January 11, 2018

The Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services (the Center) is a comprehensive, nurse-managed health center run by Drexel University's College of Nursing and Health Professions in collaboration with the Family Practice and Counseling Network. Its mission is to decrease health disparities by providing integrative services and health programs in partnership with the local community. By integrating primary care, behavioral health, mind-body, and other health promotion programs, the Center develops a comprehensive treatment plan to address the biological, psychological, and social needs of the patient all at one site. This system ensures communication and collaboration among patients and staff as they manage current illnesses and prevent future health problems. The Center's roots date back to 1996, when the College of Nursing at MCP/Hahnemann University entered into an agreement with the Philadelphia Housing Authority to address the health issues of 11th Street Corridor residents. The first services offered at the Center focused on health promotion and disease prevention.

The Center's Community Advisory Board, composed of neighborhood residents, later arranged for the Center to use a temporary space for primary care health services at the Harrison Plaza Community Center. As a result of consistent growth and program development, the Center outgrew the original building that had opened in 2002. In June 2015, the 17,000 sq. ft. expansion opened and doubled the Center's size, providing space not only to see more patients but also to improve and expand services.

Over the past 19 years, the Center has become a hub for health-related activity in the community. In addition to the regular services provided at the Center, the staff expanded their reach through public art making, community fitness, food distribution, and partnering with local organizations to promote health care access and healthy living. The Center's goals include strengthening its trauma-informed care to provide a strong foundation for care across the lifespan. In addition, the Center is developing partnerships with schools, faith-based groups, and other organizations to create a shared value of health and promote a healthier community.

News at 11

• Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Center offers an integrated health care model with many resources available to the community. Though the surrounding community lacks fresh fruits and vegetables, 11th Street strived to fill in the gaps by partnering with two urban farms, Greensgrow and Greener Partners, to host on-site low-cost produce stands twice per week for the summer & fall seasons. Affordable food was available through subsidized programs such as Farms to Families (supported by the St. Christopher’s Foundations) and the Philly Food Bucks Farmers’ Market Vouchers. The center also provides nutrition education for groups and individuals, hosting diabetes prevention and cooking classes throughout the year.

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  This year, with the continued turkey donation from Drexel’s Alumni Association, and the support of The Fresh Grocer at Progress Plaza, Sheller 11th Street Family Health was able to provide turkey dinner baskets to 160 families. Center staff and Community Advisory Committee members pulled together to raise funding for the additional dinner basket items. Half of the donation went to patients who were nominated by center staff. The other half were donated to local organizations, senior housing center, and community groups to be given to families for whom they knew the baskets could bring holiday cheer. There was such a great response, planning has already begun for next year and donation are being accepted a this link.

• 11th Street is the recipient of two grants from Independence Blue Cross (IBX) totaling $175,000. The award of Targeted Funding Blue Safety Net Grant is for funds to provide continuity of access to high quality behavioral healthcare through Creative Arts Therapies (CATs) modalities—art therapy, dance/movement therapy, and music therapy—for child and adult clients most affected by early childhood trauma and abuse. 11th Street patients have come to rely on CATs as a means to address trauma symptoms, and garner adaptive coping skills, through increasing awareness of psychological, somatic, behavioral and spiritual patterns. A number of studies have shown that individuals who are the victims of adverse childhood experiences who participate in creative arts therapies (CAT) programs subsequently experience a reduction in anxiety, dissociation, flashbacks, relationship struggles, isolation and depressive symptoms and an increase in self-efficacy, self-esteem, body awareness/attunement, parenting efficacy, sleep, healthy eating, exercise, and recreational activities, all of which result in better-functioning adults.* (*Cruz RF, Sabers DS. (1998). Dance movement therapy is more effective than previously reported. The Arts in Psychotherapy 25(2):101-104)

The IBX Core Support Blue Safety Net Grant will increase capacity and sustainability of the Center by implementing components of the 3.0 transformation to achieve the following: target key stages in the life course (adolescent populations and older adults transitioning to Medicare); develop a cohort of patient advocates; and strengthen the No Wrong Door concept to support individuals' access to needed services and health promotion programs.

The 3.0 Transformation Framework (3.0) posited by Neal Halfon and colleagues optimizes the health of the population through primary prevention, health promotion and community-integrated health delivery systems that continuously seek to improve quality through a learning health system—a system striving to promote wellness and achieve optimal lifelong health. 3.0 emphasizes not only activated patients but also engaged communities and motivated populations focused on creating local conditions that support health over the life course. Individuals therefore become designers and co-producers of their lifelong health development.