Creating a Community Based Health Network – A Vision for Integrating Mobile Healthcare
For over a decade, the OHSU Casey Eye Institute (CEI) Community Outreach Program has been dedicated to addressing preventable blindness directly in the community by providing free vision health services to over 10,000 adults, who have little, or no access to vision care. Even with these efforts and support of a network of over 51 community partner agencies, there are still large unmet needs in the community; however, it still remains true that early detection and treatment are key to preventing blindness. As a Federally Qualified Health Center, OCH provides comprehensive primary care services in underserved areas, and recently expanded through the launch of a primary care mobile clinic, “La Clínica.” With La Clínica on the road, OCH is able to better address the social determinants of health by bringing inclusive primary care services to their patients who experience barriers to care; while providing the unique ability to connect with individuals to a primary medical home where continuity of care can be provided for a full spectrum of health care needs, including access to vision services. Both traditional and mobile healthcare models still present continued barriers to either accessing initial and/or establishing continuity of care with vision providers. To address these barriers to vision care, OCH and the CEI Community Outreach Program are working together to leverage the advantages of their mobile health units, advances in diagnostic imaging equipment, health information technology, while empowering community health workers (CHWs) to be Vision Health Navigators – helping create the Oregon Vision Health Network. Through this partnership, communities served by OCH will be able to access services for both early detection and monitoring eye diseases through the development of an innovative telehealth vision screening infrastructure supported by the CEI Outreach Program. Along with the support of Vision Health Navigators, the ability to deliver vision health education specific to their community, screen for vision impairment, and provide an essential link to closing the vision care gap to local providers. This innovative partnership allows both organizations to expand their missions to serve their communities and state, while creating new opportunities to bring fresh approaches to improve and expand community based ophthalmic screening and help end preventable blindness in underserved community’s disproportionality impacted by vision loss.