Bahena, Hopkinson March Employees of Month

​Congratulations to our Healthy Connections March Employees of the Month.

  • WEST: Miriam Bahena
  • EAST: Dr. Chris Hopkinson

As Employees of the Month, they are entitled to either a $50 gift card or one day off. Throughout March, Miriam and Chris have exemplified our Healthy Connections three pillars of Excellence, Compassion, and Community.

Miriam is an LPN who works at the Healthy Connections clinic in Mena. During March, she was asked to go to Little Rock to assist with the Health For Life Clinic as it joined the Healthy Connections family. Dr. Hopkinson is the physician at the Healthy Connections Franklin Community Health Center in Little Rock. He has been heavily involved in preparing Healthy Connections and its employees for the COVID-19 outbreak.

Check out what Miriam’s co-workers had to say about her:

  • “Miriam at De Queen jumps right in and does whatever is asked of her at whichever clinic she goes to work. She has a great attitude and is a wonderful team player.”
  • “Miriam stepped in at Dr. Jefferson’s office and did amazing. She had no idea what she was getting into and she handled every situation and every patient like she’d been handling their care for years.”

And check out what Dr. Hopkinson’s co-workers had to say about her:

  • “He has stepped up as a leader and went above and beyond for Healthy Connections to prepare our clinics for the COVID-19 virus.”
  • “He has stepped up as a leader and has gone above and beyond with the preparation for the COVID 19 planning to keep us safe and informed.”
  • “Showing real patience as we make our slow start. Several patients commented they attended on the strength of her telephone manner or greeting when they stopped by to check the clinic out. “

Do you know who should be our next Healthy Connections Employees of the month? You can nominate them at www.healthy-connections.org/nominate.

We’re Open for Clinic and TeleHealth Appointments, Testing

The Healthy Connections community health network is open and seeing patients both in the clinic and via telehealth, allowing patients to stay in contact with their providers. These services include evaluation for COVID-19 symptoms.

Healthy Connections, a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center, has clinic locations in Mena, Hot Springs, Little Rock, Malvern, Arkadelphia, Mount Ida, and De Queen. These clinics see patients for primary care/family medicine, including pediatrics-focused clinics in Hot Springs and De Queen. Find a location at www.healthy-connections.org/locations.

COVID-19 testing is no longer limited to high-risk patients only. If you are sick with respiratory symptoms, we can evaluate and test you for COVID-19. You must be evaluated by a provider before any tests will be done.

While a variety of services can be provided via Healthy Connections TeleHealth (on your computer, tablet or smartphone), we can also do a preliminary evaluation for COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) symptoms. If a patient meets the criteria, they will be directed to a Healthy Connections COVID-19 location.

Call (888) 710-8220 or make a Healthy Connections TeleHealth appointment at www.healthy-connections.org/telehealth. Many insurances are now covering this testing and waiving copays.

Any person who enters a Healthy Connections clinic will be screened for COVID-19 symptoms.

Additionally, Evolve Behavioral Health and Medication Management is also seeing patients both in the clinic and via telehealth at Healthy Connections locations in Mena, Hot Springs, Malvern, and Arkadelphia. Learn more about Evolve at www.evolvebhs.com.

Healthy Connections and Evolve accept Medicaid, ARKids 1st, Medicare, and most private health insurance. There is also a sliding-fee scale for patients without health insurance who qualify. Medicaid patients may have to switch their primary care provider to Healthy Connections before you can be seen.

Learn more about Healthy Connections at www.healthy-connections.org.

 

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Virtual Walk-In Clinic April 1

This event has ended. Please check back at www.healthy-connections.org for our next Walk-in Clinic time.

Healthy Connections TeleHealth appointments can still be made at www.healthy-connections.org/telehealth.

 

 

Healthy Connections will host its first acute care primary care/family medicine virtual walk-in clinic from 3-5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, 2020.

Access the virtual walk-in clinic, anytime between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1.  Patients will have the opportunity to check-in at the waiting room and then will proceed to a Healthy Connections provider for a virtual appointment from Healthy Connections TeleHealth. This will allow those practicing social distancing to see a provider and get their medical needs taken care of. This service will not be available until 2 p.m.

The provider will also be screening for flu and COVID-19 (Coronavirus) during the telehealth sessions.

