On Monday November 8, 2010, South Cove finally received the knock on the door it had been waiting for since the beginning of the year: a visit from the Joint Commission. The health center was due for a survey in 2010.  The survey could happen any time during the calendar year and is unannounced.   

During the 3-day visit, the surveyors conducted a methodical assessment that left no stone unturned.  The team of two consisted of a physician and a healthcare administration surveyor.  They examined the health center policies and procedures in both the clinical and administrative departments such as Emergency Preparedness, Infection Control, and medication management.  They also inspected the physical facilities and observed staff-patient interactions.  Staff were questioned on health center protocols and procedures.   Though the process was thorough and lengthy, we had been ready for a long time and were glad for the opportunity to tell the South Cove story.  One of the health center's great accomplishments in quality improvement was the initiation of the electronic medical record over the past couple of years.  A detailed presentation was done, demonstrating how the EMR is involved in every step of a visit, from patient check-in to physician sign off to close the loop in the system.  We presented other quality measures in addition to EMR, which were very well received by the surveyors.   At the end of the survey, the collective feeling from all staff was a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.  There were a few opportunities for improvement as a result of the survey, however, these were easily modified and led to a decision of full accreditation for another three years.  Eugene, after the survey, felt that "it was the best evaluation we have ever had, the staff performed outstandingly and using the new electronic medical records as a quality measure worked out extremely well."   He also attributed the success to having a stable staff, which puts depth in the process.  Mary Jo Majors, Director of Clinical Operations, who championed the re-accreditation project, echoed Eugene's comments, and was pleased with the overall performance and the end result.  She further stated that "it is the hard work of all the staff throughout the past couple of years that led to this wonderful accomplishment." 

The Joint Commission certificate "is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization's commitment to meeting certain performance standards."  Obtaining this accreditation is considered the pinnacle for healthcare organizations; it means that all our systems: clinical, financial and administrative meet the high standards set by the Joint Commission.  SCCHC first obtained the golden seal of approval in 2001, and has continually improved its quality of care and services since.  To this day, South Cove is proud to be the only Asian community health center in the country that has received the Joint Commission seal of approval.  Having passed the survey successfully last November renewed the health center's status as fully accredited for three more years, to 2013.

On Monday, January 3, 2011, the official letter from the Joint Commission accrediting the health center arrived.   It may be a simple letter of only a couple of paragraphs but it represented the health center's determination to continually meet the Joint Commission's high and ever changing standards year in and year out.  To have gone through four cycles successfully is no easy feat and would not have been possible without great teamwork and persistence.  Eugene would like to thank everyone involved; this is a testament to the dedication of our staff. 

Following the rave reviews and feedback on the Cancer Patient Navigator Program at BIDMC, funded by the Asian Healthcare Foundation, an extension of that program was created: Tea Time for Women with Cancer.  It is a social gathering conducted in Chinese where female cancer patients can share their journeys and draw strength from one another.     

Being diagnosed with cancer is a very scary experience that makes people feel so isolated.  They may be afraid to talk about it and may not feel that others would understand.  Through her role as the Cancer Patient Navigator, Christina often sees that patients express a sense of relief after talking to her. But she knows that that is not enough.  Being a strong believer in peer support and how helpful and powerful it can be, she refers her patients to a Chinese speaking cancer support group that meets in a church.  However, some patients do not feel comfortable being in a church environment because of their own religious reason.  And to Christiana's knowledge, that support group is the only Chinese speaking in town.  She prayed that there would be another group set up in a non-religious environment.  To make it happen, she approached some Chinese-speaking LICSWs to see if they would be willing to start a group but the result fruitless.  It then occurred to her that she could start one herself.   She discussed this idea with her superiors, who were all very supportive of it, but because she is not a LICSW, it would not be a support/psychotherapy group; rather, it would be an informal gathering for social and networking purpose.  Having gotten the green light, Christina set out to start her own group with the goal to provide a safe environment for cancer patients to talk and share their experiences freely.  

