Results and Program outcomes

With the initial launch of the outreach program more than 80 federal, state, community- and faith-based organizations have participated as partners and more than 100,000 people and their families have been engaged. The coordinated outreach strategies draw thousands of participants a year and the program continues to grow and increasing the number of clients that go through health needs assessments and health and social needs screenings and referrals. The impact is growing larger each year in terms of addressing the needs of each family and connecting many hard-to-reach individuals into a medical home and local resources.

However, as mentioned before blindness serves as a platform or a conduit to address a variety of other health issues including diabetes, hypertension, cancer, geriatric and reproductive health.  So by 2007, the Institute opened its own “one-stop shop” clinic in the heart of the Latino community in Falls Church, Virginia and expanded its services to include direct medical services like physicals, consultations, wellness screenings for diabetes, hypertension, breast, cervical, colorectal cancer, and HIV/AIDS prevention.  Interestingly enough as word has spread about the quality free and low-cost services that HIBP provides the patient load ten folded between 2007 and 2012 close to the 50,000 patient records.

During this process in 2009, HIBP was able to secure private funds for the integration of mobile EMR system which allowed staff to monitor referrals and follow up recommendations for patients individually.  This lead to a 25% increase in referral compliance with the patients.  The demand continued to increase as the outreach included working in collaboration with more Federal and state agencies, CBOs, faith-based and Latin American consulates not only locally but a national level as well in some cases .

For 2007-2012, thanks to the support of the American Cancer Society, HIBP integrated an outreach program for Cancer  prevention,  awareness,  education and referrals for screenings through the health screening and resource stations co-located at Latin-American Consulates in Washington DC and through mobile health stations located in Riverdale, Silver Spring, Annapolis and Manassas, other local CBOs plus health fairs held within the faith-based communities partnering in the program and within neighborhoods where the at-risk population resides. HIBP has received grants to conduct activities related to addressing the cancer prevention and screening practices of the Latino community since 2007.  In that time HIBP has been able to execute research in relation to a needs assessment, ongoing screening and education strategies, and referrals that are supported through the EMR system.

In addition, a contract was renewed for 2010 with the Mobile Mammography Program of George Washington University that provides 100 free or low cost screening mammograms for low income uninsured women a year. Unfortunately ACS support ended in 2012 due to budgetary restraints and refocusing of the agency target on health systems under the new affordable care act implementation.

Overview main outcomes 2006-2012