Jan. 4th, 2023

January is the Perfect Time to Celebrate National Blood Donor Month

Posted on January 4, 2023January 4, 2023 by SenaCHNWF

January is the Perfect Time to Celebrate National Blood Donor Month

January is National Blood Donor Month, a time to recognize the importance of giving blood and celebrating this gift of life’s impact of those who roll up their sleeves to help people in need.

This year marks the 53^rd anniversary of the national recognition, and January is the perfect month for such an important observance.

The winter season is one of the most difficult times of year to collect enough blood products to meet patient needs, according to the American Red Cross. Among other things, busy holiday celebrations and schedules, as well as inclement weather, often result in canceled blood drives. Even more, seasonal illnesses like colds and flu force potential donors to skip their regular donations.

In thanks and support for helping meet the immediate need for blood and platelets, OneBlood is teaming up with Community Health Northwest Florida for a multi-site blood drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday, January 11^th.

The blood drive will be held at two locations:

Community Health Northwest Florida’s Main Site, 2315 W. Jackson St., Pensacola

Community Health Northwest Florida Milton, 6671 Caroline St., Milton

All donors will receive a $20 eGift Card, OneBlood long sleeve T-shirt and a brief wellness checkup, including blood pressure, pulse, temperature, iron count, and cholesterol screening.

Appointments are encouraged. Please visit oneblood.org/donate-now and use sponsor code 69957.

Blood donors of all blood types – especially type O blood, the blood groups hospitals need most – are needed now to give blood or platelets to help meet the daily medical demands.

Donating blood saves lives and improves health outcomes for many people. Blood is the most precious gift that anyone can give to another person. A decision to donate your blood can save a life, or even more if your blood is separated into its components – red cells, platelets and plasma.

January is the beginning of a new year and the perfect time to celebrate National Blood Donor Month. Donating blood is safer than ever before and save lives. Maybe someday that saved life will be your own, thanks to a blood donation somebody took the time to give!

Questions? Learn more about the importance of giving blood and get tips for first time donations at OneBlood’s website!

Nov. 21st, 2022

Communities Caring at Christmas in Northwest Florida

Posted on November 21, 2022December 8, 2023 by SenaCHNWF

Communities Caring at Christmas in Northwest Florida

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Since 1979, Communities Caring at Christmas has been helping provide new toys, clothing and daily living needs for abused, neglected, abandoned children living in foster care, children living in poverty and adults with developmental disabilities in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties. This organization truly cares for the least of us, and brings joy to those who otherwise might not experience joy during this “most wonderful time of the year.”

Again this year, Community Health Northwest Florida is proud to partner with WEAR-TV to help maximize the reach and impact of Communities Caring at Christmas. We want to ensure that no family goes without this holiday season!

If you feel led to give, you can do so online here or to donate by check, please make checks payable to Communities Caring at Christmas, and mail or drop it by:

Community Health Northwest Florida
2315 West Jackson Street
Pensacola, FL 32505

Nov. 16th, 2022

The Health Ambassadors at C.A. Weis Elementary School are Dressed for Success

Posted on November 16, 2022November 18, 2022 by SenaCHNWF

The Health Ambassadors at C.A. Weis Elementary School are Dressed for Success

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The Health Ambassadors at C.A. Weis Elementary School are dressed for success this fall.

The Health Ambassador program was designed to give students hands-on experience in the healthcare field. Students are learning how to be healthy while they explore a potential career path.

The Ambassadors are getting a unique opportunity to try on a career while they are still in elementary school. And now they also get to try on the wardrobe. This year, the students have been outfitted with Community Health Northwest Florida scrubs and lab coats.

“They were very, very excited,” said Chandra Williams, Clinical Office Manager for C.A. Weis. “They put the scrubs on, and they feel like they’re real doctors. So they’re walking around so proud. They had them on today, because we had an educational session and they are loving it.”

The Ambassador program grew out of the Community Health Northwest Florida’s pediatric clinic at C.A. Weis, a Community Partnership School. Pine Forest High School will also be adopting the innovative Community Partnership Schools™ model this year with partnerships among CHNWF, Children’s Home Society of Florida, the Escambia County School District and University of West Florida.

