Safety Net Clinic Coalition Five Year Impact Report For over ten years, Trina Mendez suffered from chronic toothaches that tormented her with persistent pain and forced her to hide her smile. Even after becoming eligible for Medicare, dental visits remained unaffordable. It was not until Trina experienced a dental emergency that she was able to receive treatment from Dientes Community Dental. Trina was one of the tens of thousands of Santa Cruz County residents who benefited from the expansion of community health centers and her story is one of many demonstrating the impact of extensive growth in the safety net from 2012 to 2016. Today, Safety Net providers serve 90,000 patients of which 78%
National Health Center Week 2017: Five years of Safety Net Clinic impact creating a system of high q
The Health Improvement Partnership and Safety Net Clinic Coalition of Santa Cruz County (SNCC) unveiled the 5-year Impact Report 2012-2016 in a local celebration of National Health Center Week. The event featured presentations and a roundtable discussion with Safety Net Clinic leaders and County Supervisor John Leopold. In honor of National Health Center Week, the Health Improvement Partnership of Santa Cruz County (HIP) hosted a press luncheon on Tuesday, August 15th, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at East Cliff Family Health Center. The Safety Net Clinic Coalition’s Five-Year Impact Report was unveiled. Over a decade, SNCC members have expanded services and facilities to serve more than one in
Opioids are natural and synthetic forms of opium that are widely used as pain relievers. Opium is extracted from the opium poppy plant which contains chemicals used to produce opioid pain medication such as morphine. Opioids include other prescription medications, such as hydrocodone (Vicodin or Norco), oxycodone (Percocet or Oxycontin), fentanyl, codeine, and methadone. Opiate pain relieving medications like morphine allow for modern surgical procedures and palliative care of cancer patients. However, since the 1990's, clinicians have prescribed opioids for more conditions, longer durations, and at higher doses than at any other time in the past. The widespread increase in opioid
