The Chautauqua Center has taken over the family planning services previously offered by the Chautauqua County Department of Health.

Sarah Gilbert from TCC and Kelly Whitver from the County Health Department are guests on Community Matters to help get the word out that low cost services are covered under a special benefit that allows people to receive services confidentially (without billing through their normal insurances).

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The 2020 Jamestown Pubic Market will have its opening day on Saturday, June 13, 2020 on Cherry St. in Downtown Jamestown. To learn more about what’s happening at this year’s market, WRFA recently talked with Jamestown Public Market manager Linnea Carlson, along with Sarah Gilbert from the Chautauqua Center, which is collaborating with the 2020 Jamestown Mobile Market.

According to a media release from Congressman Tom Reed’s Office, the grant funding provides critical financial assistance to health care providers in under-served areas.

“We care about making sure our constituents have fair access to the quality medical care they need, especially in our current situation,” said Reed. “We were proud to support this funding and we will continue to fight for the support and resources our region needs to maintain our health care system.”

“The news that we have been funded for another three years allows The Chautauqua Center to continue its mission to deliver comprehensive high quality patient-centered health and support services in the Chautauqua region and the surrounding areas,” said Chautauqua Center CEO Michael C. Pease. “Now more than ever, health centers across the nation are serving as critical front line providers during the pandemic. We appreciate the leadership of congressman Reed and other elected officials who have supported us in the past and continue to do so now. Without this support we would not be able to provide the fully integrated care we do including primary care, women’s health, behavioral health, oral health, chiropractic services, pharmacy and a number of support services. Through the vision of our community board of directors we have grown to over 120 staff members serving more than 13,000 people since we were first awarded in 2012.”

“This funding allows us to continue the care we provide for the community, regardless of ability to pay or insurance status,” said Southern Tier Community Health Network CEO George Barton. “We’re certainly blessed to be a recipient off the funds. We serve over 10,000 people a year and this funding is critically important to address the needs of the community not only medically, but also through dental and mental health services.”

The Chautauqua Center has two locations in Chautauqua County, including the recently completed facility on Institute Street in Jamestown.

Southern Tier Community Health Network is the only Federally Qualified Health Center in Cattaraugus, Allegany and McKean (Pennsylvania) counties.

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The Chautauqua Center in Jamestown and Dunkirk continues to offer healthcare services during the COVID-19 state of emergency. WRFA’s Jason Sample recently talked with Alicia Ekstrom from TCC to learn more about how the center is adjusting to the current health crisis facing the state and nation.

Family Service of the Chautauqua Region, located at 332 East 4^th St. in Jamestown, offers family-focused mental health therapy to the greater Chautauqua region.

“The office is closed for clinical business but administration continues to facilitate all forms of correspondence and coordination with all of our staff for our clients and partners,” said Julie Chipman, Director of Clinical Services. “Patients are being seen through telehealth appointments, new and routine referrals within two weeks, and sooner for urgent or crisis referrals.”

For more information about Family Service of the Chautauqua Region, please call (716) 488-1971 or visit  http://fscrmentalhealth.com .

The Chautauqua Center provides behavioral health services with individual and group counseling and treatment for substance use disorder, including medication-assisted therapy. The Chautauqua Center has offices at 107 Institute St. in Jamestown and 319 Central Ave. in Dunkirk. For more information, please call (716) 484-4334 or (716) 363-6050.

The Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Clinics are providing telemedicine appointments Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Clinics are also open for crisis appointments and other special circumstances Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The clinics are located at 200 E. Third St., 5th Floor, in Jamestown and 319 Central Ave. in Dunkirk. For more information, please call (716) 661-8330 or (716) 363-3550.

The Resource Center (TRC) provides one-to-one counseling, group counseling, and medication assisted treatment.