The Health Ambassador program at Weis is supporting the students early career development in a variety of ways.

In First Aid class, Magan Cook, APRN, has given them instruction in the Heimlich maneuver, basics of 911 and different aspects of first aid. Magan is new to C.A. Weis, having moved from our Airport Pediatrics location in October. Their experiences go beyond just healthcare skills, they are learning soft skills, social skills and even trying their hand at broadcasting. With the help of Medical Assistant Barbara Hayes, “founder” and Leader of the Weis Health Ambassador program, they are producing a regular “Health Minute” which they write and record for the school announcements.

Recently, C.A. Weis hosted a STEM Night for parents and the Healthcare Ambassadors got to show off some of their skills by professionally conducting height and weight checks and even giving blood pressure checks. “That went over very well, “Chandra Williams said, “They’re getting a lot of hands-on experience.”

Learn more about the Health Ambassador Program

Like this program? Thank 340B.

By purchasing medications at a lower cost through the 340B Drug Pricing Program, covered entities like ours pass the savings along to patients. So many of our unique and beneficial programs depend on 340B savings but these benefits are in jeopardy. LEARN MORE ABOUT 340B

Nov. 10th, 2022

Showcasing the role of radiologic technologists in patient care

Posted on November 10, 2022November 10, 2022 by SenaCHNWF

Showcasing the role of radiologic technologists in patient care

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National Radiologic Technology Week is celebrated to recognize the critical work of imaging professionals across the country.

The week-long commemoration – from Nov. 6 to Nov. 12 – raises awareness about medical imaging technologists and pays homage to the good works they do in the healthcare field.

In honor of National Technology Week, we are highlighting the important role of our incredible radiologic technologists in patient care. They have been at the forefront of imaging and treating patients through the pandemic and beyond.

Merlene Bailey’s career in healthcare has fulfilled her life’s purpose.

A mammography technologist at Community Health Northwest Florida, Bailey plays a key role in breast cancer screening.

For nearly three decades, Bailey has been in the healthcare business. She started at Baptist Hospital as an X-ray technician in 1984 and began mammography a year later.

After retiring from Ascension Sacred Heart in 2020, Bailey got a call from someone who heard she’d retired. She answered and came onboard at CHNWF.

Since joining CHNWF, Bailey has earned 2D unit accreditation at the Jackson Street Main Site. She started a mammography program, which led to Community Health’s first MQSA inspection. She also earned two 3D unit accreditations, one at Jackson Street and the other at the Milton location.

“My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 67 and today she is 84 and doing well,” Bailey said. “This was a calling for me, not a job. If I can perform my duties and save lives, that’s what my purpose is in life.”

David Ives joined Community Health Northwest Florida in April of 2022. He has worked more than 27 years in radiologic technology, mostly in various hospitals in Boston area before moving south to the Gulf Coast of Florida.

Like the more than 337,000 registered radiologic technologists in the U.S., Ives uses X-rays to provide images that help providers diagnose patient ailments and determine the best course of action for treatment.

Patty Woolridge joined the CHNWF team this year. A radiologic technologist for over 50 years, Woolridge got her Mammography certification in 2000. “The new equipment at Community Health Northwest Florida is the best available on the market,” she says. “We are fortunate to be able to offer great technology to our patients.”

Nov. 3rd, 2022

Pine Forest High School to become a Community Partnership School

Posted on November 3, 2022November 3, 2022 by SenaCHNWF

Pine Forest High School to become a Community Partnership School

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Pine Forest High School will adopt the innovative Community Partnership Schools™ model this year with partnerships among Children’s Home Society of Florida, Community Health Northwest Florida, Escambia County School District and University of West Florida.

The partnerships are announced as the next step in growing the successful model first implemented in Orlando at Evans High School in 2012 and expanded to more than thirty schools statewide, transforming tens of thousands of lives.

The effective Community Partnership Schools™ model requires at least 4 core partners – including the school district, a healthcare provider, a nonprofit organization and a college or university – to agree to a 25-year commitment to the school and community, impacting generations.

