The Visiting Nurse Association of Cape Cod is branching out in a way that might end up curtailing their core business…they hope.
In addition to treating the sick, the VNA has created growing partnerships with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for a series of free screening programs that can discover problems before they become serious…and also identify conditions that could lead to major illness if ignored.
First came the Women’s Health Network, then the Men’s Health Partnership, which concentrated on screening for prostate cancer, a particularly pervasive problem on the Cape. Eventually, the men’s screenings were extended to all general areas of health, such as cardiovascular and diabetes testing and wellness issues such as diet, exercise and smoking cessation. Symptoms of depression also have been discovered and referrals made.
And now, thanks to a new DPH grant in the $1 to $1.3 million range, the VNA’s reach has been extended to New Bedford, Fall River and Fairhaven.
This represents a compliment to the VNA.
As Dr. Phil Wood, director of the DPH Men’s Health Partnership, explains, “We had a void in our coverage area in Southeastern Massachusetts, from Plymouth to New Bedford, and the VNA of Cape Cod already had demonstrated a proficiency in operating this program among a population that had a high eligibility for those services.”
Marti Baker is coordinator for the VNA Men’s Health Partnership program and Carol Murray, B.S., RN, is the team leader.
The screening program runs continuously and the goal is to screen 600 men by the end of the fiscal year. Last year they served 470 clients, and reaching the current goal is important because state dollars are based on numbers.
The program is bi-lingual and a Portuguese language interpreter is on site for screenings in Hyannis where, of course, no questions are raised about immigration status. Unlike the women’s program, the Men’s Partnership does not have a needs component.
All appointments must be made in advance through Ms. Baker in South Dennis (508-957-7629) and the no-show rate is pretty low because patients must undergo fasting blood work before the examination.
Men who have been screened previously and seen to have potential problems are contacted by mail and reminded when it’s time for another exam.
“This is not an insurance program and you don’t get a full physical, just a screening,” Ms. Murray explains, “but we will make referrals (for additional treatment or testing) as necessary—sometimes to the Mobile Health Link—and we will follow up as part of case management. A lot of the men do come back for their recalls thinner and better and they do take great pride in that.”
The screenings are open for uninsured and underinsured men 18 and over. For prostate screening, however, it’s 40 and up for African-American men or those with a family history of prostate cancer and 50 and up for all others.
Following is a list of the screening sites:
Bickford Health Associates
714 Route 6A, Suite 706A
Yarmouthport
Cape Cod Free Clinic
19 Steeple Street
Mashpee
Duffy Health Center
105 Park Street
Hyannis
Family Medical Center
210 Washington Street
Fairhaven
Islands Health, Inc.
245 Vineyard Haven Road
Edgartown
Provincetown Medical Group
16 Shankpainter Road
Provincetown
Stanley Street Treatment & Resources, Inc.
400 Stanley Street
Fall River
TruMed New Bedford
140 Nauset Street
New Bedford.
These facilities are on-going, but a special one-day session has been scheduled the morning of March 10 by appointment only at the Fontaine Medical Center off Long Pond Road in Harwich.