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Care Alliance will build a 20,000 square-foot freestanding clinic in the Central Neighborhood of Cleveland, which will replace its clinic in the Carl B. Stokes Social Services building once construction is complete.

The Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded two significant capital grants totaling $5.5 million to Care Alliance, a Federally Qualified Health Center serving Cleveland’s homeless and public housing residents.

Care Alliance's Westside Clinic in Riverview Towers will undergo an $850,000 renovation to increase access to medical, dental and supportive services for area residents.

The grants will fund construction of a new 20,000 square foot clinic on Cleveland’s east side in the Central Neighborhood, to be completed by fall 2014. In addition, Care Alliance will renovate its current space in Riverview Towers, a public housing high rise on West 25th in Ohio City, to be completed by spring 2013. Construction and renovation of these clinics will provide additional access to primary medical care, dental care, counseling and other supportive services while facilitating a patient-centered, comprehensive approach to health care.

“Public housing residents are often confined to their neighborhoods by barriers like lack of transportation and limited income, making it so important to provide as many services as possible under one roof,” said Francis Afram-Gyening, Chief Executive Officer of Care Alliance. “This funding will allow space to provide comprehensive health services to an additional 12,000 new patients, more than doubling our current reach.”

Total projected costs could reach nearly $8.5 million with the federal funds contributing only to capital development, including construction, renovation and equipment. Care Alliance will soon launch a capital campaign to raise the remaining $3 million in funds necessary to complete these projects.

This new investment brings both health and economic benefits to Greater Cleveland. Not only will it improve access to affordable health care for those in need but will also create short and long-term job opportunities.

“We are thrilled to receive this funding as a result of the Affordable Care Act,” said Jon Outcalt Jr., Chair of the Care Alliance Board of Trustees. “More people have been relying on the safety net for care, and this helps to position Care Alliance to respond to our patients’ needs now and in the future.”

A total of 171 health centers across the country received $629 million for capacity-building capital projects of up to $5 million; another 227 health centers received $99.3 million to fund immediate improvements to existing facilities of up to $500,000. Only three community health centers in Ohio received the $5 million grant, and four received the $500,000 grant. Care Alliance was the only health center in the state to be awarded both grants.

About Care Alliance

Care Alliance is a nonprofit, federally funded health center dedicated to serving the needs of homeless, public housing and uninsured residents of Cuyahoga County. In 2011, Care Alliance served more than 9,600 people, two-thirds of whom were homeless, and had 34,000 visits. Intensive outreach efforts and strong partnerships with other agencies allow Care Alliance to deliver medical care to people on the fringes of society.

What began in 1985 as Cleveland’s “Health Care for the Homeless” program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has grown to encompass primary medical care, comprehensive dental care and supportive services to address chronic homelessness and poverty in Cleveland. Through strategic partnerships with other safety net agencies, and through the support of foundations, corporations and residents of the community, Care Alliance continues to be a medical home for those who may not have a home. As a Federally Qualified Health Center, the organization is able to offer services to patients of all ages on a sliding fee scale based on income. More information about the organization can be found at www.carealliance.org.

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Dan Meges, MD, FACP, Medical Director

Care Alliance congratulates our medical director, Daniel L. Meges, MD for being recognized as one of this year’s Health Care Heroes by Crain’s Cleveland Business.

Dr. Meges first began serving the homeless in 1992 as a volunteer at the evening outreach clinic at St. Malachi, where many Care Alliance patients were served, while he worked full time at Parma Hospital. His passion for serving the homeless and his ability to connect with Care Alliance’s patients – often very distrusting and with highly complex medical needs – was immediately evident. As a result of this newfound calling, Dr. Meges assumed the position of medical director at the St. Malachi Center. Through his experiences there, he made a commitment to serve this population full-time upon “retirement” from Parma Hospital.

