Here at Healthy Connections, we want to assure our family of patients that we are taking the current coronavirus threat seriously. Everybody has questions, many of us feel anxious about our health or that of loved ones, and all of us are living with uncertainty.
For the foreseeable future, we will be sharing brief posts here every few days with information to help keep you and your family safe.
Our website (www.healthy-connections.org/covid-19) will link to helpful resources and has information on symptoms to look out for and practices to reduce your risk of infection. These will be updated as the situation develops.
Top tips for safety today? Hand washing 101!
- Wash like a pro
- 20-30 seconds of lathering with plenty of soap and hot water, being sure to include finger web-spaces, the backs of your hands, under your nails, the pads of your fingers, the first part of your wrists
- Keep your nails trimmed to make cleaning easier
- Make it fun for kids – use foaming soap; sing a song; have a “most suds” or “fastest scrubbing” competition
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- Wash regularly
- After touching your face; blowing your nose; using your cellphone, computer or tablet; using the restroom; eating meals; arriving home/at work; driving your car; physical contact with another person
- Before eating or preparing food; leaving work/home
In an effort to keep our patients and staff healthy, we are screening all patients before you enter a Healthy Connections clinic. A staff member will meet you at the door to take your temperature and ask you some screening questions related to COVID-ID infection. If a COVID-19 risk is identified, you will be directed to a designated area for further evaluation. Otherwise, you will proceed to check in with your visit as usual. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause. We will continue to post updates at www.healthy-connections.org/covid-19. #Coronavirus #Covid19
The Health For Life Clinic and Healthy Connections are joining forces on Monday, Feb. 24 in Little Rock.
The Health For Life Clinic and Dr. Terry Jefferson will bring their entire array of services to Healthy Connections while continuing to practice at 1100 N. University Avenue #260. This includes Medication Assisted Therapy (MAT), HIV/STD testing and care, PrEP, and more. This clinic site will join the list of Healthy Connections locations across west and central Arkansas.
“For the last 20 years, I’ve always been a solo practitioner. I’m excited to be a part of Healthy Connections. I’ve been very impressed with their organization. But for us, it’s going to be business as usual at the clinic,” Dr. Jefferson said.
Appointments for the Health For Life Clinic by Healthy Connections can be made by calling (888) 710-8220 or (501) 603-0003. Patients can also request appointments online at www.healthy-connections.org/appointment.
“Dr. Jefferson brings a wealth of knowledge to Healthy Connections and we’re excited to have him as part of our team,” said Healthy Connections CEO Tony Calandro. “As we continue to expand our services, the Health For Life Clinic fits perfectly within our mission.”
Healthy Connections is a Mena-based nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center with locations from De Queen to Little Rock. The Health For Life Clinic By Healthy Connections will be the second Little Rock-based clinic for Healthy Connections, joining the Little Rock Franklin clinic.
Healthy Connections, a Mena-based nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) serves the needs of children and adults by providing much-needed health, dental and social services to families of every lifestyle. Thousands of patients are treated each year who have no insurance or not enough insurance to cover essential health and dental services.
Healthy Connections accepts Medicaid, ARKids 1st, Medicare and most other health insurance. There is also a sliding-fee scale for patients without insurance. Those who qualify based on the total income of everyone living in the household can be seen for a much-reduced rate.
The Health For Life Clinic by Healthy Connections will also include current services added to the location, starting with Behavioral Health in the coming months. Dr. Jefferson also brings new services to Healthy Connections for the first time, including MAT Therapy and PReP Therapy
Dr. Jefferson has more than 20 years of experience providing high-quality care for a variety of diseases and conditions. He was at the forefront of the HIV/AIDS epidemic from its early days. And as the opiate epidemic has continued to get worse, he began a Medically Assisted Treatment program with a program that utilizes both Suboxone and behavioral health counseling.
“We accept insurance for Medical Assisted Therapy, and many of the other clinics in this area are cash only,” Jefferson said. “
Other specialties include Erectile Dysfunction and Testosterone/estrogen Replacement.
Learn more at www.healthy-connections.org.
Healthy Connections welcomes Chris Hopkinson, MD, to the Little Rock Franklin Community Health Center.
Hopkinson will see patients at Healthy Connections’ newest clinic beginning on Monday, February 3. Clinic hours will be 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The clinic is located at 1701 South Harrison St. in Little Rock, at the site of the former Franklin Incisive Elementary School.
Ultimately, the Healthy Connections Franklin clinic will be a part of the Franklin Community Health Complex, which is being developed at the site by Community Health Centers of Arkansas, which purchased the property in 2018.
To make appointments with Dr. Hopkinson, please call (888) 710-8220 or visit www.healthy-connections.org.
Hopkinson is a native of Sheffield, England, and did his medical training in both Sheffield, UK, and Newcastle, UK. He grew up wanting to be a doctor, as early as age 7, because it seemed like it would provide a good life for him. What he found was a passion for caring for his patients.
“The main thing is just the ability to help people. It’s an incredible privilege to be hearing people’s stories and to be invited into their difficulties and given the opportunities to help in some way,” he said.
