NACHC awarded HHC a $32,500 grant to participate in a project to test a pilot QARE (Quality and Access for Reproductive Health Equity) for Teens initiative.
The QARE for Teens initiative goals are to improve access to reproductive health services and education for community health centers.
“With key support from CAI, Inc, QARE for Teens will work with expert researchers and community-based providers to develop an Adolescent Reproductive Health Quality Improvement (ASRH QI) Package. It will be implemented in several community health centers and evaluated. ASRH QI Package will draw upon existing tools and resources. Although the Package will be designed for quality improvement in community health centers, it may also be useful for other clinical settings that serve adolescents.”
- CDC, Reproductive Health, Projects & Initiatives
August 12, 2021
As part of the QARE for Teens initiative, Holyoke Health Center’s area of focus will aim to make the pediatric department a more welcoming and accessible environment for adolescent patients. The health center will also work towards improving Trauma Informed Care—an approach that recognizes that a patient is more likely than not to have experienced trauma in their lives.
HHC’s has a five person team that will work on identifying areas in the clinic that need to be addressed and will work towards identifying improvement strategies based off the tool kits created by NACHC and CAI. The team will meet monthly with NACHC and CAI to report back on what strategies work and what ones do not. The team consists of:
- Despina Lekakis – Provider Champion
- Ariel Beckwith – RN Manager
- Johanna Rizzardini – Clinical support
- Ann Poole – Senior Administrator
- Glorimar Irizarry – Quality Improvement Lead
This 5 month pilot project started this past January and will conclude in May.
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