Promise CHC awarded $56,543 for ongoing high-quality service

SIOUX CENTER � Promise Community Health Center of Sioux Center has been awarded $56,543 in federal grant funding to recognize its achievements in providing high-quality, comprehensive care.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that Promise was among 1,333 community health centers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia awarded nearly $105 million as an investment in quality improvement. Iowa�s 14 health centers were awarded more than $1.1 million.

The grant awards were announced during National Health Center Week.

Dr. Kenneth Tjeerdsma and Tysa Adkins provide a
dental screening during Promise Community Health
Center's annual Back-to-School Block Party on Aug. 9.
Promise has been awarded $56,543 in federal funding
to recognize continuous quality improvement.

�The award of these grant funds is meaningful to the whole Promise team,� said Nancy Dykstra, executive director for Promise. �The funds reflect Promise�s ability to measure the quality and cost-effectiveness of health services to its patients and the community.�

The health centers receiving the grants are being recognized for high levels of performance in various categories. They will use the funds to expand quality improvement systems and improve primary care service delivery in the communities they serve.

Promise was awarded funding in the following categories:

• $21,000 in Addressing Health Disparities, signifying that Promise has met or exceeded Healthy People 2020 goals by each race/ethnic group or made considerable advances toward the goals. Five of Iowa�s 14 community health centers received the award.
• $10,500 in Enhancing Access to Care by increasing the number of patients served and the number of patients receiving comprehensive services between 2015 and 2016. Five of Iowa�s 14 health centers received the award.
• $14,543 in Clinical Quality Improvers by demonstrating notable improvement in one or more clinical quality measures between 2015 and 2016. Thirteen Iowa health centers received the award.
• $10,500 in Electronic Health Record Reporters by employing EHRs to report on all clinical quality measures data for the health centers� patients. Eleven Iowa health centers received the award.

Promise is part of a network of nearly 1,400 community health centers nationwide that serve more than 25 million people at more than 10,400 sites. During 2016, Promise cared for a record 3,886 patients who received a comprehensive array of health services that included medical, prenatal, dental, vision/eye, mental health and family planning � all under one roof. Of those patients, 40.2 percent were on Medicaid, and 36.4 percent had no insurance.

�Americans deserve a health-care system that�s affordable, accessible, of the highest quality, with ample choices, driven by world leading innovations, and responsive to the needs of the individual patient,� said U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price. �Supporting health centers across the country helps to achieve that mission.�

For a full list of quality improvement awards recipients for fiscal year 2017, click here.

Promise Community Health Center of Sioux Center is the only Federally Qualified Health Center serving the far northwest corner of Iowa. Promise provides medical, prenatal, dental, vision and behavioral health services. To learn more, visit www.promisechc.org and watch this video. To read more Promise news, visit promisechcnews.blogspot.com.