A generous gift from Harris and Anne Clark will help more patients in need take control of their health in Collin County.
What happens when you don’t feel well? Most of us call our doctor, make an appointment and go in to see a physician who knows us. You might be referred for testing or visits with a medical specialist, and your doctor will want to see you frequently for conditions that require ongoing care.
For uninsured patients, many don’t have a doctor to call their own. Instead, when they feel sick, they might need to utilize the services of an emergency room to have access to medical care.
How do they receive the follow-upcare they need? How do they manage chronic conditions that require ongoing treatment, medications and education?
Through community care clinics and funding from generous donors, Baylor Scott & White is improving access to quality, compassionate medical care for underserved populations. Uninsured adults can be referred to these clinics after visiting a Baylor Scott & White emergency department or after discharge from a Baylor Scott & White hospital. Many have chronic diseases that require ongoing medical management.
Philanthropists Harris and Anne Clark grasped the opportunity to help those in need in Collin County by pledging their support of $2.5 million to Baylor Scott & White Douglass Community Clinic – Plano. This gift will allow the clinic to build capacity to see more patients with the addition of a physician care team to support 1,000 more patients each year. This is particularly important in Collin County, where no county hospital exists.
“It is very rewarding to us to be able to help people in need of obtaining access
to health and medical care through the exemplary personnel at Baylor Scott & White,” Harris Clark said. “It has been exciting to work with such an institution to expand this focus on health equity farther into North Texas in and around the Collin County area.”
The clinics’ integrated approach to care includes medical providers, pharmacy services, behavioral health support, chronic disease management and referrals to specialty care. This holistic approach provides compassionate care to underserved patients, and prepares them with the resources needed to transform their health. “This approach works,” explained Jeffrey Zsohar, MD, medical director of Baylor Scott & White Community Care Clinics.
“It’s taking medical psychosocial complexity and partnering that with teams of people who have resources to change the trajectory of their life,” he said. “We are deeply grateful for this investment in our program and for the impact it will have. This kind of gift makes a meaningful difference for generations.”
Embedded in a community of need in East Plano, Baylor Scott & White Douglass Community Clinic – Plano staffs a team of care providers and community health workers who have developed trusted relationships with members of the community.
These community health workers are specially trained to walk alongside patients, helping them navigate the health system and take charge of their health. Patients are provided the medical care and resources necessary to transform their lives, including learning to use technology to access virtual medical care and education, and receive assistance with food, housing and other essential services related to social determinants of health.
“This approach works. It’s taking medical psychosocial complexity and partnering that with teams of people who have resources to change the trajectory of their life.”
–Dr. Jeffrey Zsohar
Generous donors help this become reality: While Baylor Scott & White hospitals provide financial operational support for community care clinics’ clinical space and basic staffing needs, philanthropic support plays an important role in building capacity to care for more patients, providing access to medications and specialty care, and navigating patients to resources to address social determinants of health that can impact well-being and quality of life.
“Building healthier communities starts with healthier people,” Harris Clark said. “I believe that person by person, we can improve the future by improving the lives of our friends and neighbors today.”
