Through the Microscope is a recurring Helix column that poses questions to members of the RFU community. We asked Jeff Espina to tell us about the university’s Community Care Connection program.
Access to general medical care and healthcare hesitancy are some of the driving barriers facing uninsured, underinsured and underrepresented patient populations in Lake County and across the country. The Rosalind Franklin University Health Clinics’ Community Care Connection (CCC) is a grant-funded, highly collaborative, free mobile healthcare program created to address these barriers.
CCC deploys a custom, 40-foot, mobile clinic (Care Coach) equipped with two private exam rooms to dedicated locations across Lake County. By offering a mobile clinic option and creating healthcare access for the community, the CCC Care Coach engages and connects with a patient population that would otherwise wait to seek care until a serious health event occurred, which would then result in an emergency-room encounter. By establishing and nurturing the values of trust and continuity of care within the community, CCC team members earn credibility and create increased awareness of no-cost health screenings, vaccinations and valuable health education.
In fiscal year 2024, the CCC program’s eight-person staff performed more than 1,400 health screenings, administered 1,200 flu vaccines and conducted more than 3,000 follow-up/concierge calls to assist patients with follow-up care — a notable increase from the previous fiscal year. The program now offers point-of-care testing (POCT) for COVID, strep, flu, ear care/irrigation, urinalysis and pregnancy. Most recently, CCC was allowed to participate in the federally funded, state-administered Vaccine for Children (VFC) and the 317 program. VFC provides free vaccines to eligible children ages 18 and younger, and vaccines are provided at no cost to the provider or the patient. The 317 is a fully funded program for adults that provides vaccines at no cost to participating providers to ensure vaccination of eligible adult patients who might not otherwise get them due to their inability to pay.
Long term, my goal for CCC is to grow the core team and continue to expand access to mobile care and health education. The impact to the community we serve is immeasurable. The CCC population continues to struggle with securing follow-up or next-level-of-care appointments with local providers, hospitals and specialized physician practices. To help narrow the gap in services, my vision for the program is to provide continuity of care that cannot be delivered on the Care Coach. Their initial encounter may be with the Care Coach, but they would subsequently benefit from elevated and comprehensive medical and specialized care when follow-up is necessary or required in a more traditional outpatient clinic setting.
Under the leadership of CCC Executive Director Guadalupe “Lupe” Rodriguez, we’ve only touched the surface of the potential of the Community Care Connection program. We aim to continue making a greater impact in the community and to be pioneers in narrowing the health equity gap through increased resources and expanded services at multiple locations.
Jeff Espina, MBA, is RFU’s vice president of clinical services and privacy officer. He provides executive oversight for the health clinic services in podiatric medicine, reproductive medicine and immunology, behavioral health, physical therapy, the Community Care Connection (CCC) and the Interprofessional Community Clinic (ICC), as well as laboratory services at the Clinical Immunology Laboratory.
Perspectives expressed in “Through the Microscope” columns are solely those of the authors and are not intended to represent those of Rosalind Franklin University.