The Martin Luther King Health Center provides patient-centered primary healthcare services by working within collaborative partnerships to reduce the debilitating effects of chronic health problems that may be prevented or controlled by access to evidence based regular and culturally competent healthcare.

The center emphasizes “health” rather than disease and serves as a medical home from which other needed services are managed and coordinated. This provides the most effective and efficient care in a “one-stop-shop” designed to improve patient outcomes with a proactive rather reactive approach, especially for individuals who would have difficulty navigating multiple service systems. The center understands that to be effective; healthcare must be “patient-centered” no “institution-centered”.

Clinic Objectives:

• Extend primary healthcare and pharmacy services in a patient-centered, community based setting, specifically a setting that patients consider non-threatening and vital to their well-being.
• Work in collaboration and cooperation across disciplines to ensure treatment is high quality, effective, appropriate and well-coordinated.
• Educate healthcare teams from multiple professional schools to effectively administer chronic healthcare and outreach to a medically underserved population.
• Provide integrated information, interventions and continuity of care for individuals with co-morbidities to effectively learn self-management techniques.

Clinic Methodology:

• Chronic Care Model Results: Informed, activated patient, productive interactions, prepared proactive practice team, improved patient outcomes
• Stages of Change Model Results: Patients are evaluated at every visit for his/her readiness to change healthcare behaviors
• Motivational Interviewing Results: Collaboration, efficacy, patients are put in control of his/her healthcare with guidance.

Best Practices:

• Access to care – high clinic attendance rate
• Quality of Care – there is a congruence with national guidelines and standards with an emphasis on patients reaching goals, such as for blood glucose control, blood pressure control, and lipid management (utilizing the Chronic Care Model)
• Continuity of Care – foster relationships and team building, patients see the same provider at each visit
• Focus on “health” rather than “disease”
• Be “patient-centered” not “institution-centered”
• Affirm the patient’s freedom of choice and self-direction
• Focus on what the patient wants
• Move from “doing things to patients” to “doing things with patients” – avoid the “just tell me what to do” situation
• Listen reflectively