Erie Family Health Center

Were you unable to make the Geiger Gibson Emerging Leaders Award Ceremony? Have no fears! Here was the speech made that day by Erie’s very own Senior Vice President, Iliana Mora.

Good morning esteemed colleagues, friends and family.

I’d like to thank the George Washington University, School of Public Health & Health Services, for the Geiger Gibson Emerging Leader Award. And the National Association of Community Health Centers for co-sponsoring this symposium. I’d also like to recognize and congratulate all the nominees, finalists and award recipients.    

I receive this honor with great gratitude and great humility. It is an award that not only celebrates our accomplishments in community health thus far but also the accomplishments that we have yet to achieve.

How did this happen?, I thought to myself. I realized, though, that I share the same beliefs as Dr. Jack Geiger and Dr. Count Gibson.

The belief that: health care is a right, not a privilege and that everyone deserves access to high quality culturally competent health care.

It is this strong conviction that energizes me to work harder everyday in a field that is not so easy to work in, where our patients come with complicated medical conditions, we make miracles from the our thin margins and often feels like we are at the mercy of what happens here in D.C.

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Erie Family Health Center’s Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Operations, Iliana Mora, honored with the Geiger Gibson Emerging Leaders Award

Iliana Mora joined the Erie Family Health Center family in June 2002 as a Development Specialist and assisted in one of Erie’s initial community needs assessments – bringing a unique mix of corporate, analytical and academic research skills to the project. From the beginning, Iliana showed a strong commitment and determination in addressing the health care needs of the communities Erie serves. Erie believes health care is a right not a privilege, and since her first days at Erie, Iliana has never wavered in her commitment to drive that belief forward.

It’s no surprise Iliana has been honored with the Geiger Gibson Emerging Leaders Award. Since 2007, this award has highlighted and shared with the health center community the accomplishments of a new generation of health center leaders. One or more Emerging Leaders are selected annually by the Program, with the assistance of an advisory group comprised of health center leaders. The key qualities of leadership highlighted by this award are commitment, motivation, professional achievement, and leadership qualities that together further the health center mission. “These young professionals exemplify the finest in community health center leadership,” said Jack Geiger, MD, MPH, Arthur C. Logan Professor Emeritus of Community Medicine, City University of New York, and pioneer of the U.S. community health center movement. “Their commitment to excellence is the backbone of the health centers movement.”

Iliana has made a significant contribution to Erie’s ability to provide the best of health care to those who need it most. Iliana highlights Erie’s commitment to the community as the main source of inspiration for her. “There are two reasons I love Erie. I love the people I work with – everyone is extremely talented and committed to the work they do,” says Iliana. “I also love the communities Erie serves. I come to the office to work with amazing individuals and to find new and better ways to bring quality services to more people and more communities.”

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Beats this week:

1) A new early-warning diabetes test has shown promise in predicting Type 2 diabetes up to ten years before the first symptoms of the disease appear. Besides developing an effective screening tool for individuals at risk for Type 2 diabetes, this research may also provide insights into why Type 2 diabetes occurs as well.

2) Although medical students around the country do not official get the title of “M.D.” until graduation, ‘Match Day’ – the day where senior medical students find out where they will train as residents – is almost as important. The National Resident Matching Program, the non-profit organization that coordinates the matches, reported an increase in the number of family medicine positions – an exciting statistic, considering that the U.S. is expected to experience a drastic shortage of primary care physicians in the coming years.

3) Organic foods are a hot topic these days – and yes, there are definite benefits to buying and eating organically. If you want to relieve some of the strain on wallet, though, there are foods where you can forego the organic brand. Click here to see the list of food items that you don’t have to stress over looking for the organically certified label.

4) Tuberculosis, a bacterial disease of the lungs, is thought to be a disease of the past. Unfortunately, this dangerous and contagious disease takes the lives of approximately two million people a year, mostly in developing countries. Scientists at the Imperial College London however have discovered a protein that could be targeted for a tuberculosis vaccine – one that is much more effective than the vaccine that exists today.

5) A recent study published by the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrated more unfortunate repercussions of nursing shortages in hospitals. The study reports that a patient’s risk of death increases two percent per hospital shift when units are understaffed with registered nurses. This result adds fuel to the debate concerning nursing staffing levels in U.S. hospitals.