It was from this selfless mission that Dr. Meges came to work at Care Alliance as a physician in January 2009, donating the vast majority of his time. Only months after joining Care Alliance, our medical director relocated and Dr. Meges selflessly stepped up to fill the role of medical director. He did so with tremendous experience and knowledge gained from having run his own private practice and as one of the founding members of INNOVA, an organization of medical professionals dedicated to providing affordable, comprehensive medical care to Cleveland residents.

As medical director, Dr. Meges oversees medical patient care to more than 7,000 individuals living in extreme poverty. Through his leadership, Dr. Meges has helped to increase efficiencies at Care Alliance. From 2010, Care Alliance increased the overall number of patients served by 2% and the number of visits provided by 10.5%. This is a tremendous feat given the medical complexities and transient lifestyles of our patient population. Additionally, from 2010 to 2011, our medical cost per medical patient decreased 2%.

During his time as medical director, he has taken on several major initiatives including strengthening chronic care management, enhancing prevention efforts with a special focus on smoking cessation and most notably, supporting the complete conversion to Electronic Medical Records in June 2011.

The personal and professional contributions of Dr. Meges over the past twenty years to serving the homeless in Cleveland are tremendous. Care Alliance is proud and grateful to have such an exemplary individual serving the needs of our patients each day.

Honorees will be profiled in Crain’s May 14 issue and recognized at an awards luncheon on May 23.

Continue reading »]]> Care Alliance is pleased to welcome a new member of our executive team, Kate Fox Nagel, MPH. Ms. Nagel joined Care Alliance as the Chief Administrative Officer in March 2012 after serving as a member of Care Alliance’s Board of Trustees for four years. She is responsible for guiding strategic initiatives and external affairs.

Previously, Ms. Nagel was the Senior Director of Public Health and Research at the Cleveland Clinic, responsible for setting the public health agenda for the Cleveland Clinic and directing its Department of Public Health and Research (PHR). Prior to creating PHR in 2009, Ms. Nagel was Director of Federal Affairs, advocating for Cleveland Clinic’s federal policy priorities, both legislative and regulatory. She also spent nearly three years in the Public and Media Relations Department where she was responsible for developing, managing and delivering all press outreach for a variety of departments, including Cleveland Clinic’s top-rated Heart Center and government and community relations programs. Ms. Nagel joined the Clinic in March 2004.

Ms. Nagel moved to Cleveland in 2003 from Washington DC, where she developed and implemented health education and communication programs on a variety of health issues including HIV/AIDS, childhood lead poisoning, tobacco, obesity and arthritis.

Ms. Nagel graduated with honors from Miami University with a bachelor of arts in psychology. She has a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and is currently working towards her DrPH at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health. She represented the Cleveland Clinic as the founding Chair of the Cuyahoga Health Access Partnership, in a leadership role on the Ohio Business Roundtable’s Childhood Obesity Initiative and as an Advisory Board member of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease. Ms. Nagel is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Ladder to Leadership Fellow, a member of the American Public Health Association, and an adjunct faculty member of the Master of Public Health Program at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

Ms. Nagel lives in Cleveland Heights with her husband, Sean J. Nagel, a staff physician at the MetroHealth System, and their two children, James Bennett and Emerson Louise.

Continue reading »]]> Staff Spotlight: Karen Ridley, Chronic Care Nurse and Diabetes Educator

Karen Ridley, RN, BSN, CDE, Chronic Care Nurse

Karen Ridley is a nurse with a passion for helping people understand their diagnoses and for empowering them to take charge of their health.

With a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from Andrews University, Karen joined Care Alliance about two years ago to take on the role of Chronic Care Nurse and Diabetes Educator. She rotates throughout Care Alliance’s three clinics to meet one-on-one with patients who need help managing diabetes, hypertension and other chronic illnesses. Once a patient’s doctor finishes an appointment, Karen can spend extensive time with that patient answering questions, ensuring the patient knows how to test his blood sugar and explaining nutrition guidelines that can help lower blood pressure. She also coordinates group health education and diabetes management classes for patients interested in learning more about controlling their disease.

