Grants Helping Health Center Expand Upper Cape Services

Where there’s a need, they’re finding ways at the Community Health Center of Cape Cod, serving the Upper Cape with locations in Falmouth, Mashpee and Bourne.

CEO Karen Gardner explains the need: “The Center has experienced a tremendous increase in new patients seeking access to primary care, behavioral health and dental services. In fact, we have registered nearly 200 new patients each month for the last two years.”

The “ways” to deal with this obvious community need has come in the form of major new grants, new programs and new personnel.
Some details:

• A $300,000 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to implement youth suicide prevention strategies across Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. The grant will serve to train the broader community to recognize young people at risk and intervene quickly.
• Announcement of $145,410 in federal stimulus funding, which, Ms. Gardner says “will go a long way to hire the direct care and support staff needed to meet this growing demand.”
• Establishment of a new Care Coordination early cancer detection program funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH). The program serves women and men who typically are unable to access such services because of insurance limitations and who are most likely to be at risk for disease due to age or a previous abnormal finding. Plans are under way to make the services available across Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard through the community health center network and other participating providers. For more information about the Care Coordination program, including eligibility requirements, call 508 477-7090, ext. 158 or 159 or www.chcofcapecod.org.
• Establishment of a new website in concert with the Falmouth Public Schools, HealthyFalmouth.org.
• And finally, Dr. David S. Tager has signed on as Chief Medical Officer. He also will see patients. Dr. Tager previously was in private practice in Vermont where he also served as Medical Director of Eden Park Nursing Home.