Spotlight On

Mission:
Seeking health care can be a tremendous act of faith-at times, born of desperation- for someone who has been turned away from the system, or never believed they had the right to health care in the first place. Through its comprehensive, culturally competent, community-based primary care, mental health care, and social services, Community Healthcare Network builds a bridge of trust, compassion and professionalism to reach these individuals. For more than two decades, Community Healthcare Network (CHN), a 501(C)3 organization, has understood and acted on its responsibility to offer patient education, medical, mental health, and social services to more than 60,000 underserved, low-income New Yorkers every year. CHN's network includes eight health centers, two mobile units and a satellite center in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens.

At CHN, health care is a right for all rather than a luxury for few: access to care has never been determined by one's income, where one lives, or the language spoken. Many are uninsured or underinsured immigrants, the working poor and the homeless, and 90 percent live at or below the federal poverty level, the majority of whom are African-American, Asian, Caribbean, or Latino. Some find acceptance in the CHN "family" that they cannot find with their own families. One schoolteacher client from Trinidad reflects on the desperation she felt when she learned about her husband's HIV+ status, and shortly thereafter, her own. She hid her fears from her students when they caught her crying; she lied that her tears were tears of joy. Through a local HIV support group, she learned about CHN's services. Faced with an imminent dismissal from the school where she taught, the frustration of limited medical resources, and the lack of family support, this teacher came to New York where she had no family, status or employment. She joined Women's Support Services at CHN, which helped her enroll in a HIV care program. Through the group's weekly activities, this client met other Caribbean women in her situation with whom she formed a bond of community, culture, vulnerability and, ultimately, newfound strength. "Coming to CHN," the client muses, "has been a homecoming of sorts for me."

In creating this sense of community, CHN is guided by the principle that everyone must be treated with dignity and respect. In the process, CHN clients come to understand that preventive care is not only diagnosis and treatment, but also health education, nutrition, case management and social service support, which are all critical components to their well-being.

Background:
CHN was established over twenty years ago as an agency of family planning clinics housed in storefronts which were founded by community groups. Today CHN provides reproductive health care, comprehensive primary care, mental health care, and social services to individuals and families. Previously known as the Community Family Planning Council, CHN has a long-standing commitment to providing culturally competent, comprehensive family planning and general health care services to its patients, regardless of ability to pay. CHN's health centers are located in 16 underserved neighborhoods throughout New York City where targeted high-risk populations reside. These populations are predominately low income and underinsured or uninsured.

CHN's health centers are New York State certified Article 28 Diagnostic and Treatment Centers. In addition, CHN has an Article 31 license in Kings County from the New York State Department of Mental Health to provide mental health services. CHN has Federal Section 330 Community Health Center designation and is affiliated with New York Presbyterian Healthcare System. CHN's health centers include the Queens Health Center in Jamaica; Bronx Health Center in the South Bronx; Lower East Side Health Center in downtown Manhattan; Community League Health Center in Washington Heights; Helen B. Atkinson Health Center in Central Harlem; CABS Health Center in Williamsburg/Bushwick; Caribbean House Health Center in Crown Heights/Bedford Stuyvesant; Dr. Betty Shabazz Health Center in East New York; as well as two mobile units and a satellite center located in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

CHN has a team of almost 300 hundred staff including medical providers, nurses, nutritionists, social workers, case managers, community outreach workers, health educators, counselors, and administrative staff. This team is committed to providing high quality health care and social services to the city's ethnically diverse populations. Reflecting the communities served, CHN staff members speak more than a dozen languages, and many live in the same communities as their patients.

Current Programs:
CHN's programs and services encompass primary and preventive care, gynecological care, reproductive health services, pre- and post-natal care, adolescent and pediatric care, dental services, and social services. CHN also offers mental health care, health education, nutritional counseling, podiatry, disease management, and teen pregnancy prevention programs. CHN's comprehensive HIV care includes counseling and testing, outreach, primary medical care, treatment adherence and education, nutrition, women's supportive services, primary care for transgender individuals, and one of the largest COBRA case management programs in New York State.

CHN has been a pioneer among community-based health agencies in underscoring the need for HIV services for women, especially women of color. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has recognized CHN as a leader in successfully integrating culturally sensitive HIV/STD counseling and testing within a family planning setting.

Special programs include:

• Teens PACT (pregnancy prevention for adolescents)
• NYC Asthma Initiative (childhood asthma education and case management)
• Disease Management (diabetes and heart health disease management)
• Healthy Schools, Healthy Families (nutrition and obesity prevention in NYC schools)
• Infant Mortality Reduction Initiative (pre and post-natal outreach and education)
• Prenatal Group Care Program (pre-natal care for women through group education)
• Early Detection Program for Breast Cancer (promote breast health awareness)
• Reach Out and Read (early childhood literacy promotion that links literacy to pediatric care)
• Family Planning (family planning education, outreach, and services)
• H. Keith Williams HIV Primary Care Program (comprehensive primary health care for HIV positive individuals)
• HIV Counseling and Testing (confidential HIV counseling and testing services)
• Women's HIV Supportive Services (supportive services for HIV positive women and their families)
• COBRA Case Management (case management services for HIV positive individuals)
• HIV Peer Initiative (HIV outreach and education)
• Transgender Program (primary care and services for transgender individuals)
• Caribbean Access Initiative (services for HIV positive individuals from the Caribbean)
• HIV Treatment Adherence (treatment support and follow-up counseling for HIV positive individuals)
• Access to Healthcare Program (outreach and health care coverage for HIV positive individuals)
• Prevention Case Management (HIV outreach and education)
• Youth Access Program (outreach and medical services targeted toward HIV positive and high-risk adolescents)

Funding Needs:
In the ongoing effort to increase access to health services and improve health outcomes, CHN is seeking general operating support, as well as funding for the following initiatives: information management to assist CHN adopt electronic medical records which will improve the quality of patient care; capital to expand our capacity to serve those patients with limited access to care; HIV outreach and counseling and testing to identify and bring into care the many HIV positive patients who do not currently receive care and may not know their status; and marketing and health education to increase the level of awareness in the community about the services available at CHN.

Support for these crucial project areas will enable CHN to continue its work eliminating health disparities and serving New York City's neediest communities.

Every month, the "Spotlight On" highlights the activities of a different 501(c)3 nonprofit organization located in the tri-state region (NY, NJ, or CT). The selection of organizations for the "Spotlight On" is based on criteria such as programmatic interests, geographic focus, and size, to ensure the broadest possible representation of the region's nonprofit sector. While the Foundation Center strives to showcase the diverse range of organizations in the area, selection for "Spotlight On" does not constitute an endorsement by the Foundation Center.

If you'd like to see your NPO in the "Spotlight," please use this submission form to send us a profile of your organization. Or e-mail a description of your organization, following the above format, to nyweb@foundationcenter.org with "Spotlight Submission" in the subject line.