Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative Inc

BERGEN VOLUNTEER MEDICAL INITIATIVE PROVIDES FREE PRIMARY, PREVENTIVE, CHRONIC AND URGENT CARE, AS WELL AS REFERRALS FOR DIAGNOSTICS AND OUTSIDE SPECIALIST CARE TO LOW-INCOME, WORKING, BERGEN COUNTY RESIDENTS WHO HAVE NO HEALTH INSURANCE. BVMI ALSO PROVIDES FREE MENTAL HEALTH AND CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES TO PATIENTS.

PRIMARY CARE AT OUR ONSITE MEDICAL CLINIC IN HACKENSACK, NJ, BVMI PROVIDES FREE PRIMARY, PREVENTIVE, CHRONIC AND URGENT CARE FOR BERGEN COUNTY ADULTS WHO WORK, BUT DO NOT HAVE MEDICAL INSURANCE. THIS INCLUDES A PRIMARY CARE EXAMINATION, CONDUCTED BY OUR VOLUNTEER PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS, AND REFERRALS TO SPECIALISTS AT OTHER LOCATIONS WHEN NEEDED. THE SPECIALISTS IN OUR NETWORK ALSO PROVIDE THEIR SERVICES AT NO COST TO BVMI PATIENTS.OUR VOLUNTEER MEDICAL TEAM OF 75 CLINICIANS DETECTS AND SUCCESSFULLY TREATS PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASES SUCH AS DIABETES, HYPERTENSION, HIGH CHOLESTEROL AND OTHER CONDITIONS. ANOTHER 75 VOLUNTEERS PERFORM VITAL ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS. BVMI SERVED 1,000 ADULTS IN 2023, WITH FEMALES COMPRISING 65% OF OUR PATIENT ROSTER. SUPPORT OF LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS IS AVAILABLE, AS IS GUIDANCE FROM DIETITIANS AND SOCIAL WORKERS.IN 2023, PROVIDED CARE FOR 1,001 UNIQUE PATIENTS IN 9,595 ONSITE AND TELEHEALTH VISITS.

KOREAN HEALTHCARE PROGRAM BERGEN COUNTY IS HOME TO MORE THAN 63,000 RESIDENTS OF KOREAN DESCENT, MANY OF WHOM ARE RECENT IMMIGRANTS WITH NO ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE. IN 2019, BVMI ESTABLISHED THE KOREAN HEALTHCARE PROGRAM TO PROVIDE CULTURALLY-SENSITIVE HEALTHCARE FOR KOREAN PATIENTS, MANY OF WHOM COME TO BVMI WITH SERIOUS AND PREVIOUSLY UNDIAGNOSED HEALTH CONDITIONS. BVMI'S KOREAN STAFF NURSE PRACTITIONER AND KOREAN PATIENT NAVIGATOR SUPPORTED BY SEVERAL VOLUNTEER INTERPRETERS PROVIDED TIMELY, COMPASSIONATE CARE IN 2023 IN 350 VISITS.CASE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMBVMI'S CASE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM WAS ESTABLISHED IN FEBRUARY 2020, JUST PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC AND BECAME A FULL TIME PROGRAM IN 2021. BVMI'S CASE MANAGER PROVIDES ASSISTANCE TO PATIENTS TO ADDRESS SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH INCLUDING FOOD SECURITY, RENTAL AND UTILITY ASSISTANCE, EMPLOYMENT AND JOB TRAINING, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, LEGAL GUIDANCE AND MANY OTHER ISSUES THAT AFFECT QUALITY OF LIFE. MANY PATIENTS REQUIRE DEEP INTERVENTIONS AND MULTIPLE VISITS. IN 2023, THECASE MANAGER PROVIDED ASSISTANCE TO 447 UNIQUE PATIENTS IN 1,315 VISITS.

