Community Grants: Southside United Health Center

OUR

THE WINSTON-SALEM FOUNDATION

COMMUNITY OUR CONNECTING

2015 REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY | 2014 ANNUAL REPORT

C OM MU N I T Y G R A N T S

SOUTHSIDE UNITED HEALTH CENTER

“What led to the success of Southside so far is the collaborative nature of the process — reaching out, building relationships.”

E

LEVEN YEARS AGO, a group of neighbors started down an uncertain path. That journey

resulted in the creation of Southside United Health Center, securing healthcare access for thousands, and creating positive change in their community.

It began with about 60 people from several neighborhoods in the Southside area of Winston-Salem. They had been meeting to work on shared community concerns, with organizing support from local nonprofit NEIGHBORS FOR BETTER NEIGHBORHOODS. The lack of accessible, quality, affordable healthcare was frontand-center, but the challenge seemed too big at first. Still, they were determined to find a way.

At the same time, members of the established medical community were deeply concerned about medically under-served areas, knowing that access to healthcare was not balanced throughout the region. The idea of creating a Federally Qualified Healthcare Center (FQHC) was introduced to the Southside group.

An FQHC is a type of medical center that is given support by the federal government to fill gaps in the country’s healthcare infrastructure. Establishing an FQHC is a long and competitive process, but the designation comes with significant federal dollars to invest in health outcomes.

Several members of the neighborhood group volunteered to learn more about the FQHC process. The volunteers sought funding, advisors, and partners. They established Southside as a nonprofit organization in 2004. They applied for FQHC status twice — and were turned down twice. The clinic opened on Waughtown Street in 2009, and finally, in 2012, Southside earned the coveted FQHC designation on the third try. The process took a clear vision, collaboration, and perseverance.

“The community board members were just fantastic,” said Dr. Richard Lord, who worked closely with the neighborhood group to get Southside going. He is now Medical Director of Southside as well as Director of Maternal and Child Health with Wake Forest School of Medicine.

“Some things we got right, some things we didn’t, and the board, the community, and NBN stuck with it,” Dr. Lord recalled.

“Each time there was a setback, we would all regroup and reassess.”

For instance, the board needed to change its approach when Southside did not initially receive FQHC status. The priority was to get a clinic open, so alternative funding was sought. A grant of $75,000 from The Winston-Salem Foundation was pivotal at that time, helping Southside United Health Center go from an idea to a reality.

“The Winston-Salem Foundation was the first to take a risk to get us up and going,” said Dr. Lord. “Without that initial grant from the Foundation, we could not have moved forward.”

With that first start-up grant in hand, Southside’s prospects were strengthened and it was able to seek grants from other local and state funders. Collaboration increased with Wake Forest School of Medicine and Winston-Salem State University School of Health Sciences. The Foundation, too, has contributed additional funds through grants at key points for further capacity building.

Today, Southside is an established presence in the community.

Last year, the practice saw 4,000 patients with 8,000 visits, reflecting a diverse population and a wide range of health care services. The Southside staff is driven by a patient-centered culture and a desire to be a caring and trusted medical home. Respect and appreciation flow across doctor/patient boundaries and differences.

Of course, challenges remain. Capacity for seeing patients is limited. The business aspects of running a healthcare organization are complex. Some patients have medical insurance; others are uninsured or have Medicaid coverage; all pay a small fee for each visit.

Yet, the collaborative culture, ingenuity, and perseverance that led to its creation years ago remain strong in Southside today,

Left: Dr. Richard Lord examines a Southside patient. the winston-salem foundation annual report

OUR COMMUNITY CONNECTING

[24-25]

C OM MU N I T Y G R A N T S

SOUTHSIDE UNITED HEALTH CENTER

“What led to the success of Southside so far is the collaborative nature of the process — reaching out, building relationships.”

E

LEVEN YEARS AGO, a group of neighbors started down an uncertain path. That journey

resulted in the creation of Southside United Health Center, securing healthcare access for thousands, and creating positive change in their community.

