Advancing Health Equity in Philadelphia

In North Philadelphia, right off Lehigh Avenue, there is a team of Temple faculty, students, and staff who share a focus and dedication to the people of Philadelphia.

From the moment you walk into the Temple University Health and Wellness Center at Liberty Square, every interaction is person-centered and intentional. Access to healthcare is a challenge for many people, and in Philadelphia, chronic health conditions and social determinants all impact health outcomes. This team of pharmacists, social workers, nurses, and physical therapists have come together with a shared vision around care. Led by Dr. Tina Tran, assistant professor in the School of Pharmacy, and Dr. Susan VonNessen-Scanlin, associate dean for clinical affairs and interprofessional education at the College of Public Health, the Center focuses on health equity through education, practice, research, meeting people where they are, and building trust with the community.

The Center has begun to connect with many neighborhood-based organizations to identify opportunities for mutual partnerships and understand how Temple’s services can be most impactful for the North Philadelphia community. Since its founding last year, Dr. Carolina Villamil Grest, assistant professor in the School of Social Work, has been working with the Center to facilitate community engagement. She leads outreach conversations with local organizations and compiles recommendations on how to better serve clients, including Philadelphia’s immigrant populations. Villamil Grest identifies where gaps exist in available services, especially those related to social determinants of health needs.

Potential patients might learn about the Center through other neighborhood-based organizations, community outreach events, physician referrals, or they might walk in for an on-the-spot appointment. On any given day, Gao Ly Vang, MSW, the Center’s Program Coordinator, would begin by reviewing patient referrals, community-based referrals and scheduling. While these processes often occur in a health setting, the way that Vang and the team approach this work is what distinguishes the Center’s approach, which is committed to providing quality care, with cultural humility, and thinking with the patient about how the Center can support them to attend their appointment and stay on track with their health goals.

Manifesting a culture of care begins with these initial conversations and extends to every interaction during a patient’s visit. Vang shares, “we listen, observe, and hold ourselves accountable. We aim to amplify their voices in the most productive and appropriate ways. It is vital that we provide an open space where patients feel comfortable to participate.” In this flexible and dynamic environment, staff encourage patients to be part of the conversations and decisions that affect their health and wellbeing.

The Center’s founders and staff understand that the most positive outcomes are achieved when patients and clinicians work in partnership. Dr. Laura Baehr, a clinician-scientist and assistant professor of instruction in the College of Public Health, is the Health and Wellness Center’s first physical therapist faculty member to practice in this space. She is passionate about how exercise and movement transform lives.

Baehr says, “when I work with the physical therapy students, I am helping them understand how to empower patients with multiple chronic health conditions through movement.” She says, that “thinking about community health isn’t always part of education, and the ways in which health centers operate. We aren’t waiting for people to come into the health system. We are going out and beginning these conversations in the community setting. Movement is part of life. You don’t necessarily have to have an injury to receive an evaluation that supports overall health and that may help them stay out of the hospital system.”

Faculty, students, and staff at the center address complex challenges, including grief, loss, impacts from chronic disease, gun violence, housing accessibility, and navigating systems for elderly services. A recent patient shared that due to the services and resources that the Center provided, they were able to realize the life they wanted for their family.

Patients can also access care and learn about the Center at the local ShopRite. An interdisciplinary team of faculty and student nurses and social workers, including Kieran McCarney, ask if people would like to have their blood pressure taken, and pending that outcome, make a referral if needed. Building trust is the first step in connecting neighbors with these health services. McCarney, the inaugural social work intern and Temple social work student says, “something that I’ve learned is to ask questions, let it be silent and let the [clients] answer.” Center staff all share a willingness to listen to their patients and learn about their experiences and needs. McCarney explains, “It’s all about giving them absolute freedom as their thoughts come out. It’s a space for them to feel welcome, comfortable, and heard.”