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News
A NEW FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER COMING TO GREATER MIAMI
08/21/12
A New Federally Qualified Health Center coming to Greater MiamiThe Bureau of Primary Care Health announced that it has awarded BANYAN COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER status as a new Federally Qualified Health Center, with health services to be provided at two separate locations in Miami’s Little Havana. This is a ray of light for a community that for years has struggled with low rates of health insurance, high rates of poverty and unemployment, and substantial health disparities. Accompanying the designation of Banyan Health System as the South Florida Region’s newest FQHC, Banyan will receive a grant of $595,833 to provide the community with health and prevention services, with provisions for renewal of up to $650,000 in federal funding annually.
The new community health center was founded by Banyan Health Systems, Miami Behavioral Health Center, and Spectrum Programs in response to critical and persistent gaps in healthcare access in a community classified as perilously underserved by the Health Resources and Services Administration. Little Havana had become something of a healthcare desert over the years. Coupled with the community’s high rates of immigration, there had been an acute and growing lack of access to primary health services in the community. As a result, many of its uninsured residents have had to use emergency rooms as their sole source of primary care, which means that health conditions including many chronic diseases are being caught at later, much more costly stages through an inherently more expensive branch of the Region’s healthcare safety-net.
The new FQHC grows out of the long-term partnership of Banyan Health Systems, Miami Behavioral Health Center, and Spectrum Programs. Miami Behavioral and Spectrum have been providing integrated mental health and addiction services in centers in Miami Dade and Broward counties for over four decades, and are recognized as regional leaders for effectively integrating treatment of these diseases of the brain. In 2009, the partners formed Banyan Health Systems, and simultaneously began integrating primary health services into their Little Havana service centers. In 2010, they founded Banyan Community Health Center as an independent, patient-majority governed health center.
For more information, please contact Ileana Ruiz Garcia at igarcia@banyanhelath.org, Dr. Rademus Lopez at rlopez@banyanhealth.org, or Kevin M. Crain at kcrain@banyanhealth.org. For information on Banyan Community Health Center, visit our primary health pages at http://banyanhealth.org/services/primary-health.
POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
09/06/11
As in many communities across the Nation, South Floridians are experiencing the homecoming of friends and family members from military service in the Afghan and Iraq wars. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is among the most common of the catastrophic effects of war for Veterans returning to family and community. Estimates of its prevalence among Veterans range as high as 35 percent, or one-in-three who are affected by one of only a few mental disorders caused by disturbing external events. Frequently, the first signs of PTSD-related emotional changes in the home are changes in the behaviors of children.
PTSD is a relatively common and serious mental health disorder that requires formal diagnosis by a qualified medical professional. It affects approximately 8 percent of men and up to 20 percent of women, and can occur in anyone at any age. It can be caused by such traumatic events as severe accidents, military combat, physical attacks, rape or sexual assault, domestic violence, or natural disasters. Its symptoms include re-experiencing the original trauma through flashbacks or nightmares, detachment, avoidance of people, situations or places associated with the trauma, difficulty falling or staying asleep, fear, anxiety, anger, and hypervigilance. A formal diagnosis requires that symptoms persist for more than a month and cause significant impairment in social, occupational, or other crucial areas of functioning.
For more information on causes, symptoms, and treatments, please contact Banyan Health Systems at (305) 774-3600. If you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis or acute mental health symptoms, call our 24 Hour Crisis Hotline: (305) 774-3616. For Veterans and their families, additional local and national resources are available through the National Center for PTSD at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, http://www.ptsd.va.gov/index.asp.
RETURNING TO SCHOOL / THE IMPORTANCE OF IMMUNIZATION
09/06/11
As the new school year gets underway in South Florida, it’s essential to bear in mind the role that immunization plays in protecting the health of children and families. Recent reports on the reappearance of measles and several other infectious diseases highlight the importance of vaccination, especially for infants and young children for whom these diseases can be dangerous.
In 2000, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (the CDC) announced that measles was eliminated in the United States thanks to a vaccine that completely controls it. An acute viral disease, measles is highly contagious, so its among the first to come back in the absence of vaccination. Its reappearance in the US is due in part to travel to other countries, where similar outbreaks are occurring among children who have not been vaccinated. Immunization prevents infectious diseases such as measles, stops their spread in our homes and communities, and saves lives.
Across the US, state law regulates the immunizations required for children before they can enter child care centers or schools. The CDC sets national guidelines for immunization and promotes awareness of the benefits and risks of specific vaccinations. It also tracks disease outbreaks and rates of immunization in each state. According to the CDC, in Florida for the 2009 / 2010 school year, 91.1 percent of children in kindergarten were appropriately immunized, compared with immunization rates of 99.9 percent in Georgia, 98 percent in Alabama, and 97 percent in Tennessee. The national average for all states and US territories normally exceeds 95 percent.
For more information on vaccines and immunization and their role in protecting your health and well-being, contact the CDC at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/. To learn more about the specific immunization requirements for infants and children in Florida, contact the Bureau of Immunization at Florida’s Department of Health www.immunizeflorida.org.