“We are accepting new referrals both in our PROS (Personalized Recovery Oriented Services) Program and in our Outpatient Clinics for Mental Health Counseling and Psychiatric Services,” said Nicole Mucheck, Director of Behavioral Health Services & Care Coordination. “We can schedule same day or next day appointments in both programs, and have on-site crisis appointments as well as telemental health services including both phone and video.”

TRC office at 186 Lakeshore Dr. W. in Dunkirk is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and its office at 880 E. 2^nd St. in Jamestown is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (716) 366-7660 or (716) 661-1447.

TLC Health operates clinics at 33 N. Main St. in Cassadaga and at 7020 Erie Rd. in Derby, just outside of Chautauqua County.

“We are accepting new patients at both clinics and are scheduling appointments within three business days,” said Megan Schmitt, Director of Substance Use Disorder Services. “All interactions between patients and staff will be via telephone through Telemed. The best way to contact each clinic is by phone.”

Its Cassadaga Clinic can be reached Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. and on Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at (716) 595-3355. Its Derby Clinic can also be reached at (716) 947-0316.

UPMC Chautauqua Outpatient Mental Health and Outpatient Chemical Dependency clinics are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Appointments, including new evaluations and crisis appointments, will continue to be offered via phone or video linkage,” said Trish McClennan, Director, Behavioral Health Services. “During this time, we have limited staff at both locations. These folks are taking care of all calls, scheduling tele visits, and handling crisis appointments. Peers from the Mental Health Association (MHA) are also on site to assist patients with any tele connection issues, as well as interface with the community.”

Its clinic at the Jones Health Center, 51 Glasgow Ave. in Jamestown, can be reached at (716) 664-8641 and its clinic at the Dunkirk Health Center, 306 Central Ave. in Dunkirk, can be reached at (716) 363-0018.

If you answer YES to any of these questions, please call ahead before visiting any health care provider.

• Do you have any respiratory symptoms?
• Do you have a fever?
• Have you traveled outside of the United States or New York State in the last 14 days?
• Have you been diagnosed with COVID-19 or have you been in close contact with anyone who may have coronavirus or COVID-19 virus in the last 14 days?

The Chautauqua County Crisis Hotline at 1-800-724-02461 is available if you are experiencing a personal crisis or are in emotional distress.

If you are feeling lonely and need someone to talk to about how you are feeling, the WARMLINE is available 24/7 at 1-877-426-4373 or send a text to (716) 392-0252.

Only if you, a friend, or loved one is experiencing a life threatening medical emergency, should you go to the nearest emergency room or call 911.

The Community Health Assessment (CHA) and Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) were submitted to the NYSDOH in December 2019 and they are now available to the public through the CCDHHS website: https://chqgov.com/public-health/public-health.

The State Prevention Agenda is the blueprint for state and local action to improve the health and well-being of all New Yorkers and promote health equity across populations who experience disparities. It envisions New York becoming the Healthiest State in the Nation for people of all ages, and designates five priority areas:

• Prevent chronic diseases;
• Promote a healthy and safe environment;
• Promote healthy women, infants, and children;
• Promote well-being and prevent mental and substance use disorders; and
• Prevent communicable diseases.

Just as New York State assesses the health of residents, so do counties.  The Community Health Assessment is a core function of public health agencies and a fundamental tool of public health practice.

The Chautauqua County Community Health Planning Team (CCCHPT) consists of representatives from CCDHHS, the three local hospital systems (Allegheny Health Network Westfield Memorial Hospital, Brooks-TLC Hospital System, Inc., and UPMC Chautauqua), Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene, Chautauqua County Health Network, The Chautauqua Center, The Resource Center, Prevention Works, Chautauqua County Office for the Aging, and Population Health Collaborative of Western New York.

The team met on several occasions to gauge the community’s perceived health priorities, assets, and needs through a web-based and paper survey, and numerous community conversations. It then examined secondary health data provided by the NYSDOH and other key sources to determine the three County priorities to address:

• Prevent Chronic Diseases;
• Promote Healthy Women, Infants, and Children; and
• Promote Mental Well-Being and Prevent Mental and Substance Use Disorders.

