SAC Health Wins National Award for Innovative Care in Vaccine Delivery
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., Sept. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- SAC Health was awarded the Innovation Award in Community Health: Addressing Infectious Disease in Underserved Communities. SAC Health was among 19 community health centers and free and charitable clinics in the U.S., which received the award from The Pfizer Foundation and Direct Relief. This award recognizes programs which are improving access to education and treatment for vaccine-preventable infectious diseases among medically underserved communities across the United States.
Award from Direct Relief and The Pfizer Foundation includes $250,000 to improve access to infectious disease care in the United States
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., Sept. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- SAC Health was awarded the Innovation Award in Community Health: Addressing Infectious Disease in Underserved Communities. SAC Health was among 19 community health centers and free and charitable clinics in the U.S., which received the award from The Pfizer Foundation and Direct Relief. This award recognizes programs which are improving access to education and treatment for vaccine-preventable infectious diseases among medically underserved communities across the United States.
SAC Health received $250,000 to support a two-year program aimed at providing quality care to at-risk populations and will implement the SAVE-IE program. The Strategic Approach to Vaccination Excellence (SAVE) in the Inland Empire (IE) proposes to utilize a population health, data-driven approach to identify and engage parents or guardians and their children to obtain child and adolescent immunizations on schedule by age. Included in the SAVE-IE approach is placing a Nurse Practitioner (NP) with expertise in health informatics into the SAC Health pediatrics clinic, who will analyze the data to determine parents and children in need of immunizations. The NP will provide both direct patient care as well as develop a strategy to increase immunization rates on schedule by age among children and adolescent.
"This grant funding will allow us to see kids and help catch up on immunizations that were missed during the pandemic," says James Crounse, MD, MPH, assistant chief medical officer for quality care at SAC Health. "Our approach is strategic in that it is rooted in data, which will allow us to identify and efficiently reach out to patients who have yet to receive their immunizations."
Recipients of the award span 11 U.S. states and are a mix of urban and rural initiatives that will work to create greater health equity among the country's most vulnerable communities. "These awardees already provide essential health services for their communities, and these funds, generously provided by The Pfizer Foundation, will enable even more innovative work to take place," said Thomas Tighe, CEO and president of Direct Relief. "The dedication and commitment of these health providers, who work tirelessly, often with minimal recognition, is inspiring to all of us."
Information about the Innovations in Care Award winners, including project information and photos can be found at: www.directrelief.org/partnership/pfizer/#innovation.
About SAC Health
SAC Health is the largest specialty-based and teaching health center (THC) Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in the nation. SAC Health provides comprehensive services to underserved areas and populations including Medi-Cal and Medicare patients. SAC Health is recognized as a Level-3 Patient-Centered Medical Home by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and has over 100 community partnerships that enable the health to provide whole-person care to all its patients. SAC Health provides care in ten locations in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, including services in family medicine; pediatrics and pediatric specialties; obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine and medical specialties; family dentistry; behavioral health; surgical specialties and more. More information on how to become a patient at SAC Health is available online at sachealth.org.
About Direct Relief
A humanitarian organization committed to improving the health and lives of people affected by poverty and emergencies, Direct Relief delivers lifesaving medical resources throughout the U.S. and world to communities in need—without regard to politics, religion, or ability to pay. For more information, visit https://www.DirectRelief.org
Media Contact
Jemellee Ambrose, SAC Health, 1 9092144642, [email protected], www.sachealth.org
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SOURCE SAC Health
