Pars and Partnerships
FORE Rochester!
His Branches is excited to announce our inaugural golf tournament at Ravenwood Golf Club on July 22,2024! Registration is NOW open for golfers, and we have a variety of sponsorship opportunities available. Funds raised during this event will be used to offset costs related to non-reimbursed medical expenses and leveraged for launching an expansion of our clinic to a third location. We’d love to have as you join us that day, as well as spread the word to friends and colleagues!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Tuesday, March 19th 9am-3pm, UR Mammovan at His Branches - Reserve your spot!
Monday, April 8th, 2-4pm, Beechwood Eclipse Neighborhood Party at New City Cafe
Saturday, May 11th 1-3pm, Arnett Block Association Bike Clinic at His Branches
Monday, July 22, 10:30am, FORE Rochester Golf Tournament at Ravenwood
Date Change! TBD, The Roots Collective Hard Hard Tour and Tasting at His Branches
HealthyMe: Hypertension - Meal Partnership
Healthy food that provides a '“Jaw Jammin’ Experience” is the goal of our new collaboration with Aretha McLamore of Ma’ama Tee’s Cookin’ & Catering to address health and health care disparities among the minority community of Rochester by providing medically tailored meals for minorities at-risk for hypertension.
The 12-week program called HealthyMe: Hypertension, is a prototype funded by MVP Health Care’s Corporate Giving Program designed to demonstrate the impact nutrition, community, and medical care plays to create an opportunity for best possible outcomes.
Our superstar volunteer, Grace,
delivering meals right to patient’s doors
Participants receive three visits with a provider, educational resources, and a free blood pressure monitor as well as three meals a week, cooking tips, and recipes designed to increase flavor while decreasing salt intake, culminating in an online cooking class for graduates so they can continue preparing healthier food at home long-term.
Death from heart disease is the second leading cause of death for the Black community of Monroe County behind only cancer. Hypertension, a form of heart disease leading to more serious and potentially fatal chronic diseases, heart attacks, and strokes has been demonstrated as present in nearly ⅔ of city residents (18+). About ⅓ of our patients (30%) live with hypertension. But when barriers are addressed and strategies implemented, hypertension concerns can be managed without decrease in length and quality of life…or taste.
Community Telehealth Hubs : YWCA
As we connect with leaders from other community facing nonprofits we regularly hear healthcare mentioned as the biggest need of the clients they serve. Yet transportation to our office continues to be a significant barrier. Since we can't start a clinic next to every organization we partner with (yet!), our team has created a strategy to leverage technology to create access for new patients within community-based organizations.
Our team pictured with Dr. Myra Henry, CEO of YWCA Rochester & Monroe County
Portable technology carts for community telehealth hubs
Our first partner is the YWCA of Greater Rochester and Monroe County. From their Bittner Street headquarters, residents connect with their case manager in order to express need for medical and mental health care, become a new patient and access their needed care via virtual visits.
Those new patients are able to extend their trust of the YWCA to our providers more quickly and more comfortably by accessing health care within the comfort of their living space. Case Managers are able to support clients/patients with scheduling appointments, logging into telehealth appointments, and arranging transportation to our office only when necessary.
Though telehealth will never replace in person care, but it has become an essential tool for getting and remaining connected in between office visits. As we get feedback on the process and experience with early adopters, we'll adjust and adapt in order to best serve the YWCA before launching into as many as five organizations this year. Our hope is to serve at least 100 new patients through this telehealth collaboration before the end of 2024.
His Branches Goes To Albany
Alongside our network of community health centers from across New York state, our Executive Director visited Albany this month in order to discuss priorities that enable His Branches to better meet the needs of our community. As a network, our priorities included: telehealth pay parity for medical and mental health visits, Medicaid rate increase, and expanding license of Medical Assistants as vaccinators. Additional discussions centered around workforce investments and strategies surrounding collaborative efforts specific to our neighborhoods.
Meetings in Albany include: Senator Samara Brouk's team, Assemblymembers Harry Bronson and Demond Meeks. Additionally our staff was able to discuss priorities and opportunities in February with Senator Jeremy Cooney while he was in Rochester.
At this point, several of these priorities appear in at least one version of the state budget bills, so we're thankful for leaders who demonstrate their love for their neighbors by listening to residents and leveraging their voice for good.
Senator Gustavo Rivera speaks to healthcare executives at the CHCANYS Advocacy Day in Albany
Preventative Healthcare in Action
The UR Mammography Van is returning to His Branches this upcoming Tuesday, March 19th, 9am - 3pm. Regular screenings for women 40+ can lead to early detection and more effective treatment, reducing breast cancer mortality by 30% over the past 20 years.
After serving around 20 women at their last visit, they were eager to return and continue providing convenient access to our patients and neighbors to receive this essential screening. Spread the word if you know someone who could benefit from the ease of this opportunity.
If you’d like to schedule an appointment for Tuesday, please email mammovan@urmc.edu or call 1-800-870-0002 to reserve your spot!
A FOUNDATION OF SUPPORT
Donor contributions are essential to our mission and are utilized in a number of ways to help directly support our patient’s greatest needs and keep our operations running and growing. Our community of sustaining supporters, The Roots Collective, provides a reliable and steady foundation for ensuring the continuation of our services. We have some special opportunities coming up exclusively for our Collective, so stay tuned for more information soon!
If you’d like to give a financial gift, learn more about how to join The Roots Collective, or find out how donor dollars are utilized toward our mission, you can click the button below to get started today.