With 43% of Care Alliance’s medical patients diagnosed with at least one chronic illness, specialized care like this is essential to serving them appropriately. Care Alliance is actively engaged in the Better Health Greater Cleveland collaborative to improve chronic care outcomes, and is grateful for the support of the United Way of Greater Cleveland, The Mt. Sinai Foundation and the individual donors who support the chronic care program at Care Alliance.

“What sets Care Alliance apart is that we are a small organization making a huge impact on the lives of the less fortunate,” Karen said. “That’s the reason I came on board at Care Alliance: I stand behind our mission of helping those in need.”

Karen is a native resident of Berea and loves the Cleveland area. When she isn’t at work, she enjoys cheering her two children on at their sports events and scrapbooking. And if there were ever any question about Karen’s calling as a diabetes educator, the dog she adopted proves she is doing what she was meant to do.

Meet Mylo, Karen's six year old poodle. Karen and her family discovered Mylo has diabetes after adopting him.

Karen and her family discovered their dog Mylo, a six-year-old poodle, also has diabetes! Just like many of Karen’s human patients, Mylo is on an insulin regimen twice a day and has a carefully monitored diet to control his blood sugar.

“Even though it takes extra energy and attention to keep Mylo healthy, I love him and wouldn’t trade him for any dog!”

Continue reading »]]> Smile! It’s National Dentist Day

If you’ve been to the dentist in the last six months, you are luckier than many people who don’t have dental insurance coverage. According to the Ohio Department of Health, dental care continues to be the No. 1 unmet need of uninsured Ohioans. At Care Alliance, we see evidence of this each day, as patients pour into our clinics with severe unaddressed oral health issues.

Today is National Dentist Day, and in honor of this day, we want to thank our dedicated team of dentists, dental assistants and our dental hygienist. They work tirelessly to make sure that our dental patients leave smiling.

What does accessible dental care mean to our patients? We’ll let a recent recipient of new dentures tell you herself:

Dental Patient Lori H. with Dr. Mahalaha

Dear Dr. Mahalaha and Care Alliance staff,

Thank you for all the assistance you have provided me of getting my dentures and restoring my smile. Your expertise and help have been invaluable during this process.

I appreciate the information and advice you have given, as well as the dentures. I was able to have lunch and really enjoyed my food that I have not done so in many years.

When coming to your center I was treated like someone and felt like I really mattered. The only downfall is I won’t be able to get the senior discount anymore (Giggle) The dentures fill my face out and have taken many years off my face.

Again, thank you so much. I sincerely appreciate your help.

-Lori H.

If you support Care Alliance, you’re supporting the important work of helping people like Lori. Thank you!

Are you a patient who would like to thank your dentist or doctor? Please email info@carealliance.org or call (216) 781-6228 x 263 to learn more.

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In honor of Valentine’s Day, we called on friends of Care Alliance to donate items to help keep our patients warm, and you stepped up in a big way. You donated blankets, socks, hats, gloves, over-the-counter medications and toiletries that we have been able to distribute to patients who spend much of their days outdoors – walking great distances for various services or even living and sleeping outdoors.

“It has been a mild winter for Cleveland,” said Donna Kelly, outreach nurse manager. “But if you were sleeping or spending all of your waking hours outside, you wouldn’t think so. Every year I’m amazed by all of the kind gifts we receive, and this year has been no exception. These gifts go a long way to help us take care of our patients. I am grateful from the bottom of my heart for everyone’s generosity.”

We are wrapping up final calculations and coordinating final deliveries for gifts-in-kind and will share the results of this drive soon. Your donations supplement the support we receive from the Plain Dealer Holiday Spirit Program and the Sisters of Charity Good Samaritan Grant Program to provide comfort and health through our homeless outreach efforts throughout the year.

Continue reading »]]> Care Alliance Partners with the Cleveland International Film Festival

Care Alliance is excited to announce that we will be partnering with the Cleveland International Film Festival to present a film at this year’s festival, which kicks off on March 22. The film is titled “Despicable Dick and Righteous Richard,” and tells the story of a man who has maintained sobriety for decades but is only beginning to make amends for the pain he caused to friends and family while struggling with alcoholism.

