You may not know about Primary Health Solutions, but you should – and here’s why. Primary Health Solutions, sometimes referred to as PHS, is a non-profit, safety-net healthcare provider that operates three community health centers in Hamilton, one in Oxford, one in Fairfield, two in Middletown and sends a Mobile Dental Unit to schools all around Butler County.
PHS is a federally qualified health center, and as such, their mission is to improve community wellness through access to quality, affordable, integrated primary healthcare. It’s the “access” and “integrated healthcare” portions of the mission that set them apart.
Access to healthcare is an issue that effects millions of Americans, thousands of which reside in our own community. Sometimes it’s the type of insurance that the individuals have, sometimes it’s a lack of insurance. But whatever the case may be, PHS accepts everyone, regardless of payer source. They also employ Certified Application Counselors that assist individuals who need help to navigate the insurance process.
Integration of services allows for better patient outcomes. PHS has one electronic medical record that serves as the repository of information for all medical providers involved with patient care. Dentists, medical doctors and nurse practitioners, optometrists, LISWs (Licensed Independent Social Workers), dieticians, pharmacists, etc. all work together and have access to the information from all other providers. This type of coordination results in patient-centered care. PHS has received recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance – NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH).
Marc Bellisario, President and CEO, has been with the organization for 10 years, and has lead the process toward integration of services and tackling the need for access to healthcare. “Having all of these services within one building allows us to eliminate barriers for our patients. For many of them, transportation is an issue. Once you arrive at a PHS location, you have access to many types of services and to quality care.” said Bellisario.
Marc Bellisario, President and CEO, has been with the organization for 10 years, and has lead the process toward integration of services and tackling the need for access to healthcare.
In Hamilton, each of the three sites have different programs. The Hamilton West location at 903 N.W. Washington Blvd. is always busy with young families, as the focus for this particular center is on family practice, pediatrics and OB/GYN. This office is currently expanding – more than doubling the square footage of the space in order to accommodate all of the patient care need. Here and at the 210 S. 2nd Street location, the OB/GYN providers do routine examinations and also specialize in a model of prenatal care called CenteringPregnancy.
CenteringPregnancy groups bring together mothers that have similar due dates for an extended time (90 minutes to two hours) in order to learn about the pregnancy process, growth and development of the baby, health and nutrition, etc. and include classes such as pregnancy yoga, cooking healthy meals and how to properly care for the newborn. PHS is also the grantee for WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Nutrition services, and those services are available at both of these locations.
Traveling over to 210 S. 2nd St., you will find a building that houses a number of services. Family practice, WIC and OB/GYN as mentioned prior, but also you will find a beautiful, new dental center that has two full-time dentists, hygienists and support staff. The dental center was established with help from generous donations from Mercy Health Foundation and the Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation to fill a critical need for dental services within the urban core. Also housed in this building is Community First Solutions Pharmacy. The pharmacy is open to the public, and for those patients who qualify, the pharmacy provides prescriptions at a discounted rate. Behavioral Health care services are available at this and every PHS location.
Over 50 percent of the 30,000 patients served by Primary Health Solutions are children. One of the unique and effective ways that PHS serves the children of Hamilton is through the Hamilton City School Based Health Center. Located at Garfield Middle School in an area that used to be the coaches locker room, is a compact, state of the art vision care, medical and behavioral health care center that serves the entire school district. With the permission of the students’ guardian, the district transports students to the center for those services, and to the 210 2nd St. location for dental care. This model has been recognized on both the state and national level. Hamilton Superintendent Larry Knapp, Supervisor of Health Services Tracy Heinecke and Business Manager Jeff Kilby, along with PHS staff are involved with helping other school districts to develop similar health centers.
Primary Health Solutions is a unique organization that operates from core values such as excellence, respect and compassion – the impact of PHS is resulting in a healthier Hamilton.