It began with about 60 people from several neighborhoods in the Southside area of Winston-Salem. They had been meeting to work on shared community concerns, with organizing support from local nonprofit NEIGHBORS FOR BETTER NEIGHBORHOODS. The lack of accessible, quality, affordable healthcare was frontand-center, but the challenge seemed too big at first. Still, they were determined to find a way.

At the same time, members of the established medical community were deeply concerned about medically under-served areas, knowing that access to healthcare was not balanced throughout the region. The idea of creating a Federally Qualified Healthcare Center (FQHC) was introduced to the Southside group.

An FQHC is a type of medical center that is given support by the federal government to fill gaps in the country’s healthcare infrastructure. Establishing an FQHC is a long and competitive process, but the designation comes with significant federal dollars to invest in health outcomes.

Several members of the neighborhood group volunteered to learn more about the FQHC process. The volunteers sought funding, advisors, and partners. They established Southside as a nonprofit organization in 2004. They applied for FQHC status twice — and were turned down twice. The clinic opened on Waughtown Street in 2009, and finally, in 2012, Southside earned the coveted FQHC designation on the third try. The process took a clear vision, collaboration, and perseverance.

“The community board members were just fantastic,” said Dr. Richard Lord, who worked closely with the neighborhood group to get Southside going. He is now Medical Director of Southside as well as Director of Maternal and Child Health with Wake Forest School of Medicine.

“Some things we got right, some things we didn’t, and the board, the community, and NBN stuck with it,” Dr. Lord recalled.

“Each time there was a setback, we would all regroup and reassess.”

For instance, the board needed to change its approach when Southside did not initially receive FQHC status. The priority was to get a clinic open, so alternative funding was sought. A grant of $75,000 from The Winston-Salem Foundation was pivotal at that time, helping Southside United Health Center go from an idea to a reality.

“The Winston-Salem Foundation was the first to take a risk to get us up and going,” said Dr. Lord. “Without that initial grant from the Foundation, we could not have moved forward.”

With that first start-up grant in hand, Southside’s prospects were strengthened and it was able to seek grants from other local and state funders. Collaboration increased with Wake Forest School of Medicine and Winston-Salem State University School of Health Sciences. The Foundation, too, has contributed additional funds through grants at key points for further capacity building.

Today, Southside is an established presence in the community.

Last year, the practice saw 4,000 patients with 8,000 visits, reflecting a diverse population and a wide range of health care services. The Southside staff is driven by a patient-centered culture and a desire to be a caring and trusted medical home. Respect and appreciation flow across doctor/patient boundaries and differences.

Of course, challenges remain. Capacity for seeing patients is limited. The business aspects of running a healthcare organization are complex. Some patients have medical insurance; others are uninsured or have Medicaid coverage; all pay a small fee for each visit.

Yet, the collaborative culture, ingenuity, and perseverance that led to its creation years ago remain strong in Southside today,

Left: Dr. Richard Lord examines a Southside patient. the winston-salem foundation annual report

OUR COMMUNITY CONNECTING

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according to CEO LaShun Huntley, who was hired in 2012 after serving several years on the board as a volunteer. Southside staff, community partners, and the board, which includes patients and neighborhood leaders, are definitely looking ahead.

“We will continue to build relationships in the community, and listen to the voice and perspective of the patients,” Mr. Huntley said. “We are looking to the future, to sustainability, and to new collaborations, figuring out who else we can serve.”

True to that vision, Southside has opened a second location that provides comprehensive medical, dental, and behavioral health services for community residents in partnership with the SECU Commons, which supports families and young adults who are at high risk for becoming homeless.

“What led to the success of Southside so far is the collaborative nature of the process — reaching out, building relationships,” said Dr. Lord. “It’s amazing how a relatively small amount of seed money has led to such a great — and growing — impact.”

SOUTHSIDE UNITED HEALTH CENTER is a family medicine practice that opened its doors in 2009 to bring reliable, quality healthcare to people in neighborhoods that were not well-served by existing medical infrastructure. In 2012, Southside became a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), a designation that comes with significant federal dollars to invest in health outcomes.