Erie Beats

Erie invites you to enjoy the online edition of the 2010 Erie Family Health Center Annual Report.  In this easy-to-read, click-through format, you will find the same program highlights, achievements and awards, event wrap ups, donor information and statistics you can enjoy in print form, with new features such as Web and video links to view Erie’s social media sites. Experience Erie like never before. Read, watch and hear what’s going on. Learn more about the expansion, innovation and growth Erie experienced in 2010. Thank you for allowing us to bring Erie Family Health Center right to your desktop!

Erie Beats

Northern Trust committed to being a sponsor at the 2011 Golden Toothbrush Awards being held Wednesday, May 25 at The Four Seasons Chicago! With the support from Northern Trust, Erie will be able to serve even more oral health patients this year. The third annual Golden Toothbrush Awards Luncheon will focus on the often overlooked issue of poor oral health and shed light on the solutions those in the community are carrying out to address this problem. Norther Trust is aligning itself with Erie, a trusted and credible entity serving communities in Chicago. A BIG thank you to Northern Trust!!

Beats this week:  

1) Health Beats was on a slight hiatus in February but now March is upon us and we are back in full swing! Speaking of March, did you know that this month is National Nutrition Month and National Save Your Vision Month? Now you do!  

2) Are you a fan of sugary drinks, such as soda? If so, you might want to rethink that extra soda. A new study published this week has found that there is a link between the excess consumption of sugary drinks and higher blood pressure.  

3) While Health Care Reform will not take effect until 2014, reports already being released on the impact it will have on working families. Families USA released a report this week on the savings that working families will experience when the spending cap limit regulations of Health Care Reform take effect. The report claims that approximately 50,000 Illinoisans will benefit from the new guidelines. 

4) The American Heart Association released new guidelines this week on women and heart disease. The new guidelines expand the list of conditions that place women at an increased risk of developing heart disease. New conditions on the list include systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia, pregnancy-related hypertension and gestational diabetes.

5) Here’s one competition that the United States did not want to win: the rate of obesity in the United States is significantly higher than in Canada. About 24 percent of Canadians are obese compared to more than 34 percent of Americans, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Erie Beats

Erie Family Health Center would like to thank everyone who attended Salud and the City on February 24, 2011. Because of your support, Erie was able to raise funds to support all of our programs! If you were able to join us for the event we hope you had a great evening at LaSalle Power Company and enjoyed the live band, South of 80! If you missed the event don’t worry, we have you covered. Click here to check out photos on Flickr!

Erie Beats

Check out the ‘I Am Erie’ video, premiered last night, February 24, at Salud and the City!

A Partnership between Loyola Chicago School of Law and

Erie Family Health Center

Erie Family Health Center aims to provide affordable, accessible, high quality care – care that sometimes extends beyond health care. We understand that every aspect of a person’s life can affect their overall health. At Erie, our mission extends beyond caring for just the patient’s physical well-being.

Erie recognizes that as a community health center, we have a unique opportunity in the lives of our patients. We listen to their frustrations, hold their hands through pain, and work with them to find solutions to the challenges they face. Erie Family Health Center is excited to announce a program that will provide another opportunity to be an additional pillar of support for all patients. Erie has recently partnered with the Health Justice Project at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. The Health Justice Project is a medical-legal partnership clinic in which Juris Doctorate (JD) students train community health care providers of low-income individuals and families and help them identify social and legal issues that negatively impact the health of their patients. Under this partnership, Erie staff will be able to identify social and legal issues that contribute to the health conditions of Erie patients. Once identified, Erie providers will be able to refer patients to JD students or pro bono attorneys participating in the Health Justice Project. Patients will then be able to receive brief advice, representation and resolution.

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At the Erie Family Health Center All Staff Meeting on January 26th, Erie was honored as an Illinois Your Healthcare PlusTM (YHP) top performer for excellence in caring for people with diabetes. Erie West Town and Erie Humboldt Park were awarded this honor. Erie Humboldt Park was also bestowed as an YHP Blue Ribbon Recipient.

YHP is a statewide Medicaid program that coordinates care for people living with chronic illnesses like diabetes. YHP promotes and sustains the patient-physician relationship by helping patients manage their total health care. YHP achieves this by empowering a multidisciplinary care team which helps patients make informed healthcare decisions, improve patients’ understanding of their chronic diseases through self-learning and management tools, as well as helping patients receive care coordination for complex health needs.

Dr. Carrie Nelson, Medical Director of YHP, recognizes Erie’s effort to create a diabetes program that enables the patient to take control of their disease to improve their overall health. “These sites (Erie West Town and Erie Humboldt Park) have done outstanding work in diabetes care and YHP recognizes it is a team effort,” says Dr. Nelson.

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