“So many of the patients we serve have chronic substance abuse issues,” said Marie Whitson, Care Alliance’s substance abuse counselor, “and without treatment, they have a difficult time realizing that these issues bring about negative consequences for their health and quality of life. This film provides us an opportunity to discuss the challenges of addiction while hopefully raising awareness to prevent substance abuse for future generations.”

Care Alliance will be participating in a pre-film introduction before “Despicable Dick” debuts at the festival on Thursday, March 29^th at 4:30 p.m. The film will play at Tower City Cinemas, and following the screening, Care Alliance will host an after-party open to the public to talk about the movie. We will post more details about this event on Facebook at www.facebook.com/carealliance.

The Cleveland International Film Festival is in its 36^th year. Tickets go on sale to CIFF members on Friday, March 2^nd and to the general public on Friday, March 9^th. For film schedule and more information, please visit www.clevelandfilm.org. Friends of Care Alliance are eligible for a $2 discount on tickets by following the instructions below:

How to redeem a $2.00 discount for a 36^th CIFF ticket purchase

36^th Cleveland International Film Festival

March 22 – April 1, 2012

Tower City Cinemas

Online: Use the code “CARE” when purchasing tickets at www.clevelandfilm.org (available 24 hours a day).

Phone: Use the code ”CARE” when calling the Ulmer & Berne Film Festival Box Office at 877.304.FILM (3456).

In-Person: Use the code ”CARE” at the Ulmer & Berne Film Festival Box Office in the lobby of Tower City Cinemas.

Ticket prices (before discount):

$10 Cleveland International Film Festival Members

$12 Non-members

$10 Students and Seniors (day of show only)

This discount is good for any Festival film screening.

Restrictions may apply.

Tickets are available at the Ulmer & Berne Film Festival Box Office in the lobby of Tower City Cinemas (230 W. Huron Rd., Cleveland, OH  44113).

Store hours between March 9 and March 22 are as follows:     

Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., and Sunday, 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Store hours between March 23 and March 31 are as follows:

8:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. daily.

Store hours on April 1 are as follows: 

8:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Visit www.clevelandfilm.org  for Film Festival program updates and comprehensive information about the 36^th Cleveland International Film Festival.

FREE PARKING WHEN AVAILABLE is offered to CIFF patrons in the Tower City Center Self-Parking Garage and Tower City Amphitheater Parking at Riverview (off Canal Road).

Patrons must have their parking ticket validated in the Tower City Cinemas lobby.

Visit www.towercitycenter.com for additional parking options. 

Continue reading »]]> Outreach Nurse Spotlight: Robin

As our February spotlight of the Outreach Program continues, we sat down with outreach nurse Robin to talk about how Care Alliance goes out into the community to help the homeless in Cleveland. Robin works in our outreach clinics at area shelters and treatment centers, and has also spearheaded health education within these sites for residents.

In this video, she talks about the important role of collaborating with other agencies and combining each other’s dedication to make a big impact on the people we mutually serve.

“We’re small but we’re kind of big in the way we help people,” Robin said.

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Volunteer Spotlight: Robbie Siska, Outreach Volunteer

Outreach volunteer Robbie Siska (center) with Melissa Brennan, LPN and Robin Djulvezan, LPN, Care Alliance Outreach Nurses

It takes a special type of person to succeed in outreach to the homeless. It takes compassion, patience, and no small measure of courage to reach out to people who have, for one reason or another, made their homes in tents, under bridges and in abandoned buildings. So when Robbie Siska applied to volunteer to work with the homeless at Care Alliance, we knew we had found an incredible addition to our outreach team.

Robbie is a recent graduate of John Carroll University who aspires to go to medical school in the near future to pursue his dream of becoming a physician. Robbie’s involvement in the Labre Project through JCU introduced him to Care Alliance, and the connections he has built through both programs have been synergistic for many of our patients.

