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Youngstown clinic to host free health screening event
YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown Community Health Center is gearing up to host GuardCare in August, an event that YCHC’s Dr. Ronald Dwinnells believes will be the largest mass health screening event ever conducted in the Mahoning Valley.
And, it’s all free.
Dubbed “GuardCare: 2008 Healthy People, Healthy Places” here, GuardCare is the Ohio Army National Guard Medical Command’s annual training exercise in which its certified medical personnel provide free services to children and adults, regardless of income.
The ONG said medical services may include, but are not limited to: Immunizations, dental exams, EKGs (electrocardiograms), blood sample collections, well baby and child, sports and physical exams.
GuardCare will be at YCHC, 726 Wick Ave., on Aug. 9, 10, 16 and 17. The hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays.
Traditionally, GuardCare has been offered to rural counties in Ohio where there may be a shortage of medical personnel. But Mahoning County was picked this year because it has a large medically under-served population, said Matthew Stefanak, commissioner of the Mahoning County District Board of Health.
Stefanak said when he was approached by ONG officials in 2007 about bringing GuardCare to Mahoning County, he realized that many of the people who might come to such an event may not have a family physician.
“I thought of the Youngstown Community Health Center having the event, because it has the space and the facilities and services to be a medical home for people,” he said.
YCHC, in conjunction with the county health board and other health care organizations, will participate with ONG GuardCare.
“We expect hundreds of medically under-served people in our community to take advantage of the free services,” said Dr. Dwinnells, chief executive officer of Ohio North East Health Systems, a network of community health centers that includes YCHC.
It is not unreasonable to expect hundreds at the event. A similar event in Toledo last year drew 1,300 people over two weekends, Stefanak said.
Other health care organizations participating are Akron Children’s Hospital, Forum Health, Humility of Mary Health Partners, Hospice of the Valley, American Cancer Society, Planned Parenthood, and the Salvation Army.
Among services available will be mammograms, confidential HIV testing, “lazy eye” screening for children ages 4-10, and information about tobacco cessation.
“GuardCare fits in with our philosophy and mission, which is to promote access to medical care and prevention,” Dr. Dwinnells said.
Another important goal of the event is to identify children who are eligible for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), but are not enrolled, he said. SCHIP is a federally funded program that gives funds to states to provide health care to children.
“People who come to GuardCare can not only get screenings, but oral examinations, laboratory work and active care,” said Elizabeth Haddle, chief operating officer of Ohio North East Health Systems.
The importance of having a medical home is to diagnose illnesses before they advance to a point where treatment is not flexible or is very expensive. It reduces the numbers of hospitalizations and deaths, and reduces the cost of care compared to when patients use hospital emergency rooms for their health care, Haddle said.
“It’s all about prevention, and developing a relationship with a medical provider is a very important aspect of prevention,” Dr. Dwinnells said.
GuardCare will include a health fair at which numerous agencies and organizations will provide information and services, Haddle said.
“This is a one-time deal. It is unlikely that GuardCare will be back in Mahoning County. We have a chance to bring the community together and to make a difference ... to reach people in need and attempt to give them good basic care and find them a medical home,” she said.
alcorn@vindy.com