Through the Community Partnership Schools^™ model founded by Children’s Home Society of Florida and the University of Central Florida, core partners – in collaboration with local nonprofits, businesses, the faith community and other stakeholders – work within the schools to address key barriers to learning including poverty, food insecurity, lack of affordable healthcare, behavioral health services, and elevated rates of violence and crime, in addition to other challenges as identified.

Children’s Home Society of Florida will receive $80,000 in state grant funds after being selected by UCF’s Center for Community Schools to launch a community partnership school at Pine Forest High School, in addition to local financial contributions to support this initiative.

“The Community Partnership Schools concept is a powerful model providing key resources and support for students. We are grateful and honored for the selection of Pine Forest High School to become a Community Partnership School,” said Dr. Tim Smith, Superintendent Escambia County Schools. “The school would not have been selected without strong community partnerships and we are grateful for our Community Partnership School partners: Children’s Home Society of Florida, Community Health Northwest Florida, and the University of West Florida.”

“With the help of our core partners and the voices of our students, families and local community members, we can work together to directly remove barriers to learning,” said Lindsey Cannon, Children’s Home Society of Florida Regional Executive Director. “At CHS, we have seen disciplinary referrals fall and academic successes soar thanks to the model’s impact and the partnership that makes it possible. We are thrilled to have another school community selected for this amazing initiative.”

The first step toward implementation is the planning phase, which includes a community needs assessment. Students, teachers, parents and community members identify their primary needs and challenges, the results of which will determine the services and solutions that will be brought into the school.

“One way that the University of West Florida is able to bring its research expertise to bear is in assisting with the needs assessment,” said Dr. Diane Scott, Associate Dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies. “In addition to identifying priorities, the needs assessment creates a benchmark for future data, so we are certain that the interventions we employ are evidence-based.”

Other critical components of this model include a focus on parental and family engagement, as well as comprehensive health and wellness efforts.

“As a Federally Qualified Health Center, we are driven not only to make healthcare accessible to all, but to truly impact the heart of our community on multiple levels, “said Chandra Smiley, CEO of Community Health Northwest Florida. “We see this partnership as an opportunity to bring real change to Pine Forest and the surrounding neighborhoods.”

This collaborative approach leverages schools as central hubs toward improving child well-being by addressing key barriers to learning through counseling, medical and dental services, after-school enrichment, mentoring programs, and more.

Because they center on unique community needs, each Community Partnership School is different, but they all share a similar goal – to empower students to succeed in school and life. Specific successes through the Community Partnership Schools™ model include increased graduation rates, reduced disciplinary actions and increased parental involvement.

With the addition of Pine Forest High School, Children’s Home Society of Florida has received planning grants to implement the Community Partnership Schools™ model at Caribbean K-8 Center, Daughtrey Elementary, Lake Worth High School, JFK Middle and Jefferson County K-12. CHS is a core partner in 27 of 36 Community Partnership Schools in Florida – more than any other entity in the state.

Download Press Release

Oct. 31st, 2022

Medical and Dental Professionals Hiring Event Wednesday, November 2

Posted on October 31, 2022November 3, 2022 by SenaCHNWF

Medical and Dental Professionals Hiring Event Wednesday, November 2

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We are searching for exceptional RNs, LPNs and MAs to complete our Community Health Northwest Florida clinical team!

UPDATE: NOW INCLUDING DENTAL ASSISTANTS. We need you! If you’re a Registered Dental Assistant (or other Dental professional), please join us.

On Wednesday 11/2, from 4;00 PM – 6:00 PM, we’ll be conducting walk-in open interviews at our new Palafox Adult & Family Care location at 1400 N. Palafox Street, Pensacola, Florida.

Featuring: *Possible on-the-spot job offers!

*Hiring for the following shifts:

Adult Walk-in Clinic
– M-F 9:30A-6P
– M-F 11:30A-8P

Pediatric Walk-in Clinic
– M-F 8A-5P

*PRN shifts available

IMPORTANT:

Please bring photo ID, license and/or certifications and resume.
COVID-19 vaccination is required for CHNWF employment.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Oct. 20th, 2022

Nurse Practitioner Gives Her Whole Heart to Caring for Patients

Posted on October 20, 2022May 15, 2023 by SenaCHNWF

Nurse Practitioner Gives Her Whole Heart to Caring for Patients

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When it comes to career choices, it is often said that many are called, but few are chosen.

