Esperanza Health Center eNews Update
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As we continue to respond to the pandemic, we've made some changes and have begun new services so that we can better serve our partients and reach out to our community. We're grateful for your continued support and your prayers, which make all of this possible. Here's a snapshot of some of what's been happening at Esperanza Health Center over the past few weeks:
● We've expanded our
telehealth capacity so our patients can have visits at home with their medical, dental or behavioral health provider. We have also set up separate areas in each of our sites where patients with respiratory symptoms similar to COVID-19 and who have other risk factors are evaluated and can receive testing for the virus.
● In late April, we opened a
new testing site on Kensington Avenue in partnership with Rock Ministries of Philadelphia, where Esperanza staff and other volunteers have been working together to serve community members, providing evaluations and testing for COVID-19 (story below).
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Our
Department of Community Health and Wellness started a series of
"Keeping in Touch" videos posted to their department's Facebook page, focused on nutrition, fitness and wellness topics, and they continue to distribute food to community members in need.
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And, our
Phoenix Café staff have faithfully served by providing lunches for all of our on-site staff members.
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Serving Our Kensington Community - EHC Opens New Testing Site with Rock Ministries!
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We're thankful for our partnership with
Rock Ministries of Philadelphia to offer walk-in COVID-19 testing for community members at a new testing site on Kensington Avenue, located in a tent adjacent to Rock Ministries' main building. The site at 2751 Kensington Avenue is now open Mondays through Fridays from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. A team of Esperanza clinicians, staff members and volunteers work on a rotating schedule, as together they provide free evaluation and testing for community members who have symptoms of COVID-19, with no appointment required. During the first week at the new site, over 60 community members were evaluated and tested for COVID-19. Esperanza's Associate Medical Director of Community Health and Wellness, Maryann Salib, DO, MPH (photo above, third from left, together with Lizzie Walker, Community Prevention and Wellness Advocate, and Deb Ortiz-Vasquez, Director of Community Health and Wellness) was interviewed for a
recent WHYY article about the site.
Clerical Assistant Josue Garcia, who serves at the new testing site, recently shared some of his reflections:
"Upon coming into the tent, one patient mentioned how great it was that Esperanza Health Center and Rock Ministries were serving the people in the area. It is encouraging to know that even in an area as stigmatized as Kensington, in a time in history when people are advised to be socially distant, in a place where people are often forgotten, there is a growing glimmer of hope. Esperanza and Rock Ministries are working together to bring love, hope and holistic care to Kensington."
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Now more than ever, as we continue to respond to the pandemic,
we need the support of partners just like you. Through a gift to our
COVID-19 Relief Fund, you will enable us to provide compassionate, high-quality care for all of our patients via telehealth and on-site visits, to serve community members through our new Kensington testing site and our health and wellness programs offered online, and in many other ways. Thanks also for your prayers that God will continue to sustain and guide our entire Esperanza staff.
Please contact us at
[email protected] if you have any questions—
thank you for being a partner with Esperanza Health Center!
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In an article,
"Our God is Always Stronger"
published by
MedSend, which equips and sends healthcare professionals to underserved areas around the world,
Charles Young, CRNP (photo, R), Family Nurse Practitioner at our Kensington site and MedSend grant recipient, reflected on God's presence and faithfulness during the pandemic. As Charles shared in a recent update:
"It has been clear that God has been at work these past weeks at Esperanza. Despite the separation that comes with dividing up the staff, I believe our teamwork has actually improved over the past week. We've had to adjust how we deliver care on a weekly basis and through that process of learning and adapting to changes, we've been communicating more and thinking critically together on how to best serve our patients' needs. Though I have really missed seeing our other half of the staff at K&A, I look forward to the day when we can all be united!"
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Our
Behavioral Health Department team continues to serve our patients through remote telehealth visits during a time of heightened stress and uncertainty. Through Esperanza's integrated behavioral health model of care, our behavioral health consultants typically provide care through brief interventions that take place when a patient is at one of Esperanza's sites for a medical visit. With the pandemic and our shift to telehealth remote visits, the team has also needed to adjust the way they provide care—
however, as
Jennifer Balsan, LCSW (photo, above L), Behavioral Health Consultant and Clinical Supervisor, shared recently, there have been many positives as a result of the transition:
"Learning how to provide behavioral health services via telehealth was challenging, but we are finding it to be very rewarding. We feel blessed to be able to support our patients during this difficult time, and we are especially grateful to be able to continue to serve our patients who are not able to come into the office. It is awesome to see God's faithfulness at work in the midst of so much stress and uncertainty!"
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Many thanks to volunteers from several area churches, including
Grace Point in Newtown, PA,
Lancaster Presbyterian Church, Langhorne Presbyterian Church,
New Life Presbyterian Church - Glenside and
Spirit & Truth Fellowship in North Philadelphia for making
hundreds of face masks for distribution to our patients, guests and staff. The spouse of one participant commented to our Volunteer Coordinator, Karen Norris that "this project is today's Victory Gardens!" referring to the
Victory Gardens that were planted by many citizens of the U.S. and other Allied nations during World War II. All of us at Esperanza are grateful for your generosity and support!
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Our Mission:
“Compelled by the love of God in Christ Jesus, in cooperation with the Church and others,
Esperanza Health Center
is a multi-cultural ministry providing holistic healthcare to the Latino and underserved communities
of Philadelphia.”
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