By Mountain Family Health Centers
The winner of the September 2019 Exemplary Care Award is the Glenwood Springs Integrated Health Center. Everyone rallied to provide excellent, integrated care to a homeless couple. Site Medical Director Jenny Lang typed up the following description of what happened.
“We recently had the most beautiful orchestra of care at the Glenwood Springs Integrated Health Center. One afternoon at lunchtime, Practice Manager Broc Brown and I were informed that there was a man sitting on the bench outside of the health center who was badly beaten up. We went out to investigate and met a homeless couple.
“They shared their story of being in the Safeway parking lot two nights prior and were confronted by another man who was being inappropriate toward the woman, so the man felt the need to defend the honor of his partner. He was beaten with a bat and had two large swollen black eyes and wounds on his scalp and extremities. They had gone to the ER the night of the fight and [he] was evaluated, treated, and released.
“Since discharge from the ER, they again were living on the streets and unable to properly care for the man’s injuries. I told them that they should probably return to the ER again as he was in significant pain, but they did not want return to the ER. They felt that the ER was not kind to them nor gave them the care that was needed.
“Luckily, there was an appointment on Dr. Maria Chansky’s schedule so we could evaluate him. From here, the music of Mountain Family Health Centers played on these two individuals with the love and kindness that makes me proud to work at Mountain Family. The couple was given food and drink as we prepared for their office visit. Our three nurses, Annie Anderson, Kellie Ketzenbarger, and Wynette Jackson, entered the stage and, with a puff of activity, descended upon the man with grace and affection to clean his wounds, face and extremities.
“Dr. Chansky was then able to assess the man and determined he did not need to return to the ER. She directed the treatment for his wounds, pain, and swelling of his two black eyes. Behavioral Health Provider Matt King then entered the room and was able to provide some behavior health counseling and support. For the finale, the care coordination team organized to provide the two individuals with hotel vouchers for the next 3 days with the assistance of the Care Access Pool.
“Mountain Family Health Centers provided these two individuals the affection and dignity needed for them to start the process of healing. I am proud of the Glenwood Springs Integrated Health Center team.”