Gail Petersen, MS, RN
J & J/UCLA HCEP Class of 2002
ASU College of Nursing - Breaking the Cycle Community Health Care
"The Red Carpet" a Unique Marketing Opportunity
In October, 2004 the Arizona State University Foundation donated the red carpet from the Presidential Debate, held at ASU's Grady Gammage Auditorium, to Breaking the Cycle Community Health Care (BTC) to replace the threadbare carpet covering the floor of our clinic. The gift of the carpet had far greater impact on the nursing center than a clinic remodel project. BTC utilized this gift to increase our visibility in the community and with local policymakers. The carpet served as a vehicle for communication with our University President's wife and local policymakers, increased cooperation between academic units, and initiated a story in the Arizona Republic newspaper. Upon completion of the remodel of our clinic space our community partner, Grace Lutheran Evangelical Church of Phoenix, hosted a public reception and clinic rededication that was incorporated into their traditional Sunday worship service and fellowship. Students from the ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism produced two video pieces related to the rededication, and the work we do with the underserved, that aired on local cable channels. Safety net health care organizations encounter human interest stories at every turn. The "Red Carpet" story serves as an inspiration for other agencies to utilize their own unique marketing opportunities to increase community awareness, and ultimately funding and sustainability, of the invaluable health care they provide.
Art for Health!
Breaking the Cycle Community Health Care is hosting its 3rd annual fundraising event. This event grew out of the CHIP originally developed at the J & J/UCLA Health Care Executive Program in 2002. This year's event is a partnership between the ASU Herberger College of Fine Arts, Grace Lutheran Evangelical Church of Phoenix and the College of Nursing. Over 50 pieces of art have been submitted for exhibition and sale. Last year's successful art event was presented at the National Nursing Center Consortium Conference in Nashville as a model that other academic nursing centers could replicate to help to break down silos in the university system and engage new partners from the community. If you are in Phoenix on May 6 please join us!
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Chicago, IL: Susan Bauer is grateful to report that her husband Sam is currently cancer free after battling Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma for the last year. Susan and her family spent the month of August in Spain. She was recently promoted to the position of Deputy Director and invites you all to check out Community Health Partnership's new website, at
The website was constructed through a grant of donated professional services by Vox, Inc., a marketing and communications firm located in Oak Park, Illinois.
Cotulla, TX: Arcenio Garcia reports that South Texas Rural Health Services (STRHS) continues to diversify its services to the Community. In order to stay competitive, they have returned to old methods such as screening individuals at stores and other public places, health fairs, blood drives plus other initiatives that keep STRHS in the limelight. STRHS has 6 clinics and is working on 2 other rural sites. The substance abuse program received a donation of a large facility, which is being renovated to accommodate a computer lab, classrooms, community space, and a more centrally located facility. In this facility, they will collaborate with the Boys & Girls Club of Cotulla, Inc. that is another in-house program to interchange and coordinate our resources to keep kids in clean, wholesome and drug free activities.
Fort Wayne, IN: Mary Haupert donated a kidney to her husband on 4/29/03 at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago. She has had an easy recovery and was back to work full time after three weeks. Mary's husband is a new man, healthy and active with no signs of rejection in the 8 months since. In October, Mary was named one of 21 women in leadership from the Fort Wayne area by a local television station. Her clinic, Neighborhood Health Clinics, continues to grow with 20% more visits in 2003 than in 2002.
Driggs, ID: Susan Kunz
"Teton Valley Hospital & Surgicenter continues to grow and we continue to be able to offer more services to our community. We just installed a new state-of-the-art helical CT scan. We are in the process of recruiting our third family practice physician and are working to acquire the existing medical clinic so that we can become a "provider based rural health clinic". Taking advantage of this newly created Medicare provision will allow us to receive cost based reimbursement for the clinic; very similar to cost based reimbursement for "critical access hospitals," which we also are.
Personally, I have served as the chairman of the Idaho Hospital Association for this past year. It has been a wonderful opportunity to serve all of the facilities in the State of Idaho. My term expires in two days; however, I will remain on the Board as immediate past chairman. Additionally, I was recently appointed to serve as a Delegate to Region 8 of the American Hospital Association. During this three-year term, I will have the opportunity to meet with other regional leaders and assist AHA in crafting responses to issues which face all health care providers.
With regard to my CHIP project that was to create and carry out a community market survey, the project was carried out in exact fashion as planned in my CHIP project. (My time line was 3 months too aggressive on the start date, but went well after we got started). We performed a market survey as well as an employee satisfaction survey. The results were no too different from what we expected, however, confirmation is good and necessary. We are utilizing the data to move forward with program development and community programs.
I very often reflect on my experience at UCLA and the things that we learned there. I have a very keen interest in establishing a Community Health Center here. Prior to UCLA I didn't know that they existed. Thanks to the many partners who provided information regarding CHCs. With our growing Hispanic community as well as an ever-increasing number of uninsured, I believe that a CHC might help provide service. I would appreciate any assistance that might be available with regard to operation of a CHC in cooperation/ collaboration with a rural health clinic/ critical access hospital."
St. Louis, MO: Bob Massie reports that Family Care Health Centers moved in to its new 32,000 square foot, 6.9 million-dollar replacement center in February 2003. The health center expanded its capacity for all services (medical, dental, vision, nutrition and behavioral health) by 40% and added a new full time pharmacy.
Also, Family Care Health Centers celebrates its 35th year of service to the greater metropolitan St. Louis area in 2004
Springfield, IL: Among the several developments on both personal and organizational levels, Forrest Olson highlights the following:
1. We competed successfully for a Health Care for the Homeless grant this past year and have begun service delivery at four local homeless shelters one day per week, following the tried and true model of taking the health care to the people for this segment of the population.
2. We purchased a new facility and will begin renovation in January 2004. Our current building is 5,800 sq ft and the new facility is roughly 19,000 sq. ft. This will allow us to add more physicians and MUCH needed oral health services.
3. Our Board Chair, and UCLA program co-participant, Bobby Hall, completed the NACHC (National Association of Community Health Centers) Certificate in Board Governance, and became the first Health Center Board Member to complete the newly created Illinois Primary Health Care Association's (IPHCA) Board Member Certificate Program.
4. We completed Phase I of the BPHC's Asthma Health Disparities Collaborative.
5. I was elected Chair-Elect of IPHCA, our state primary care association, and was selected as a member of the Springfield Mayor's Task Force on Homelessness.
Tempe, AZ: The CHIP developed and implemented by Gail Petersen for ASU's Breaking the Cycle Community Health Care (BTC) continues to grow and have an impact on the organization. Her CHIP, a marketing plan to increase the organization's visibility and initiate a revenue stream from the local business community, continues to generate positive outcomes. As a result of the CHIP over $20,000 in revenues has been generated from the business community, the religious community and individuals. A significant contribution, $10,000, was donated by NDCHealth an international healthcare information solutions company. NDCHealth has also pledged an additional $10,000 of support for 2004. Gail was nominated by the Phoenix Business Journal as a "Health Care Hero" in Community Outreach in August. In December BTC's community partner, Grace Lutheran Evangelical Church of Phoenix, received a Human Services Award from the City of Phoenix related to their partnership with ASU & BTC and the services the church provides for the homeless.
Hartford, CT: Alfreda Turner is happy to report that she wrote a book about her CHIP project! It's currently being published. We look forward to hearing more about Freda's book and hope to get an autographed copy of it when it comes out!