find it exciting to expand our services,” said Barcenas. “We’re in high demand and unfortunately our customers sometimes have to wait six months or more than six months to see one of us. It’s just the two of us. “

With the clinic, Jubilee hopes to meet many needs, but its main goal is to increase life expectancy, reduce the rate of diabetes and obesity in children, and decrease the number of emergency rooms.

Marissa Castro Mikoy, President and CEO of Jubilee Park, said the financial burden and time consuming nature of medical visits is leading to poorer overall health for people in the area. .

“In my view, everyone deserves access to medical care – good quality health care,” said Castro Mikoy. “There are many challenges that people in underserved communities face when trying to access them.”

This is the void the Jubilee Clinic hopes to fill.

“The work that Alejandra is leading in partnership with JFS is to support the preventive aspects so that the neighbors who come with an illness or ailment are seen at the forefront,” said Castro Mikoy. “Not when it’s too late and you have to go to an emergency room.”

Over the years, Jubilee Park has branded itself as a place the community can rely on. That trust has led organizations like Parkland Hospital to work with them.

“We know our community,” said Saldana. “We have this relationship with our parishioners. They feel good when they ask us, they feel good when they approach us. Even like our previous grocery customers, people are comfortable coming to us because they know we want the best for them. “

Jubilee Park is in the middle of a fundraiser for this clinic and its services. Currently, they have reached 80% of their goal of $ 7.25 million.

source https://dailyhealthynews.ca/parkland-pairs-up-with-jubilee-park-to-add-much-needed-health-care-services-in-southern-dallas/