Medical care in the UK is provided through the National Health Service. Hopkinson said he believes the model of care offered by Federally Qualified Health Centers, like Healthy Connections, is the “closest you can find to the type of care we have back home.”
He married his wife, Jennifer, a Little Rock native in 2006. And when the couple decided to move their family to the United States, they chose Little Rock. Hopkinson was able to get his medical license first in Oklahoma and then in Arkansas. He’s also done work with Community Health Centers of Arkansas and was a part of the speaker series last year at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
And now he’s excited to get started at the site of the historic Franklin school.
“The fact that this is something a bit different, and a bit new, is really exciting. I think that the vision of a health complex that blends education, primary care, behavioral health, and other health related services has the potential to be really impactful in this community,” he said.
Healthy Connections, which is based in Mena but has clinics in Hot Springs, Malvern, Arkadelphia, Mount Ida, and De Queen, strives to fill the healthcare access gaps in Arkansas. Since it’s founding in 1998 as a home-visiting program, Healthy Connections has provided much-needed health, dental and social services to families from nearly every lifestyle.
Each year, Healthy Connections providers treat thousands of patients who either have no insurance or not enough insurance to cover essential health services. In that regard, Healthy Connections has become a place people can go to receive quality care regardless of their ability to pay.
At the Franklin Community Health Center, Hopkinson will see patients of all ages. The clinic accepts Medicaid, ARKids 1st, Medicare and most private health insurance. There is also a sliding fee scale for patients without health insurance. The fee is determined by the total household income of the patient and can help patients to see significant discounts.
Away from the clinic, Hopkinson likes to do anything he can outdoors.
“Hiking, climbing, canoeing, biking – all things you can do in Arkansas. And being able to do these things with my family. They love to get out there even though their just little guys right now,” he said.
Learn more about the Franklin Community Health Center at www.healthy-connections.org/franklin.
Innovative model at former school to address “whole person” needs
LITTLE ROCK – Community Health Centers of Arkansas (CHCA) announced Wednesday that a $650,000 federal grant will be used as seed money to develop an innovative Community Health Center focusing on healthcare, education and a multitude of other needs in the central Little Rock area.
“Finding ways to bridge the gaps with inequalities in the health sphere are constantly on our minds at Community Health Centers of Arkansas,” said LaShannon Spencer, Chief Executive Officer of CHCA. “It’s why we’re developing the Franklin Community Health Complex, a first-of-its-kind endeavor in Little Rock. It is singularly designed to erase disparities that persists, ZIP code by ZIP code.”
The project will invigorate a vacant educational facility, the former Franklin Elementary School in the Oak Forest neighborhood of Little Rock, just south of War Memorial Stadium. The Little Rock School District in 2017 closed the school due to declining enrollment. CHCA bought the facility later that year, and plans for the multi-faceted and detailed project have been ongoing since then.
The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) earlier Wednesday issued a news release about the New Access Points grants for new Community Health Centers across the country. The list included the grant for Franklin, which was awarded to CHCA and Healthy Connections Inc. of Mena, one of the 11 member Community Health Centers in the CHCA. Healthy Connections will administer the healthcare clinic at Franklin.
“The Franklin Project is really the culmination of everything we’ve done everywhere else in Arkansas,” said Healthy Connections CEO Tony Calandro. “When you look at the patient population that surrounds Franklin, you’re looking at patients who have not been able to access quality, affordable healthcare. We’re excited to be involved and to be part of the solution to fill these health services gaps.”
Healthy Connections plans to offer family medical/primary care and behavior and mental health therapy services at Franklin.
Franklin, located at 1701 S Harrison St., was built in 1949 and named in honor of Benjamin Franklin. It encompasses about 70,000 square feet spread over four wings.
Other plans for the facility tackling overall wellness issues include, but aren’t limited to, after school programs, early educational programs, community meeting space, a community computer lab, recreation areas, a neighborhood cafe, a community garden, and job training classes.
Spencer said improving “whole person” well-being is a must to raise the healthcare standing of Arkansans because, other factors of life — called the Social Determinants of Health — are root causes of good or poor health.
Private fund-raising and other funds must supplement the HRSA grants, which are largely limited to healthcare initiatives. If you are interested in becoming involved in the success of the Franklin project, please contact Spencer (info above).
There are 12 Community Health Centers in Arkansas with some 130 branches in nearly every corner of the state.
This is the third item of significant news for Community Health Centers in recent weeks. In July, CHCA announced that centers have embarked on an innovative MAT program (Medication Assisted Treatment) for opioid abuse. Last week, CHCA and UAMS announced a partnership whereby UAMS would provide medical students to shadow physicians at Community Health Centers.
Community Health Centers provide services regardless of ability to pay. Those without insurance are charged on a sliding scale based on their income. Community Health Centers are funded through patient revenue and federal grants. These much-needed grants are scheduled to expire September 30, pending action in Congress.
CONTACT:
LaShannon Spencer, Chief Executive Officer, CHCA
501.517.0842, lspencer@chc ar.org
Seth Blomeley, Communications and Policy Director, CHCA
501.492.8388, sblomeley@chc-ar.org
Jeffrey Slatton, Business Development Specialist, Healthy Connections Inc.
501-517-0365 jslatton@healthy-connections.org