DIABETES PREVENTION, CARE, AND EDUCATIONTHE DIABETES PREVENTION, CARE, AND EDUCATION PROGRAM AT BVMI IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE EARLY DETECTION, SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT, AND IMPROVED OUTCOMES FOR OUR PRE-DIABETIC AND DIABETIC PATIENTS. THESE TWO CATEGORIES REPRESENT MORE THAN 1/3 OF BVMI'S PATIENTS. UNCONTROLLED DIABETES CAN LEAD TO INCREASED RISK OF STROKE, HEART DISEASE, CIRCULATORY PROBLEMS AND NEUROPATHY, VISUAL IMPAIRMENT, KIDNEY DISEASE - EVEN DEATH.THE INTAKE FOR ALL BVMI PATIENTS INCLUDES A COMPREHENSIVE PRIMARY CARE EXAMINATION. IF RESULTS INDICATE THAT THEY ARE DIABETIC OR PRE-DIABETIC, THEY ARE REFERRED TO OUR DIABETES TEAM FOR FURTHER CARE AND FOLLOW-UP. WE WORK WITH THIS GROUP OF PATIENTS TO BRING THEIR CONDITION UNDER CONTROL AND UNDER MAINTENANCE. THIS INCLUDES PATIENT EDUCATION IN HEALTHY LIFESTYLE CHOICES, TRAINING FOR PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES OR CAREGIVERS IN HOW TO MONITOR AND MANAGE DIABETES, AND MEDICATION AND SUPPLIES WHERE APPROPRIATE.IN 2023, THE PART-TIME CERTIFIED DIABETES CARE AND EDUCATION SPECIALIST COMPLETED 241 VISITS. CLINICAL OUTCOMES FOR PATIENTS COMPARE VERY FAVORABLY TO NATIONAL HEDIS BENCHMARKS FOR MEDICAID POPULATION: 64.6% OF BVMI PATIENTS HAD AN A1C VALUE OF LESS THAN 7.0, COMPARED TO THE HEDIS BENCHMARK OF 34.7%, AND 87.9% OF BVMI PATIENTS HAD AN A1C VALUE OF LESS THAN 8.0, COMPARED TO THE HEDIS BENCHMARK OF 48.3. ONLY 7.1% HAD AN A1C VALUE OF GREATER THAN 9, COMPARED TO THE HEDIS BENCHMARK OF 42.3.19 PATIENTS COMPLETED BVMI'S INNOVATIVE, INTENSIVE 9-MONTH PREVENT DIABETES PROGRAM. NINETY-FIVE PERCENT LOWERED THEIR A1C (BLOOD SUGAR) VALUES, INCLUDING EIGHT PATIENTS (42%) WHO DECREASED THEIR A1C TO NORMAL RANGE. SEVENTY-NINE PERCENT OF THE PARTICIPANTS LOST WEIGHT, WITH AN AVERAGE WEIGHT LOSS OF 6.5 POUNDS.

WOMEN'S HEALTH INITIATIVETHE WOMEN'S HEALTH INITIATIVE AT BVMI IS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE WOMEN'S HEALTH LITERACY AND HEALTHCARE OUTCOMES. WOMEN COMPRISE APPROXIMATELY 65% OF BVMI'S 1,000 PATIENTS.THROUGH OUR WOMEN'S HEALTH INITIATIVE, GYNECOLOGICAL CARE ALSO BECOMES PART OF OUR FOLLOW-UP CARE FOR FEMALE PATIENTS. CARE IS PROVIDED ONSITE BY VOLUNTEER GYNECOLOGISTS AS WELL AS ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSES WHO ARE WOMEN'S HEALTH SPECIALISTS. THIS INCLUDES A REFERRAL FOR A MAMMOGRAM FOR WOMEN OVER THE AGE OF 40 WHO HAVE NOT HAD THIS SCREENING TEST IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS - SO THAT WE CAN DETECT ANY BREAST HEALTH ISSUES BEFORE THEY REACH A SERIOUS STAGE. IN 2023, 469 UNIQUE WOMEN PATIENTS SAW WOMEN'S HEALTH PRACTITIONERS IN 692 VISITS. 276 PATIENTS RECEIVED A MAMMOGRAM.