The new Fairview Community Health and Wellness Hub opens Thursday at the former St. Joseph’s Hospital. This is because health care providers are working to address inequities in access to care.
A recent Fairview survey of St. Paul residents reported that nearly a third reported using first aid or emergency departments for their daily needs. The 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment report surveyed nearly 300 residents and found that more than half face barriers to getting care when sick. The most common barrier was a lack of knowledge or understanding of how and where to receive appropriate care, followed by cost concerns and logistics. We also identified racial and gender disparities.
“Across Minnesota and across the country, we see disparities across welfare, access to care, experiences, and outcomes,” said Diane Tran, director of M Health Fairview’s new Center for Community Health Equity. increase. Located in the Health and Wellness Hub.
“When you think about the ability to change some of these metrics, you realize there’s a lot of work to be done,” says Tran. “Given that 90% of what impacts health and wellbeing happens outside of clinical settings, there are so many opportunities. These things related to food, housing and the ability to feel safe in the community. — The social determinants of health are what we really need to look at when considering the larger picture of what creates and hinders health.”
The Center for Community Health Equity will serve as a space for providers to work with community members and organizations to develop new programs and expand existing programs statewide. The work could include implementing additional food distribution programs, expanding community vaccination clinics, or adding “cultural brokers,” Tran said.
(KSTP-TV)
M Health Fairview has six cultural brokers, a bilingual, multicultural staff who connect Indigenous, Hispanic, Latino, Hmong, African American and Karen communities to health services and other resources. I am a member. Served over 165 clients throughout her 3,444 visits in 2021.
“If its advocates are there to help people with a few simple things that will ultimately prevent them from losing their homes or losing access to the resources they need and food for the month, these are There’s something a little more upstream that can prevent these bigger challenges…that destabilize families even more,” Tran said. “It’s about, ‘How do we work with the community to identify the priorities that matter to them?’ How can we work together to develop effective and relevant solutions?” Test them together and tweak them as needed. ”
This collaboration center is located on the second floor of the Community Health and Wellness Hub in Fairview. The hub also has health clinics, mental health and addiction services, and programs for adults.
“Sometimes we don’t realize how important it is. , learning from each other and being able to support each other,” said founder Tony Sane. and CEO of the Sane Foundation.
His nonprofit has partnered with Fairview Health Services to run meal distribution and pop-up food shelves at the Hub.
“I think there was always a big need,” says Sanneh. “Inflation is very high and costs a lot. With resources in place for the community, making sure people feel safe to seek help is not just a matter of nutrition services for families, but mental health. It’s also very important for M Health to address both issues at the hub.”
Volunteers pack meals from the former St. Joseph’s ambulance and deliver them to the community each week.
“We try to create dishes that are really culturally specific,” said Sane, who explained that she works with chefs to create the meals. Every box looks a little different depending on where you go, because you pack the ingredients that the stats want to get.”
He hopes that the collaborations taking place at the hub will model other models in the future.
“We’ve found that when you give people resources and opportunities, they thrive and thrive,” says Sanneh.