She spoke to her patients about the idea and many expressed an interest.  The next step was to decide on a meeting location.  Patients were reluctant to have the group at either South Cove or BIDMC, the former because it was there where most of them found out about their diagnosis, the latter because they were already making frequent trips there for their treatment, then came the suggestion of the Hope Lodge thanks to Christina's co-worker.   The Hope Lodge provides a very cozy, homey and friendly environment for cancer patients.  They meet in a conference room equipped with a small kitchen where they can prepare tea and snacks to start with. 

The group started in mid November 2010 and currently there are 3-4 people.  Christina usually has them engage in some ice breaking conversations first (simple cooking, art and craft) to make them more comfortable.  Surprisingly, they are quick to jump into the sensitive topics, such as the stigma of cancer, the challenge of the cancer path and the difficulty in breaking the bad news to close ones (children and elderly parents).

Less than two-months into the program, there have been wonderful stories already:

-          A lady who has connection with a freelance-work contractor got freelance jobs for other women she met in the group. 

-          A newly diagnosed breast cancer patient was less scared after meeting an older woman battling the same disease that came from the same village and spoke the same dialect. They exchanged contact information and started meeting up outside the group.  The older lady took the younger one under her wings and assumed a care-taker role of showing her around and accompanying her to doctors' appointments.  Christina jokingly commented that the lady was trying to take over her position as the Cancer Navigator!

Tea Time for Women with Cancer is a significant bonus of the Cancer Patient Navigator Program; it provides another avenue for peer support for Chinese speaking patients.  The group meets every 1^st and 3^rd Wednesday of the month at 125 South Huntington Avenue in Jamaica Plain.  It is free and the meeting space is donated by the American Cancer Society AstraZeneca Hope Lodge Center.  For more information, please contact Christina Ho at 617-667-3436.

Eugene Welch recently had a meeting with the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling's Asian Community Program Manager Chien-Chi Huang.  Though problem gambling can happen to persons of any ethnicity, race and socio-economic background, studies have shown that it is more prevalent among Asian Americans especially the new immigrant Asian communities.  South Cove's Behavioral Health department is available to offer counseling to individuals suffering from gambling addiction but the challenge lies in getting them into the door to seek treatment.  Those that do ask for help are among the minority and represent only the very tip of an enormous iceberg.   There is a definite need for more outreach and this is where Ms. Huang and her program come into play.

Recognizing that Asians belong to a high-risk group, the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling launched an Asian Outreach Initiative in 2006 to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate resources for this population.  The Initiative has three goals:

-          To build the capacity of partner organizations to treat and serve Asian American problem gamblers and their families

-          To provide the Asian American community with access to the Council and its services

-          To increase public awareness of problem gambling and its social impact within the Asian American community

Besides offering support to compulsive gamblers, the Council also provides training for individuals with qualified clinical experience to become Massachusetts Problem Gambling Specialist (MA PGS).  Eugene and Ms. Huang both see the importance of having more Asian speaking clinicians trained as MA PGSs.  To that end, Eugene has agreed on a proposal by Ms. Huang to start a process to have South Cove clinicians certified.  

Compulsive gambling is a serious problem that has been known to destroy lives and families.  Outreaching to the Asian population is particularly difficult because of the stigma associated with it.  South Cove applauds the Council's Asian Outreach Initiative for taking on this challenge, and is glad to be working with the agency to better serve this group in need.   

For more information on MA Council on Compulsive Gambling and the Asian Outreach Initiative, please contact Ms. Huang at 617-426-4554.

Beacon Hospice Care assists and provides services to seniors who are under assistance living, elderly homes, or elders who are living at home.  Beacon Hospice Care is a certified Medicaid and Medicare program and is also cover by all MassHealth plans (except Essential).  They provides significant support for end-of-life care services.  Patients who utilize the program are elderly, who are declining in health or are terminal in their illnesses.  

Realizing that many of the Asian elders that may benefit from their services have a language barrier, Beacon has put in place a team of Asian speaking healthcare professionals that consists of a RN, social workers and home health aides.  The team would like to reach out to more Asians and hopes that South Cove patients needing such care would consider them as an option.  Since 85% of the health center's patients are covered under the state, it is informative and useful to know that programs like Beacon Hospice Care can be there for the transition of our elderly patients' lives.