Community Health Services
The Problem:
600,000 people in Dallas County currently lack health insurance and, accordingly, lack access to preventative health care. Because of this, thousands of patients’ health issues go undiagnosed and untreated, thereby landing these individuals in the emergency room at a high individual and community cost.
Our Unique Response:
Community Health Services (CHS) helps families and individuals to become and remain healthier by providing primary and preventative health care and wellness education to over 2,000 uninsured people who lack the financial means to secure a quality health care plan on their own. CHS services are funded by charitable dollars alone, and CHS does not receive payment through Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance. CHS leverages significant commitments of additional resources through collaborative partnerships with Baylor Health Care System, Inc and Health Texas Provider Network.
Facts About CHS:
- CHS provides accessible, affordable preventative health care, including pharmacy benefits, to uninsured, low-income patients. Utilizing partnerships to increase efficiencies, CHS offers medical care, referrals to its on-site diabetes management program, counseling and enrollment into Project Access (a community-wide network of volunteer medical specialists created with the help of CitySquare).
- CHS provides over 1,000 annual consultations to individuals living with diabetes through its nationally recognized Community Diabetes Education (CoDE) Program in which Community Health Workers (CHWs) are trained to educate CoDE patients about how to effectively manage their disease through diet, exercise, and regular glucose testing.
- CHS serves as the “medical home” to over 2,000 patients until such time as a patient secures employment which provides health insurance, thereby rendering CHS services unnecessary.
- CHS has a satellite location, Christ's Family Clinic, located at Preston Road Church of Christ in the Park Cities that is aimed at providing services to domestic workers in the Park Cities.
Our Biggest Challenge:
Our current provision of services is hindered by inadequate patient access – the need is so great, but we need more space and providers to join our team to sufficiently accommodate it.
Our Effectiveness:
Our goal is for patients to show an improvement in their overall health within 12 months of becoming a CHS patient. In a recent survey of our patients, over 90% reported seeing an overall health improvement within the first year of becoming CHS patients. To hear from an individual whose life was changed by receiving medical services through CHS, click here
To donate to CitySquare’s CHS programming, click here