The CCCHPT worked together with community partners from all sectors to determine what programming interventions, related to the selected priority areas, were already being implemented in Chautauqua County. Rather than adopting new programs and activities, the local health department and community hospitals desired to embrace the concept of “Public Health 3.0” by working to strengthen the efforts currently underway and better connect community partners.  Interventions focus on a variety of disparity populations, including low-income, seniors, youth, Amish, and those with a substance use disorder or mental health diagnosis.

“This extensive review of health and social conditions in Chautauqua County helped to strengthen relationships between partners and paints a beautiful picture of a ‘Health Across All Policies’ approach in Chautauqua County,” said Director of Health and Human Services Christine Schuyler. “As with the rest of New York State, obesity, poor eating habits, lack of exercise, and nicotine use continue to burden a large proportion of Chautauqua County residents. The problems of mental health and substance use disorders are present across the County and are a focus area for CCDHHS and many community partners.”

Jodi Witherell, CNO/Vice President of Quality Services at Brooks – TLC Hospital System, Inc. said, “Brooks-TLC Hospital System, Inc. is proud of its robust Community Health Program designed to support the CHA/CHIP, and has listed the document on our website under Community Health.  Clinical staff and others in our hospital system are in an optimal position to drive the health and wellness agenda as we interface with patients daily.”

The Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan 2019-2021 provides a demographic profile of Chautauqua County, a health profile organized by Prevention Agenda priority areas, identification of the main health challenges including the broad determinants of health, community assets and resources, and documentation of process and methods used for this assessment.

“The Community Health Assessment highlights the need for people and organizations from all sectors of the county—public, private, educational, non-profit, media or philanthropic—to work deliberately and collaboratively to improve the public’s health through policies, programs, and services,” said Schuyler.

More information about the New York State Prevention Agenda can be found at www.health.ny.gov. The Community Health Assessment.

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Congressman Tom Reed held a Town Hall Meeting in Falconer on Thursday night, Nov. 7, 2019 with about 40 local residents in attendance.

FALCONER – About 40 people were at the Town of Ellicott Municipal Building in Falconer Thursday to attend a Town Hall Meeting with Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning, NY 23).

Topics that were discussed included the Mexico-Canada trade agreement, clean and renewable energy initiatives and impeachment. The last topic created the most contentious back-and-forth between the Congressman and attendees, with some raising their voices at times and interrupting Reed as he explained why he doesn’t support the impeachment process against President Trump.

During the opening remarks of the meeting, Reed, a 5-term republican congressman from Corning- reiterated his views on the issue of impeaching president Trump.

“Right now the topic of the day is impeachment. Impeachment has taken up the airwaves and kind of taken up the oxygen in the room. As I have publicly stated and I will state here again, I do not support the impeachment process. I don’t support the inquiries,” Reed said. “When you look at impeachment, the lessons of President Clinton, the lessons of President Nixon, and when impeachment is employed historically we’re talking about the overturning a duly held election in America. Going down the path, in my opinion, is not warranted.”

Following his opening remarks, it was another 20 minutes or so before impeachment was brought up again. But once it was, the issue took up the vast remainder of the hour-long meeting with Reed and attendees trading remarks on the matter, often times talking over each other in the process.

Most of those in attendance appeared to disagree with Reed about the impeachment issue. But while Reed was unable to convince many in the room that Impeachment is unwarranted, there was some agreement when it came to U.S. troops in Syria, when Reed explained that he has always been against any president using military forces without first consulting with Congress and has pushed for that Congressional approval despite it not being a popular sentiment.

“I can tell you the conversations that are occurring on the floor of the house. ‘Tom, why do you keep advocating for a politically toxic vote that you would have to take if you’re going to put men and women into war zones?’ I said to them to their face, ‘If you’re telling me that we’re going to ask men and women of the military to risk their physical lives in terms of a mission that we’re asking them to do, I can risk my political life in regards to taking that vote up or down,” Reed said, followed by applause from those in attendance.