Since 2009, the Foundation has made four Community Grants totaling $227,000 to Southside United Health Center.

The most recent grant was $35,000 in 2015 for a second year of support for two part-time nurse practitioners.

NEIGHBORS FOR BETTER NEIGHBORHOODS BUILDS ON LOCAL STRENGTHS NEIGHBORS FOR BETTER NEIGHBORHOODS (NBN) was created in 1991 as an initiative of the Foundation with the goal of strengthening the community through the ideas, skills, and talents of neighborhood residents.

In 1998, NBN emerged as its own nonprofit with continued grant support from the Foundation.

Today, NBN upholds its mission to connect people, strengthen voices, and leverage resources with communities to create safe, just, and self-determined neighborhoods. The group provides neighborhood support in various ways, including leadership development through Neighbors in Action, grassroots organizing support, Grassroots Grants, and community problem-solving facilitation.

NBN’s core approach, which the Foundation also shares as a key value in its own grantmaking, is based on the concept of Asset-Based Community Development — identifying and lifting up the gifts, skills, and talents of all community members.

With grants supported by the Bess Gray Plumly Fund and many other Foundation funds over the years, NBN continues to nurture people to create positive change and opportunity within their own communities. Southside United Health Center is just one example of an effort initiated and sustained by neighbors and for neighbors.

Left: A mother and grandmother awaiting their newborn’s well-child visit.

the winston-salem foundation annual report

OUR COMMUNITY CONNECTING

[26-27]

according to CEO LaShun Huntley, who was hired in 2012 after serving several years on the board as a volunteer. Southside staff, community partners, and the board, which includes patients and neighborhood leaders, are definitely looking ahead.

“We will continue to build relationships in the community, and listen to the voice and perspective of the patients,” Mr. Huntley said. “We are looking to the future, to sustainability, and to new collaborations, figuring out who else we can serve.”

True to that vision, Southside has opened a second location that provides comprehensive medical, dental, and behavioral health services for community residents in partnership with the SECU Commons, which supports families and young adults who are at high risk for becoming homeless.

“What led to the success of Southside so far is the collaborative nature of the process — reaching out, building relationships,” said Dr. Lord. “It’s amazing how a relatively small amount of seed money has led to such a great — and growing — impact.”

SOUTHSIDE UNITED HEALTH CENTER is a family medicine practice that opened its doors in 2009 to bring reliable, quality healthcare to people in neighborhoods that were not well-served by existing medical infrastructure. In 2012, Southside became a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), a designation that comes with significant federal dollars to invest in health outcomes.

Since 2009, the Foundation has made four Community Grants totaling $227,000 to Southside United Health Center.

The most recent grant was $35,000 in 2015 for a second year of support for two part-time nurse practitioners.

NEIGHBORS FOR BETTER NEIGHBORHOODS BUILDS ON LOCAL STRENGTHS NEIGHBORS FOR BETTER NEIGHBORHOODS (NBN) was created in 1991 as an initiative of the Foundation with the goal of strengthening the community through the ideas, skills, and talents of neighborhood residents.

In 1998, NBN emerged as its own nonprofit with continued grant support from the Foundation.

Today, NBN upholds its mission to connect people, strengthen voices, and leverage resources with communities to create safe, just, and self-determined neighborhoods. The group provides neighborhood support in various ways, including leadership development through Neighbors in Action, grassroots organizing support, Grassroots Grants, and community problem-solving facilitation.

NBN’s core approach, which the Foundation also shares as a key value in its own grantmaking, is based on the concept of Asset-Based Community Development — identifying and lifting up the gifts, skills, and talents of all community members.

With grants supported by the Bess Gray Plumly Fund and many other Foundation funds over the years, NBN continues to nurture people to create positive change and opportunity within their own communities. Southside United Health Center is just one example of an effort initiated and sustained by neighbors and for neighbors.

Left: A mother and grandmother awaiting their newborn’s well-child visit.

the winston-salem foundation annual report

OUR COMMUNITY CONNECTING

[26-27]