As colder weather rolls in, the flu bug and “flu season” marches in, raising the need for more health services. And Third Street Family Health Services is among those health facilities that is seeing an uptick in traffic and expansion.
CEO Jared Pollick explained, “We’re a much bigger organization with a lot more providers and a lot more ability to serve the community than years ago.”
And more growth is anticipated with changes under the Affordable Care Act. Pollick stated that the Affordable Care Act has put a lot of money at play for the facility to expand and absorb more of the uninsured populations.
Two outreach coordinators have been hired to go out in the community and help people understand the Affordable Care Act, noted COO Nicole Williams.
Patients have commended the facility for its services. “We have received letters from patients thanking us for the ability to be seen in primary care when they don’t have a lot of funds,” noted Pollick.
This non-profit Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) offers care to any patient who requires assistance—not only those who are covered by primary insurances, but also all Medicaid patients. Additionally, if a patient is at or below 200 percent of the poverty line, a discounted rate is applied to the fee. If a patient is at 100 percent of the poverty line, only a nominal fee is charged.
Third Street Family Health Services receives federal grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) through Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act.
The facility is not limited to medical services; it also provides behavioral health, OB/GYN, and dental services.
The central office located at 600 W Third St. is comprised of 21 exam rooms, 13 dental laboratories, and three behavioral health suites. Other offices include Mansfield Family Health, Third Street OB/GYN, and Hawkins Medical Center.
The facility also looks to add pediatric services and vaccinations in the near future and is in the process of obtaining National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) accreditation for the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model.
Approximately 14,000 unique individuals have visited the facility, and there have been about 60,000 visits that occurred the previous year.
Pollick noted that he has seen a waiting list as high as 4,000 people. Now, however, there is no waiting list.
In order to be seen by the facility, it’s as simple calling to schedule an appointment and then registering. Walk-ins are permitted through medical care, and dental allows for emergency visits. Pollick explained that all of the providers have openings for acute visits, too.
Commenting on the quality of care provided, Pollick noted, “The Board of Directors has to be a majority of patients, which is one of those virtuous things to say because they’ll have invested interest in their quality because they come here.”
Williams added that the dental software is the state-of-the-art, the x-rays are digital, and the medical records have been electronic since 2007.
To find out more about Third Street Family Health Services, go to http://tsfhs.org/. To schedule an appointment, call 419-522-6191.
