Despite TCPA’s best efforts to strategically place clinics in communities across Houston in order to provide accessible, adequate healthcare to everyone regardless of color, Black children are still underserved, Caldwell said.
“Words cannot explain how thankful and joyful I am that children who might not have access to health care at all will have access to quality health care to sustain them.
This center has become a reality by the Grace of God and is head up by two extraordinary and competent physicians who love children and want the very best for the children,” said Caldwell about the 2 acre, $180 million community center that the Texas Children’s facility will anchor.
More importantly, the center is another opportunity to build credibility and trust in the African-American community – a much needed overture given the history of distrust between Black people and the medical community.
“As a native Houstonian, I have witnessed a canyon of mistrust with the medical center and the African-American community,” Caldwell said. “Obviously, our community has suffered because of that. This Texas Children’s center is a very positive initial step in bridging that canyon; closing that gap, in order to be the community it can be.”
Pat Coleman, director and regional operations of TCPA, works daily to bridge gaps between the hospital and the communities it serves. She noted that her agency staffs social workers at each of Project Medical Home’s four sites not to mention participating in community health fairs and functions to make people aware that TCPA offers high quality pediatric health care at little or no cost.
“The high cost of health care and the corresponding challenges of low income families are reasons TCPA was moved to create Project Medical Home,” Coleman said. She added that there are locations in Southeast and Southwest Houston, 3rd Ward and near downtown. “Challenges include children going without medical care; the high utilization of the emergency room as a single source of health care; delayed health care; and missed school because of untreated illness.
“The impact it has made on the health of children in Houston’s underserved communities is … social services support to underserved children in high-risk communities at little or no cost; decreased utilization of the emergency room for primary care services, increased preventive care exams and immunizations, and fewer missed school days due to untreated illness,” Coleman added.
Across the country, African Americans of all ages reveal a disparity in health care services and coverage compared to their non-Black counterparts. Houston is no different. Those that are uninsured or have reduced access to care – regardless of race- have higher rates of many conditions, Hergenroeder said.
So, it comes as little surprise that during the 2008 election cycle, America’s health care crisis was at the forefront of citizens’ concerns and politicians’ promises for change.
Dr. Margaret Goetz, Medical Director for TCH Mobile Clinic Outreach Program, recalled an incident in which a 9-year-old boy visited the SuperKids Mobile Clinic in the Gulfton area for a routine exam when doctors discovered a severe problem that had become intensified by neglect.
“The team noticed that he had perforated eardrums with discharge from both ears – and he had had this condition for a year without ever going to a doctor for the problem,” Goetz said. “His hearing test at school showed that he had severe hearing loss. SuperKids referred him to Texas Children’s otolaryngology clinic, where he subsequently had surgery and has been fitted with hearing aids.”
Stories such as these occur too often and are usually indicative of a community’s overall health status and access to medical services. The purpose of the medical clinics is to be a regular medical provider for uninsured children from 0 to 18 years old. The mobile clinics provide well-child exams, illness evaluations and immunizations and link these children to permanent medical homes by helping their families apply for public health insurance such as Medicaid, CHIP, and the Harris County Hospital District Goldcard.
“It is important to note the large number and variety of developmental problems, learning disabilities, and behavioral concerns that we see on a daily basis,” said Goetz, who added that TCPA, which has oversight of the mobile clinics originated to provide access to underserved communities. She added that the mobile clinics were used as “bait” to lure and educate families about routine medical care. “The mobile clinics address the health of the whole child and work with the school and other groups to help the child and his family find the resources beyond what we can provide on the bus. In general, mobile clinics serve a very useful function to reach communities that have inadequate medical services and poor transportation to existing services.”
