Appropriate emergency department use is important to Promise Community Health Center and to other federally qualified health centers across the nation. Because of rising health care costs and over crowded emergency rooms, one of Promise’s priorities is to provide patient education addressing why and when you should visit an Emergency Room.
Some patients that we see at Promise and other Federally Qualified Health Centers provide care for, face multiple barriers in their health care journey. One of those barriers is the education of when going the emergency room is necessary and when a medical clinic appointment is the best option. Examples of a few other barriers, our patients may be facing, include not having reliable or any transportation, hours of access, cultural differences, lack of resources and more. Promise Community Health Center is constantly strategizing, brainstorming and partnering with community businesses to help minimize some of these barriers.
We are excited to partner with American State Bank to work through the barrier of education on emergency room usage by providing thermometers to some of our Promise patients. Along with the thermometers, Promise staff will be educating patients during their medical, OB, dental and mental health visits on not only how to use the thermometers but what health symptoms require an emergency room visit or what symptoms are more suited to a medical clinic visit. Helping patients understand the purpose of ER’s and the cost associated with visiting an ER during their health care appointments is an organization-wide goal.
A big THANK YOU to American State Bank for helping Promise educate their patients AND break down another barrier to care!