Patients who are screened to have the appropriate COVID-19 symptoms will be directed to a Healthy Connections testing site. Clinics in Little Rock, Hot Springs, Mena, Malvern, Mount Ida, and De Queen are now testing patients for COVID-19 regardless of symptoms.

Patients attending the virtual walk-in clinic will need access to the internet, an email address, and the ability to connect via a computer, tablet or smartphone.

Healthy Connections is also scheduling both in-clinic and telehealth appointments with most providers in Arkansas. These appointments can be scheduled by calling (888) 710-8220 or visiting www.healthy-connections.org/appointment.

Learn more at www.healthy-connections.org.

TeleHealth Appointments Now Available

Many Healthy Connections providers are now offering telehealth e-visit appointments during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As social distancing and stay home recommendations continue to increase, Healthy Connections TeleHealth will bridge the healthcare gap and allow patients to see their provider of choice from the comfort of their own home.

Healthy Connections, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), has medical clinics in Mena, Hot Springs, Little Rock, Malvern, Arkadelphia, De Queen, and Mount Ida. These clinics offer primary care medical and behavioral health services and accept Medicaid, ARKids 1st, Medicare, and most health insurance. They also offer a sliding-fee scale for people without insurance who qualify.

Healthy Connections clinics remain open and are seeing some patients at the clinic. And everyone who enters the clinic is screened for flu, strep, and COVID-19 symptoms. This measure has been taken for the health and safety of both our patients and staff.

TeleHealth provides an alternative method for patients to have their appointment with their provider without having to leave home. These visits are done using video conferencing website Zoom (www.zoom.us). Patients can schedule appointments by:

Once the appointment is scheduled, they will be emailed a telehealth consent agreement that can be filled out on a computer, tablet, or smartphone. The patient will receive an appointment link via their email address.

At the time of their appointment, patients will use their computer, tablet, or smartphone to click the link and join the appointment with their provider. Complete step-by-step instructions can be found at www.healthy-connections.org/telehealth.

COVID-19 Update for Healthy Connections Clinics

Artistic 3D illustration of the coronavirus

Healthy Connections clinics remain open during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, we have made some operational changes to many of our locations to help ensure the safety of our patients and staff members.

  • All persons entering a Healthy Connections clinic must be screened before they enter. This includes both patients and staff. Those who are not feeling well or who fail the screening process will be either sent to a designated treatment location or back to their car to receive treatment.
  • Healthy Connections can test for COVID-19. However, it is not appropriate to test everyone who has symptoms. If you are determined to have the flu or COVID-19 symptoms, you will be tested first for flu and then for strep. If those come back negative, you may then be given a COVID-19 test.
  • Our Healthy Connections dental clinics in Mena and Hot Springs are now open 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday for emergency procedures only. The American Dental Association has recommended this change and we are complying with their requests.
  • If you are picking up prescriptions at the Mena clinic pharmacy, you must call the pharmacy upon your arrival. They will bring your prescriptions out to you. No patients will be allowed to visit the pharmacy area of the clinic.
  • The Arkadelphia clinic will now see only OBGYN patients. We have moved Veronica Cannon, APRN, to the Malvern clinic and all primary care/family medicine patients will be seen there. This step has been taken to ensure the health and safety of our pregnant mothers.
  • No patients are currently being seen at the school-based health centers at Acorn, Mount Ida and ASU-Three Rivers in Malvern. Patients in these communities will be seen at:
    • Healthy Connections Mena: 136 Health Park Lane, Mena
    • Healthy Connections Mount Ida: 534 Luzerne St., Mount Ida
    • Healthy Connections Malvern: 900 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Malvern
  • We are finalizing our process to allow for telehealth/e-visits with your providers. All patients who participate in telehealth/e-visits will need to fill out and return a consent form. Please watch for more information soon.
  • The Hot Springs Chippewa clinic location (1723 Malvern Ave., Hot Springs) will be closed on Friday, March 27. Patients will be seen that day at the Central Avenue location (3604 Central Ave.). The Chippewa clinic will re-open on Monday, March 30.

Healthy Connections is committed to the health and well-being of our staff, patients and visitors. Please bear with us during these times of change and remember that all of these policies are subject to change when new information becomes available.

Please remember to keep checking our COVID-19 page at www.healthy-connections.org/covid-19 for the latest information and tips from our trusted healthcare professionals.