As central Kentucky's population of low wage, and often underinsured, workers has continued to grow, EKU's Bluegrass Community Health Center, catering specifically to that population, has expanded its services as well.
In its first year of operation (2001), the Center served 908 patients, according to Center Executive Director, Dr. Susan Fister. This year, she estimates they will serve 6,500.
"You need everyone in your community to have access to health care," Fister says. "Our ultimate goal is for there not to be a health care need in the community that is not addressed somewhere."
The Center has more than 30 community partners, including the Lexington-Fayette Health Department, Urban County Government, Lexington Clinic, University of Kentucky, Central Baptist Hospital, county extension agencies and family resource centers.
The Center, originally established as a migrant farm worker health center, is now a licensed comprehensive health care facility, providing preventive and primary health care for residents in Fayette and it's seven neighboring counties. The Center operates out of facilities at 1306 Versailles Road and 151 N. Eagle Creek Drive.
Services are available on an ability-to-pay, but the Center is not a free clinic. Payment is based on family income, with calculations based on federal poverty guidelines. The Center also accepts Medicaid and plans to take private pay insurance in the near future.
"I think it is remarkable the penetration we've made in providing health care into this segment of the population," said Dr. David Gale, Dean of the College of Health Sciences at EKU. "The more preventive care we can provide, the less they will utilize the emergency room. We save money for the taxpayer by providing these services."
Services include well-child and adult exams, chronic illness management, immunizations, women's health and family planning as well as counseling and case management. Kentuckians of various ethnic backgrounds can take advantage of the Center's "language line services" (interpretation via telephone) and most staff members are fluent in English and Spanish.
Current patient ages range from infants to an 85-year-old. Hypertension and diabetes are among the more frequent illnesses treated, Fister said. Obesity, particularly among children, has increased.
The Center was originally created to serve crop or migrant workers, according to Fister. In 2006, the Center became licensed as a primary health care center, and a year later received federal Community Health Center and Health Care for the Homeless Center funding, Fister said. In February of this year, the name was changed to reflect its focus on serving a number of special populations.
EKU's development of the clinic was due in part to its focus on meeting community needs, Gale said. While there are a number of medical practitioners on the Center's staff, including some from other universities, most of the care and support can be provided by nurse practitioners, he said. Nursing is the largest discipline on the EKU campus, Gale said.
"This is a tremendous opportunity to have a culturally rich exchange," Gale said. "We feel it is an important part of our teaching mission."
Each year, about 75 students from EKU, University of Kentucky, Transylvania and other schools participate in programs at the Center, according to Fister.
In addition to patient fees, the Center is funded by federal grants. Federal grants are renewed every five years and are competitive, Fister said. UK had the program prior to EKU, she said. EKU's model of care is different than UK's was, Fister said, with a heavy emphasis on teaching and training. The Center's overall funding was $300,000 in 2001. In 2007, it was $1.5 million.
The Center was founded upon what Fister calls "passion and a Post-it note." Fister said she has always "had a heart" for the underserved, both due to her profession and after traveling to other countries. While working in Lexington at a hospital, she encountered a 16-year-old non-English speaker with a brain tumor. A volunteer interpreter was brought in for 15 minutes to help his surgeon explain to him what was wrong and what would happen during surgery.
"As a mom, it broke my heart that we were not able to help this young man more," she remembers. "I went to my dean and put a Post-It Note on his desk that said 'I need money.' I wanted the money to participate in an immersion trip to Mexico in hopes of improving my Spanish. From there, we created this opportunity."
Fister says the Center is focused on trying to improve the overall health of their patients as well as improve the health of the community. "People who come here, as well as those who work here, experience a warmth and a sense of family and community. That's what we're all about."