Tara Woodall believes she is among the chosen few who are called to work in healthcare.

During her college orientation at Auburn University-Montgomery, Woodall said she had no idea where to go when directed to go to her chosen field of study. She settled on the School of Nursing, and the rest, as it is said, was history.

“I always felt like God chose me for that because I had no earthly idea,” says Woodall, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner for Community Health Northwest Florida in Milton. “And once I began my nursing career, I began to love it, and I never have a day where I don’t want to come to work.”

With a focus on women’s health, Woodall understands the importance of recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. She encourages women of all ages to get regular exams and keep breast cancer in the top of mind, not just during one month, but year-round.

“I do think this month is very important to bring out awareness,” Woodall says. “But we need to do breast cancer awareness every day.”

Woodall knows a lot of women are apprehensive of mammograms and getting breast exams. But Community Health’s new $331,000 state-of-the-art mammography machine (funded by Santa Rosa County) makes the exams easier on the patients, emits less radiation and provides better images for screening.

“I’ve been doing mammograms for 40 years, and we couldn’t have bought a finer machine,” says Merlene Bailey, CHNWF mammography technologist. “It is user-friendly tech-wise and gives a better reading with so many images.”

As a WHNP, Woodall is a highly trained nurse with expertise in, not only women’s health, but also general practice. A nurse practitioner provides the same quality of care as a general physician. In their capacity, nurse practitioners prescribe medications, order diagnostic tests and perform procedures needed to effectively treat patients.

A native of Tallahassee, Woodall grew up in Montgomery, Ala., graduating from Auburn University-Montgomery. With her nursing degree, Woodall worked as a registered nurse at Augusta University Medical Center (formerly known as the Medical College of Georgia Hospital).

While working as a registered nurse, she obtained a post-masters from the University of South Alabama.

In 2019, she began her career at Medical Associates Plus, a Federally Qualified Health Center in Augusta. Woodall joined Community Health in January 2022.

Woodall says she gravitated towards FQHCs because she had a desire to work with the underserved, the underinsured and the uninsured patients.

“I want to take care of patients that need me, and sometimes FQHCs are the only option for patients,” she says. “I give them the care that I would like for my mom to receive.”

Woodall’s care goes beyond a patient’s health needs. She is sometimes a counselor, a mentor and a coach, with an abiding heart to help women navigate their health, wellness and life.

When the new clinic opens at Pine Forest High School, Woodall will be there once a week, working with students.

“I love caring for women, but I also love caring for teenagers,” she says. “Teenagers, adolescents, they are my heart, because they are the population that is often forgotten, they are the future. We need to invest in them at all costs.”

Learn more about the Teen Clinic in Milton

She talks to them not only about healthcare needs, but also about their future: plans after high school, where they plan to attend college, their passions and how she can assist them in reaching their goals.

“I like being in this place where I have the time to do that,” she says. “I couldn’t do that when I worked in the hospital.

Woodall is enjoying her work in Milton and says her long-term healthcare goal is to run a team clinic.

“Hopefully in the next five years Community Health will be on board with an adolescent gynecology clinic,” she says. “I would love to be in charge of that because adolescents are my heart, my whole heart.”

We’re working to make high quality women’s care accessible for all women within the community. Learn more or request an appointment.

Oct. 14th, 2022

“Little Rock Nine” Elizabeth Eckford Praises Work of Community Health Centers

Posted on October 14, 2022October 19, 2022 by SenaCHNWF

“Little Rock Nine” Elizabeth Eckford Praises Work of Community Health Centers

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The first day of school is usually a normal day for students, filled with eager excitement and anxious anticipation.

For Elizabeth Eckford, her first day of school on Sept. 4, 1957, was anything but normal. She made history as a member of the Little Rock Nine, the nine black students who desegregated Little Rock Central High School.

A chilling photograph of Eckford, then a 15-year-old teenager, walking alone through a screaming mob of angry white protesters in front of Central High School, propelled the crisis into the nation’s living rooms, an enduring image of the civil rights movement.