“Through outreach experiences with the homeless at John Carroll I had heard quite a bit about Care Alliance from its patients. Through my passion for helping this community and with my goal of becoming a physician, I knew that Care Alliance would be a great place for me to further serve this community while learning more about medicine,” Robbie said.

Robbie has become an indispensable member of the outreach team since he began volunteering. He works with outreach worker Jim Schlecht to help homeless men and women secure birth certificates, social security cards and housing. He also provides much-needed registration and clerical support at twice-weekly medical clinics held at 2100 Lakeside, the Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry’s Men’s Shelter, working closely with Care Alliance outreach nurses and Medical Director, Dr. Dan Meges. He has also assisted in writing grant proposals and conducting research when he is not in outreach.

“I enjoy most learning from Dr. Meges about how to work through challenges that arise while providing care for patients who are homeless and living with chronic illnesses,” Robbie said. “He provides the primary care needed to improve their physical health, while also using his leadership and teamwork skills to involve other professionals in order to treat the patient holistically by offering them resources to enhance every aspect of their lives.”

When he is not committing his time to volunteering, Robbie works as a Lab Technician at Hawken Upper School’s science department. He also recently finished training and certification to be an Emergency Medical Technician-Basic. A native Clevelander and avid Cleveland sports fan, Robbie also plays guitar in a band (“The Alibi”) and runs road races.

“Robbie has a natural ability to establish rapport with our homeless patients easily and quickly,” said Dr. Dan Meges, medical director at Care Alliance. “He is an excellent team player and a fast learner, and has been extremely helpful at 2100. He has been an answer to a prayer for us.”

Robbie’s outreach volunteering placement is just one of many examples of passionate people making a difference in the lives of Cleveland’s homeless through Care Alliance. If you are interested in volunteering at Care Alliance, please click here for more information.

March 2, 2012 Update: We couldn’t post it, because we wanted it to be a surprise, but we are pleased to announce that Robbie was recognized as Care Alliance’s 2011 Spotlight Volunteer at the United Way of Greater Cleveland Annual Meeting today. Congratulations on a job well done, Robbie!

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Amidst the Cleveland winter, remember those who live and die homeless on the longest night of the year.

We’ve all done it before – walked through downtown Cleveland and sidestepped someone asking for spare change or trying to get warm over a heating grate. Maybe we’ve handed them a few quarters, or pretended we didn’t see them. To most of us, the homeless in Cleveland are invisible.

On December 21 – the longest night of the year – we join with other homeless advocates across the country to observe National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day. Each year on this day,  homeless service advocates pause to remember the thousands of homeless men, women and children who die without realizing the dream of secure housing. Twenty-six years after our founding, we at Care Alliance are still working to meet the needs of Cleveland’s invisible.

In 1985, in response to the tremendous growth in homelessness across the country, Care Alliance began as Cleveland’s  Health Care for the Homeless .

“We began as a demonstration project intended to help solve the homelessness problem,” said Dr. Lisa Thomas, Care Alliance COO and founding program director of Care Alliance (then Cleveland’s Health Care for the Homeless). “We were supposed to put ourselves out of business, but the fact is – we’re still here, and we’re still very much needed to serve the homeless in Cleveland.”

Today’s causes of homelessness are complex. The extended recession compounds the systemic issues of drug abuse, lack of affordable housing and insufficient behavioral health care services that have led people to homelessness for decades. Because of this, Care Alliance continues to serve more and more new people each year who are experiencing homelessness or on the bring. So many of our patients are fragile – medically, spiritually and emotionally – and require a tremendous amount of compassion and time to be cared for.

On this National Homeless Person’s Memorial Day, we are reminded that we cannot solve the problem of homelessness in our city alone. But we will continue to build partnerships with the people and organizations that serve the homeless and strive for the day when no more Clevelanders live on the streets – or die on them.

Help us honor the memory of those who have died
by helping today’s homeless live healthier lives.

Little things can make a big difference in the lives of our patients – even a warm pair of socks. If you want to help, click here to see our wish list of gifts in kind and essential supplies.