HopeHealth: HopeXpress

360 N. IRBY STREET, FLORENCE 843.667.9414 HOPE-HEALTH.ORG

Taylor Thompson, FNP Taylor Thompson is a family nurse practitioner providing care for patients in the HopeXpress program for young adults. She has special interest in heart health, preventive care for younger adults, and keeping young adults in care. Thompson is a member of the American Nurses Association, South Carolina Nurses Association, and Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society. Discover how HopeHealth is working to improve access to routine healthcare for an underserved group.

HopeXpress

story by Taylor Thompson, FNP-C, HopeHealth

It’s easy to see why young adults may not prioritize regular wellness visits. Between juggling jobs, going to school, starting families, and other challenges, a trip to the doctor can seem like an extra (and unnecessary) chore. Especially when factoring in insurance coverage, tight budgets, and rising costs of living, young adults can view routine medical care as a waste of time and money when they are young, healthy, and have no known medical problems – or so they think. The problem is young adults can develop chronic medical conditions, and without routine medical checkups, early detection and intervention doesn’t happen. Conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes can develop and progress, leading to more problems and more costly medical care down the road.

People often underestimate the role genetics can play in their health as well. Even young adults with healthy lifestyles getting regular exercise, eating balanced meals, and getting enough sleep can develop chronic medical conditions.

HopeXpress is a service at HopeHealth created to bridge this gap in care by providing convenient access to affordable primary care and preventive medicine services for young adults, aged 18 to 30. Our goal is to eliminate common barriers that discourage young adults from getting routine care, such as appointment availability, wait times, cost, and preferred methods of communication (text notifications, online portal access, and smartphone app support).

By offering same-day appointments and integrated care, our hope is to empower young adults to take an active role in maintaining their health for better outcomes.

HopeXpress is a rapidly evolving service that helps many patients get routine care and early detection of more serious, previously unknown conditions. In cases where we have identified pregnancy or detected issues like diabetes, anxiety and depression, or HIV infection, HopeXpress provides a smooth transition to a higher level of care. One of the program’s biggest benefits is that we offer integrated care. We are tapped into a wonderful network of providers covering a broad range of specialties, so we can connect with providers from other areas such as endocrinology, mental health, or women’s health, and transfer care when patients need more specialized management. In addition to integrated care, we offer continuity of care, which improves the overall quality of health care services. Often, young adults will only seek out care when they are sick or injured, usually in urgent cares and emergency rooms. Going to urgent care for a case of pink eye is one thing, but by never establishing a home for regular health care services, patients lose out on the personalized care that comes from an established care team that knows their medical history and can monitor their health over time. HopeXpress offers consistency, which is invaluable during the constant changes that come with your late teens and twenties. Another significant barrier that prevents young adults from establishing routine care is cost. As a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), HopeHealth has different options, which is especially helpful at a time when people are struggling to pay for groceries and rent. For patients without medical insurance, we offer a sliding scale that enables patients to pay what they can afford. This ensures that their finances are never a barrier to wellness. We also offer benefits counseling so patients can take advantage of programs to assist with medical expenses they may not be aware of or at least need help starting. HopeXpress is also embracing technology to make it easier to stay engaged with patients. Young people tend to value digital access to information via online portals and smart phone apps, so we have prioritized making those options available as methods to view information, contact us, and have questions answered by our care team before arrival. Our patients value easy access, quick visits, and above all flexibility, and so do we!

HopeXpress is open Monday – Friday, 8AM to 5PM. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a patient, give us a call at 843-432-2940 or visit hope-health.org.