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Collaboration in Action: Community Health Centers Week
By: Ashlyn Brewer | 08/12/2010
Happy Community Health Centers Week!
Okay, I admit it, I wasn't aware there was a week devoted to honoring the hard work of our community health centers until my colleague, Jennifer Brinkmann, invited the team to attend a celebration at Grace Hill Water Tower Health Center in downtown St. Louis.
I've been fond of Grace Hill ever since we toured the impressive new facility during our last retreat, so I was excited to attend. I was even more excited when I realized that the event was a perfect example of one of Standing's core values, collaboration.
Throughout my internship, I've learned that Standing's core values are more than just a page in the company manual-- they actively guide the agency's decisions and culture. It was encouraging and impressive to see that other organizations are reaping the benefits of putting those values into practice.
The event's attendees, including representatives from various groups involved in the St. Louis health care safety net system and special guests Rima Cohen (a counselor to Secretary of Health and Human Services Katherine Sebelius) and HHS regional director Judy Baker, had something special to celebrate this week. Missouri recently received a "Gateway to Better Health" Demonstration Project from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that will allow St. Louis area community health centers to continue to provide health care services to underserved populations.
That's where collaboration comes in.
In order to make this project a reality, area groups worked together and built partnerships across organizational and partisan lines. They were willing to reach externally, even to "competitors," in order to achieve their goal of securing vital funding for the health care safety net system in St. Louis. These group's efforts and willingness to work together will make a meaningful difference to thousands of St. Louis citizens who rely on community health centers for care.
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