Two federally subsidized health centers in Sonoma County are making wellness programs a cornerstone of their medical services, part of a national trend that is transforming health care.
Friday, the recently opened Petaluma Health Center officially unveils its new facility, which includes a 6,400-square-foot medical unit aimed at fostering healthy living and helping patients manage chronic diseases.
Earlier this week, the West County Health Centers publicly launched its Forestville Wellness Center, a 3,000-square-foot site that offers low income and government insured patients such things as osteopathic treatment, herbal medicine, yoga and Tai chi classes.
?The whole focus on prevention, which is part of health care reform, is part of what?s driving this,? said Mary Szecsey, executive director of the West County Health Centers. ?I think this is definitely the future of health care and we have to see more of this happening.?
A unique billing model will allow the Forestville facility to offer wellness programs that for the most part have not been available to low-income residents and those with government insurance, such as Medi-Cal or Medicare.
Health center staff will partner with a number of local organizations, including the Northern California Center for Well Being, the region?s premiere wellness education center.
The Center for Well Being provides group education to West County Health Center patients on such things as diabetes, weight control and pain management. The participating patients also receive a medical consultation.
The West County Health Center pays the Center for Well Being a fee for its participation, and the health center then bills the insurance plan, often Medi-Cal or Medicare, for the medical consultation.
?Traditionally, low income patients don?t have access? said Szecsey. ?It?s a win-win for everyone.?
The Center for Healthy Living at the Petaluma Health Center is one of four medical pods within the new 53,000-square-foot health center. Although the health center has been operating since June, the grand opening ceremony is scheduled for today.
The Center for Healthy Living will feature a demonstration kitchen that will be used to give patients education in nutrition, as well as offer hands on instruction in how to cook healthy food. The center also has a ?movement room,? a large open space with a sport court floor to be used for yoga and other movement and exercise therapies.
The lead physician at the Center for Healthy Living, Dr. Fasih Hameed, recently helped organize a conference in Santa Rosa called, ?Integrative Medicine for the Underserved,? indicative of the change in approach to health care.
Aside from collaborating with the Northern California Center for Well Being, plans for the Forestville center include:
? Partnering with the California School of Herbal Studies in Forestville. Herbalism students will be allowed to do clinical practice at the Forestville Wellness Center as a way of augmenting the center?s herbalist offerings.
? A formal partnership with Drug Abuse Alternative Center, or DAAC, that offers a 12-week drug and alcohol intervention program. Experts from DAAC will lead classes while health center staff will provide medical services.
? Classes offered by Ceres Community Project, a group that uses specially cooked meals as medicine for seriously ill patients.
A demonstration kitchen also features prominently at the Center for Healthy Living in Petaluma.
Staff at the Petaluma wellness unit have also developed a group called PLAY, which stands for Petaluma Loves Active Youth, as a way of addressing childhood obesity.
The group, which meets for 90 minutes once a week, is headed by Kyla Simpson, a physician assistant with a graduate degree in public health. The class teaches kids and their parents nutrition education and cooking skills, using food provided by Petaluma Bounty Community Farm.
?It?s not that they don?t know how to cook?it?s about teaching them how to cook healthy food,? said Simpson. ?It?s amazing how the kids still really love the food even if it?s not loaded with sugar and fat.?
Because of their focus on preventative care and keeping people healthy, wellness centers are among the latest trends in health care as providers and government officials search for ways to manage costly chronic illnesses.
Under President Obama?s Affordable Care Act, health care organizations, particularly hospitals, that are unable to control rising medical costs will be penalized. The Act is prompting health care organizations to move from a model that merely treats disease to one that helps prevent it, or at least manage it better.
St. Joseph Health System, which runs Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and Petaluma Valley Hospital, is planning a large wellness center, a two-story, 80,000-square-foot medical fitness center in Santa Rosa. The center would integrate health, fitness, and clinical programs, such as physical therapy.
With a projected opening date of 2013, the facility would be similar to one at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa, which is serving as a prototype within the St. Joseph health care system.
The Northern California Center for Well Being has been a strong partner in helping local community clinics provide such education, said Pedro Toledo, a spokesman for the Redwood Community Health Coalition. In the past, the Center for Well Being has provided health and wellness classes to community clinic patients.
And while the clinics will continue to partner with the center, facilities such as those in Forestville and Petaluma represent a greater emphasis on wellness for North Coast clinics.
?This is a trend within all health care arenas and community health centers are also moving in that direction,? Pedro said. ?It?s how we?re going to improve the health of our patients and get at disparities in the community.?
Article source: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20110811/ARTICLES/110819862/1350?Title=Wellness-centers-mark-openings-in-Forestville-Petaluma
Source: http://foodwinelifestyle.com/2011/08/12/wellness-centers-mark-openings-in-forestville-petaluma/
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