Congressman Tom Reed listens as a member of the audience discusses the issues of impeachment during the Nov. 7 Town Hall Meeting in Falconer.

Following the meeting, we asked Reed for his reaction to the response he got from those in attendance as well as if there were any takeaways from the hour-long conversation.

“There’s a lot of passion out there in America today and obviously you saw some of that displayed today. But I think we had a good conversation on Syria and it was good to see people recognized where we are coming from,” Reed said. “But overall this is what it’s all about – just continuing to be accessible and they now know the people behind the voices and faces in the office so they can feel comfortable giving us a call.”

Meanwhile Reed was in Jamestown earlier in the day to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony that was held at the Chautauqua Center on Institute St.

Reed said the new medical center will improve the quality of health care in the Jamestown area.

“They’re having 200 patients a day coming through there and that integrated care model is something I’m a big fan. Where you have easy access to all the care, to get all the concerns when somebody walks into a doctor’s office or a provider’s office, one location to take care of all the problems to the best extent possible,” Reed said.

The new facility was made possible with federal and state grants that were secured, in part, through the work of Reed’s office along with that of Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

For more information, visit thechautauquacenter.org.

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WRFA’s Jason Sample talks with Alicia Ekstrom from the Chautauqua Center about the recent opening of its new facility on Institute St. in Jamestown. Plus she offers details on the services and programs the Center provides to local residents, regardless of income or insurance provider.

The free family event is open to all, and features Chautauqua County’s largest backpack and school supply giveaway as well as food, music, bounce houses, children’s games, and face painting. New this year is the addition of a petting zoo. The event is cohosted by the Salvation Army and the Anew Center. Sponsors include BlueCross BlueShield of WNY, YourCare Health Plan, Lakeshore Savings Bank, Walmart, and the United Way of Northern Chautauqua County.

Local vendors are also in attendance to provide youth and parents with information and resources from approximately 40 community organizations, including education programs, health, advocacy and support services.

National Health Center Week is an annual celebration to raise awareness about the mission and accomplishments of America’s health centers. This year’s theme is “Rooted in Communities.” The Chautauqua Center is a federally qualified health center that provides much needed health and support services to people throughout the Chautauqua region. The center facilitates events and giveaways that benefit the whole community, not just their patients. In honor of the Rooted in Communities theme, the Chautauqua Center will give approximately 1,000 backpacks filled with school supplies throughout the county this summer. A large portion will be distributed at the Family Fun Day event in Dunkirk. The rest will go to students in Jamestown’s LEAP camps and the summer playground groups.

The Chautauqua Center works with community members and local school districts to ensure that children have adequate access to health care and ancillary services (i.e. counseling, dental care, etc.). In addition, the center works directly with many collaborative partners to address social determinants of health such as housing issues, insurance enrollment, and food access. Their mission is to deliver comprehensive, high quality patient-centered health and support services in the Chautauqua region.

The Chautauqua Center has locations in Dunkirk and Jamestown and is always accepting new patients. Services include primary care, pediatrics, behavioral health, dental care, substance abuse services, care coordination, pharmacy and nutrition education. Hours are Monday-Thursday 8 a.m.- 7 p.m; Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.thechautauquacenter.org. To schedule an appointment for you and your family, call (716) 363-6050 to speak with a bilingual patient registration specialist.

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The Latin Inspiration show is a radio program for the community, hosted by Pastor Juan Perez, who provides an hour of inspirational Latin music along with news, interviews, and an encouraging message from the word of God.

On April 14 he had Alicia Ekstrom from the Chautauqua Center on his show as a guest. Interview in Spanish and English with translation provided by Solimar Vazquez.

Alicia Ekstrom, Juan Perez, and Solimar Vazquez.