Eckford visited Pensacola last week as part of the Equity Project Alliance in partnership with the Delta Iota Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast.

Before a speaking engagement at Pensacola State College on Oct. 6, Eckford stopped by Community Health Northwest Florida to share her story and learn more about the services a Federally Qualified Health Center provides.

With Eckford were Eurydice and Grace Stanley, the mother-daughter Pensacola duo that collaborated with Eckford on a book, “The WORST First day: Bullied While Desegregating Central High” in 2017.

The book highlights Eckford’s painful experiences and their aftermath, as well as provides encouragement for victims of bullying, intimidation and discrimination.

“For those who wonder why I share my story now, the reason is simple … I feel as though I must,” Eckford says in the book’s Foreword. “People are being harassed in toxic environments at school and work. I sincerely hope by sharing my story, I can make them start recognizing the impact of their behavior.”

While talking with some staff at Community Health, Eckford expressed awe of the agency’s facilities and the array of health and wellness services offered.

Eckford praised the needed services that the more than 1,400 Federally Qualified Health Centers provide to millions of underserved, underinsured and uninsured patients nationwide.

An irony of Eckford’s visit is that her involvement in desegregating a school happened less than 10 years from the genesis of health centers in the U.S.

Less than a decade after Eckford’s unfortunate high school experience, in the midst of the civil rights movement in 1965, Dr. H. Jack Geiger and Dr. Count Gibson secured funding from President Johnson’s “War on Poverty” to support two pilot programs, creating what today is known as “community health centers.”

One in Boston, Mass, and another in Mound Bayou, Miss., these two health centers birthed the 1,400 heath centers that exist today, including Community Health Northwest Florida.

In Mississippi, Dr. Geiger ventured to a mostly African-American town made up of sharecroppers who were living in abject poverty and where children were dying from malnutrition.

He and some nurses went there to not only bring access to healthcare, but also to go into the homes and provide education and support to the community. What ensued was a movement in which the community banded together to support healthcare and address social and health disparities.

The civil rights movement was accomplished by ordinary people in the local communities who took chances to make a difference.

Elizabeth Eckford and Drs. Jack Geiger and Count Gibson became champions of civil rights and racial progress, helping to improve the quality of life in our communities through their courage, passion and vision for a better world.

Oct. 6th, 2022

CHNWF Behavioral Health and Optometry moves to one location on Palafox Street

Posted on October 6, 2022November 10, 2022 by SenaCHNWF

CHNWF Behavioral Health and Optometry moves to one location on Palafox Street

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Community Health Northwest Florida’s Behavioral Health & Wellness and Optometric Vision Care departments have a brand new home.

Familiarly dubbed “Palafox Two” among Community Health team members, the new facility at 1380 N. Palafox Street is located across from the organization’s new Adult & Family Care site, which opened in August. Hours of operation are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The 9,000 square foot building on North Palafox opened Monday, Oct. 3. It has undergone extensive renovations to offer additional space and rooms to provide an array of Behavioral Health and Wellness services for adults and children. They include counseling for adults and children, substance abuse counseling, group therapy and yoga.

Community Health’s Optometry department offers a full range of vision care services for adults and children, including comprehensive dilated eye exams, treatment of eye diseases and infections and fitting for contact lenses. The new facility also boasts expanded store space to house a wide selection of eyeglass frames.

The new interior space is modern and bright, and the building is conveniently located on the ECAT transportation route.

“Palafox Two gives the community a centralized location with easier access to optometry care,” says Community Health CEO Chandra Smiley. “Mental health and well-being is of vital importance. Moving Behavioral Health to Palafox gives us the expanded space to begin increasing our services to meet the needs of our community.”

Palafox ONE

Community Health Northwest Florida’s new Walk-in Care, Primary Care and Pharmacy at 1400 N. Palafox St.

A former Labcorp office, the expansive 16,000 square foot facility on N. Palafox has undergone extensive renovations, including the creation of 18 exam rooms, phlebotomy and radiology departments, two large, comfortable waiting areas and a 1,000 square foot pharmacy with drive-through, all of which will comfortably accommodate a large quantity of patients for services offered.

