Building Healthier CommunitiesChase Brexton recognizes that building a healthy community involves not only treating individuals when they have illness, but also considering their lives in a broader "whole person" sense. This may include helping individuals to learn more about their illness, educating the community to be more aware of prevention issues, and encouraging everyone to make healthier lifestyle choices.
With changing lobby displays on selected health topics, located on the 1st floor of Building A and 3rd floor of Building B, every visit to Chase Brexton's Mt. Vernon Center is also an opportunity to learn something new. Special educational events are also planned to increase awareness of health issues among our staff, our patients, and our neighbors. We also seek out opportunities for our staff to provide accurate health information through television, newspaper, radio and newsletters by speaking to community groups.
Our community health improvement efforts sometimes combine a health service with an educational session. For example, when we do dental screenings for the children in nearby elementary schools, we also provide them with instruction on how to care for their teeth; or, when we offer free hepatitis vaccinations at the Gay Pride Festival in Druid Hill Park we also encourage them to get the follow-up shots and make an appointment to see their primary care physician regularly. Knowledge is the first step to improving a person’s health or the health of the whole community. A person’s access to well-informed and culturally-relevant health care is often a matter of policy decisions made by people far removed from the exam room. What is culturally relevant health care?? It means we take the time to understand how your lifestyle, religion, culture, and/or philosophical beliefs may effect your health choices and medical decisions.
But health care is also a political issue. Chase Brexton makes sure that the decision-makers at local, state and national levels of government consider the needs of the communities we serve. We regularly work with other organizations from around the country to advocate for those who have traditionally faced problems getting quality health care, including members of the GLBT community, persons living with HIV/AIDS, and all who lack health insurance.
Getting a share of government funds that matches the real needs in our community is a constant struggle. We also recognize that it is unhealthy for individuals to live in a world that does not recognize their worth as a human being, and we work for policies that combat prejudice and celebrate diversity. Empowering the people we serve to speak up for themselves not only helps them feel better, it also contributes to the strength of our advocacy and the unity of our communities. Exploring this part of our website may be the start of increasing your awareness of a variety of health issues. It may inspire you to take a new step for your own health or to join others in working for a healthier community.
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