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BALTIMORE (Map, News) - If you think navigating your company’s HMO policy is a hurdle to good health care, imagine being a new citizen or an immigrant without coverage or with limited ability to understand a care agreement.
Catholic Charities’ Hispanic Apostolate signed an agreement with St. Joseph Medical Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine and St. Agnes HealthCare on Tuesday to open a new Health Services Center for immigrants in Fells Point.
The center expands and formalizes mobile clinics and vaccination drives the Hispanic Apostolate has held for several years, apostolate Director Cynthia Fickes said.
“We’re looking at not only doubling the number of patients we treat but expanding the services,” she said. “We’re looking to enable them to have a full life, stay employed and continue to care for their families.”
The new Health Services Center is slated to open in early 2008 on the second floor of Catholic Charities’ Hispanic Apostolate and will serve people with no insurance. It also provides English language training, interpretation and referrals to other social services.
St. Joseph Medical Center provided primary health care for adults twice a week at this location through its traveling St. Clare Medical Outreach coach for 10 years, treating about 2,000 people annually. The services will move off the coach and into the new center, where Johns Hopkins Medicine will provide pediatric care, and St. Agnes HealthCare will provide obstetrical and gynecological care, according to the agreement.
“Since our Hispanic Apostolate opened in 1963, we have welcomed immigrants and helped them to learn English and assisted them with a wide variety of needs,” Harold A. Smith, executive director of Catholic Charities, said in a statement. “This new center continues Catholic Charities’ historic tradition of welcoming immigrants that began in the late 1700s.”
A 2005 survey by Rivera Qualitative Research and Language Services of Washington, D.C., cited lack of health insurance, funds to pay for treatment and medications, transportation, and inability to communicate as factors discouraging immigrant Hispanics from seeking health care.
“This is a community that doesn’t have access as we all do to appropriate health care,” Fickes said. “It can be very expensive sometimes. It can be very difficult to navigate through our systems.”
khille@baltimoreexaminer.com
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11:13 AM MST on Mon., Mar. 10, 2008 re: "Medical center faces tough choices"
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Albert Franklin said:
However, when the County chooses to address the $2 billion dollars Jerry Brown bilked from them in a meaningful manner, then this should all become most academic!
17 agree | 15 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
As an employee of SF General Hospital's psych dept., where none of us wear uniforms nor have lines on the floor that patients can't cross and where we train patients to take better care of themselves (including the activities of daily living such as nutrition, personal hygeine and the like), I am a bit mystified by John Nickens' comments. Has he been in a hospital in the past 20 years or so?
56 agree | 44 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I love the fact that they are turning Dore Alley (not Street) from an iconic Gay area into another crazy person magnet in the already crazy SOMA. Last year a doorman at the Powerhouse came to the defense of a patron being attacked by a nut-job housed across the street (along door alley) by another "non" profit. The police arrested the DOORMAN for gods sake, and the Powerhouse had to hold fundraisers to pay his legal expenses. Why is the City being allowed to take our great SOMA neighborhood and turn it into another Tenderloin? How sad.
52 agree | 41 disagree
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jacksmith said:
Insurance mandates are not universal health care. And politicians should stop calling it that. Nothing is Universal Health Care except "Single Payer Not For Profit Tax Supported Government Managed Health Care" (HR 676). Insurance mandates will be worse than what you have now. And what you have now is a complete, and total disgrace, and horror show. Insurance mandates will (require) you to buy insurance from the private insurance companies that have been ripping you off, and killing you by the thousands.
101 agree | 84 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
know of a guy who came here for a couple of years and got on the welfare medical roles in san francisco and had major surgery done to a problem eye he was born with in Mexico, had the work done at taxpayer expense and moved back to Mexico permanently. Wow and I can't even get medical insurance without breaking the bank.
89 agree | 69 disagree
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Jeff, an Independent said:
I wonder how many Illegal Aliens are going to exploit this...
114 agree | 112 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The sheep want to give O'Malley a health care victory.
112 agree | 111 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Another rash decision by the immature Ulman. You are going to have people move to Howard County just for the free medical insurance. That'll be good for the tax base. Ulman was "Secretary of the Cabinet" under Glendening, the worst MD governor in the last 30 years. Under Ulman's Cabinet leadership, Glendening created a structural deficit that we deal with still today. Ulman deserves the blame for this. Now we are going to support another big-government idea from him? Unless, of course, Ulman wasn't really "Secretary of the Cabinet" under Glendening. But that would mean he would have lied about his resume, which can't be the case.
129 agree | 119 disagree
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Stephanie Shantz said:
I'm sorry for going on and on, but if Dr. Renold Keyser wouldn' have told my parents what he found I would not be here today. It began when I was 6 months, then a different tumor when I was 5 years old. Dr. Howard Lederman was my Dr. at JHH, both are my angels. Even though I have lasting effects, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them both. Dr. Renold Keyser is from Hagerstown MD, I love them both and Dr. Howard Lederman is from JHH. Dr. Alex Hollar did my surgery, he was chief of surgery back then. I still keep in contact w both dr's. I was given a second chance. So if anyone that reads this has any doubt about their sickness Please go to JHH. They will save ur life. I'm now 26 yrs. old and doing great because of them. My email is sshantz123@yahoo.com if u have any questions or would just like to talk. I enjoy helping people and trying to give back what was given to me. Dr. Cindy Swartz was also a big help, however she's not there anymore, she moved to NY and is now the d
482 agree | 207 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Could this be the begining of the end. Med companies will probably buy up the Patents to save their income. How can we stop them?
308 agree | 553 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The below site has great information about hyperhidrosis and its treatments. They also offer Free brochures and a Free e-newsletter. www.SweatHelp.org
348 agree | 314 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Perhaps Miss Lietz should read the harvard medical school study that came out this march stating Indoor tanning prevents melonoma cancer, thats the Dana -Farber cancer institute, Miss Lietz was scheldued in Annapolis to address this at a legistative meeting she did not show, thats www.dana-farber.org
370 agree | 333 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I doubt that Miss Lietz will be telling the students about the Harvard Medical School's Dana Farber Cancer Institute study that concluded "Tanning Protects Against Skin Cancer." Miss Lietz should stop blaming herself for getting skin cancer. She should know by now that nothing she did caused her to get the disease. It's genetic. Tanning didn't cause it. Tanning salons are not to blame. The fact of the matter is, moderate tanning is healthy behavior. It prevents more diseases by the processing of vitamin D3. It's time for Miss Lietz to go back to Nursing School. She has a lot to learn.
383 agree | 320 disagree
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