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Press Releases
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Press ReleaseIBC Aids Abington VNA Children's Health CenterIBC Charitable Medical Care Grants Help Care for the Uninsured  (from left to right) Gabrielle Montalvo, RN; Patricia Morgan, RN, CRNP; Rita Stock, RN, CRNP; and Sherry Ratajczak, RN, CRNP review patient records at the VNA Community Services Children's Health Center in Abington, Pennsylvania. Abington, PA - September 15, 2004 - In a lovely suburban community, just beyond Abington Hospital, a small red brick building offers a "medical home" for more than 1,000 children. Inside, nurse practitioners teach about the importance of health care, aid with complex family situations and address the medical needs of young patients. "We are a profoundly important community service to the families that are hidden, voiceless, stress or overwhelmed by their situation," says Virginia Coombs, executive director of the Abington VNA Community Services Children's Health Center. "There are pockets of poverty in a sea of affluence in Abington, which makes it harder for those in need to admit they need help. They try to hide their difference, but when they come here we spend the time to help them in as many ways as possible, and treat them with the dignity and respect they need." Despite its location in the generally affluent Abington community, the Children's Health Center struggles for funding to ensure that its clinic can continue to offer services. This year, Independence Blue Cross awarded the Center a three-year grant as part of the Charitable Medical Care Grant Program, which offers financial support for non-profit, privately funded clinics in southeastern Pennsylvania who provide free or low-cost care to the area's uninsured. "The Charitable Medical Care Program is a perfect example of IBC's commitment to the overall health of our community," said G. Fred DiBona, Jr., president and CEO of Independence Blue Cross. "By helping the uninsured get access to medical care, we not only help fill a void our community is struggling to address, but we also help reduce incidents of uncompensated care for our providers. And, ultimately, that helps control medical costs for our members." "This grant takes a tremendous amount of pressure off of us," says Ms. Coombs. "We're able to give our clients the care they need without them feeling stigmatized by their situation. To have the power of a company like IBC intervene at the direct care level is incredible. We'll be able to maximize the benefits of what we do." The Charitable Medical Care Grant program provides clinics with a three-year financial commitment to help support areas such as general operating expenses, unfunded pharmaceutical needs, medical supplies, specialty care, diagnostic tests, or other pertinent needs critical to the delivery of care within in the clinics. To date, IBC has dedicated $2.8 million to 13 clinics over the next three years. The Children's Health Center provides services to those in need from the Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Services including immunizations, health teaching referrals to and follow-up involvement with professional consultants, parenting education and support, and more. "A description of a nurse is to be a teacher," says Rita Stock, a nurse practitioner at the Center. "This grant gives us the time we need to develop a relationship with the family, to see the whole picture and provide care for more than just medical problems. To have the flexibility to spend that kind of time with our patients is truly amazing." For more information about this clinic or the additional clinics aided by the IBC Charitable Medical Care Grant Program, contact Butch Ward at 215-241-2220. About VNA Community Services Children's Health CenterThe Children's Health Center (CHC) provides services to nearly 1,000 children and young adults (to age 21) in the Abington and Norristown areas. Clients are typically uninsured or underinsured, and reside in the Montgomery, Bucks and Philadelphia counties. CHC serves as a "medical home" for its clients, often providing community/social services education as well as medical care. About Independence Blue CrossIndependence Blue Cross is the leading health insurer in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Nationwide, IBC and its affiliates provide coverage to nearly 3.5 million people.
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