Learn more

340B

By purchasing medications at a lower cost through the 340B Drug Pricing Program, covered entities like ours pass the savings along to patients. So many of our unique and beneficial programs, such as Behavioral Health and Wellness depend on 340B savings but these benefits are in jeopardy. LEARN MORE ABOUT 340B

Sep. 19th, 2022

Why should I get a flu shot?

Posted on September 19, 2022October 3, 2022 by SenaCHNWF

Why should I get a flu shot?

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While we still remember the excitement of the very first day of COVID-19 shots at the Brownsville Community Center, we know the pandemic has been a long hard haul and everyone is tired. Yet, many health experts expect this year’s flu season to be a tough one and flu vaccines will be more important than ever. If you still need motivation to get your shot, here are some important things to think about:

You don’t want to get sick.

In 2019-2020, the last flu season prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, flu vaccination prevented an estimated 7.5 million influenza illnesses, 3.7 million influenza-associated medical visits, 105,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations, and 6,300 influenza-associated deaths.

You don’t want to get as sick if you DO get the flu, anyway.

A 2021 study showed that among adults hospitalized with flu, vaccinated patients had a 26% lower risk of intensive care unit (ICU) admission and a 31% lower risk of death from flu compared with those who were unvaccinated.

You don’t want to be hospitalized.

Who wants that? Flu vaccine prevents tens of thousands of hospitalizations each year. For example, during 2019-2020 flu vaccination prevented an estimated 105,000 flu-related hospitalizations.

You have a chronic health condition.

Flu vaccination has been associated with lower rates of some cardiac events among people with heart disease, especially among those who have had a cardiac event in the past year. They also can reduce the risk of worsening chronic lung disease (COPD) and diabetes.

You are expecting a little one.

A number of studies have shown that in addition to helping to protect pregnant people from flu, a flu vaccine given during pregnancy helps protect the baby from flu for several months after birth, when babies are too young to be vaccinated.

You are a little one.

A 2022 study showed that flu vaccination reduced children’s risk of severe life-threatening influenza by 75%.

According to CHNWFL Pediatrician, Dr. Michelle Grier-Hall MD, Children ages 6 months to 8 years old getting vaccinated for the first time, and those who have only previously received one dose of flu vaccine, should get two doses of the flu vaccine this season. “These doses should be given four weeks apart,” she says. “It’s best to be vaccinated before the flu season begins in September and October. Ideally, everyone age 6 months and older should be vaccinated by the end of October.”

You’re going to be around your Grandma and your Boo.

Getting vaccinated yourself may also protect people around you, including those who are more vulnerable to serious flu illness, like babies and young children, older people, and people with certain chronic health conditions.

Because other people won’t.

Despite the many benefits offered by flu vaccination, only about half of Americans get an annual flu vaccine. During an average flu season, flu can cause millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and tens of thousands of deaths. Many more people could be protected from flu if more people got vaccinated.

Because Australia had doozy of a flu season.

The Southern Hemisphere has already had their flu season and it was the worst in five years. Public Health officials often look to Australia’s flu season as predicative of what we might face.

Ready to get your flu shot?

Call your CHNWF provider’s office or (adults 18+) drop by one of our 4 Pharmacy locations!

January is the Perfect Time to Celebrate National Blood Donor Month

Communities Caring at Christmas in Northwest Florida

The Health Ambassadors at C.A. Weis Elementary School are Dressed for Success

Showcasing the role of radiologic technologists in patient care

Pine Forest High School to become a Community Partnership School

Medical and Dental Professionals Hiring Event Wednesday, November 2

Nurse Practitioner Gives Her Whole Heart to Caring for Patients

“Little Rock Nine” Elizabeth Eckford Praises Work of Community Health Centers

CHNWF Behavioral Health and Optometry moves to one location on Palafox Street

Palafox ONE

340B

Why should I get a flu shot?

You don’t want to get sick.

You don’t want to get as sick if you DO get the flu, anyway.

You don’t want to be hospitalized.

You have a chronic health condition.

You are expecting a little one.

You are a little one.

You’re going to be around your Grandma and your Boo.

Because other people won’t.

Because Australia had doozy of a flu season.

Ready to get your flu shot?

Healthcare within reach.

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