To: Georgia Academy of Family Physicians Colleagues

From:  Patrick J. Lynn, MD – President, Georgia Health Family Alliance

RE:   Georgia Tornado Disaster Relief Fund Available for Our Members

We are aware that several Georgia communities saw extensive damage on April 13, 2020 when multiple tornadoes traveled through Georgia. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been impacted by these storms and for the families who lost loved ones.

Because damage is still being assessed in the impacted communities, we want you to know that the Georgia Academy’s Foundation (Georgia Healthy Family Alliance) has a Disaster Relief Fund to help our members who may have experienced damage to their practice.  We established this fund in 2007 and were able to help two family physicians who lost their practices when a tornado ripped through downtown Americus.

If you are aware of a family physician in need or if you have damage to your office don’t hesitate to contact us at (404) 321-7445.  Kara Sinkule (ksinkule@gafp.org) or Fay Fulton (ffulton@gafp.org) can assist you with completing the application

Sincerely,

Patrick “PJ” Lynn, MD, FAAFP

President

Georgia Healthy Family Alliance

To:  GAFP Members
From: Patrick “PJ” Lynn, MD, FAAFP
President, Georgia Healthy Family Alliance

RE: Immediate Needs Community Grants Now Available

From GHFA – GAFP Foundation

The Georgia Healthy Family Alliance (GHFA) Executive Committee met last week to address the current COVID-19 crisis unfolding in communities across Georgia. Effective immediately, GHFA is opening applications for Immediate Needs Community Grants to help GAFP member communities.  Some examples of these grant solicitations could be housing, transportation and/or food and medicine for individuals that are in a fragile or dangerous situation.

Because our members are on the front lines of public health issues affecting their communities, grants of up to $1,000 will be awarded to GAFP members to address immediate local needs.  Grant applications have been streamlined and a review/approval process has been implemented so we can transmit funds within 3-5 days.

The application period is open effective March 23, 2020.  The application is below – or a fillable applications can be found on the GHFA website at www.georgiahealthyfamilyalliance.org . Contact Kara Sinkule – ksinkule@gafp.org or call 404-321-7445 with any questions.

GHFA Immediate Needs Community Grant Application

Open and Ongoing Application – Effective March 23, 2020

Applicants must be Georgia Academy of Family Physicians members. Grants of up to $1,000 will be awarded to address immediate local needs in Georgia include housing, transportation and/or food and medicine. Grant applications will be immediately reviewed, and funding transmitted within 3-5 days. 

Please Print:

GAFP Member’s Full Name:

Address City/State Zip Code (to transmit funding):

Email Address:

Best Phone Number to Contact You:

Grant Request Amount (Available – Up to $1,000): _______________________

Briefly describe how you will use the grant if awarded all or a portion of your requested amount.

Do you have any other information that may help us to evaluate your grant application?

Please add the name of the grantee and the address where the funding should be sent (if different from above):

Certification by Grant Applicant:

I certify that the information contained in this application is true and complete. I understand that a material misrepresentation or omission of any information is grounds for denial of a grant. I understand that the granting of assistance is neither a right nor an entitlement, and that the Georgia Healthy Family Alliance shall have sole discretion in determining whether I qualify for or receive a grant. 

Signature (Electronic Signature Accepted) and Date:

Click here to download the PDF

The Georgia Healthy Family Alliance (GHFA) awarded eight Community Health Grant Award applicants $40,000 in first cycle 2020 grants. Grant awards were made to GAFP member affiliated community organizations that support GHFA program priorities including underserved populations and programs that promote healthy practices. The application deadline for second cycle 2020 awards is May 14, 2020.

Visit www.georgiahealthyfamilyalliance.org/grants/  for more information or to download the application. The 2020 first cycle grant recipients are:

Grace Gate Clinic “Flu Prevention for Habersham” Donald Fordham, MD – $5,000     

Grace Gate Clinic exists to provide quality free healthcare to medically underserved patients in Habersham County, Georgia.  Grace Gate currently has 302 patients with chronic health problems who would benefit from flu vaccination and who are otherwise unable to afford the vaccine. There are currently no other resources in the county that provide discounted or free flu vaccines. The grant in the amount of $5000 would allow Grace Gate to provide flu vaccines for all 302 patients.

Emory University “Eagle Food Co-Op Project”, Ava Voss, Medical Student– $5,000      

The Eagle Food Co-op is an open pantry for Emory University students in need. It is housed and managed by Bread Coffeehouse/Emory Christian Campus Fellowship, a free coffeehouse and campus ministry. The Eagle Food Co-op is a resource available for the 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students at Emory University and is specifically intended for the approximately 60% of them that are struggling with food insecurity.  Food insecurity is a growing problem on college campuses nationwide, and Emory University is no exception. We were gratefully able to serve almost 200 students in the previous school year and are on track to serve slightly more in this school year. Grant funds would be used to purchase a deep freezer stocked fully with frozen meats, vegetables, fruits, and bread as well as nonperishable items and hygiene products.

Wellstar Kennestone FM Clinic “Let’s Get Moving Project” Rebecca Kim, MD – $5,000     

The growing obesity and hyperlipidemia problem in the United States is not slowing down. In Georgia, we are known as the “stroke belt” given the increased rates of unhealthy lifestyle habits. In this family medicine clinic alone, approximately 46.8% of patients were known to have BMI >30. In addition, approximately 970 patients had abnormalities in their lipid panel (18.8% LDL, 11.1% Triglycerides, 12.1% Total Cholesterol). Patients participating in the project will get BMI/Lipid measurements as well as a questionnaire asking their exercise/activity level and desires to exercise. During each monthly visit, patients will be asked to fill out a questionnaire asking them the same questions about exercise/activity level and desire and front office staff will check/log their steps.

Al-Farooq Clinic “Electronic Health Record Project” Omar Hayek, Med Student – $5,000  

The Al-Farooq Free Health Clinic is a free health clinic that provides medical care and services to the underserved population of the greater Atlanta area regardless of their insurance status. The clinic opens weekly on Sundays from 12-2 PM in the Al-Farooq Mosque and provides treatment for hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, heart conditions, lung conditions and several other chronic medical conditions. We conduct blood sugar testing and basic Lab Corp blood work. The clinic also provides select medication at no cost to patients. A large network of volunteers triage the patients, do blood work, and handle the office and managerial side of the clinic. On average, the Al-Farooq clinic serves 15-20 patients weekly, many of whom are returning patients. Grant funds will set up an electronic health records (EHR) system.

Physicians’ Care Clinic “Chronic Disease and Diabetes Management Program” Martha Crenshaw, MD – $5,000  

PCC is the oldest and largest volunteer led charitable clinic serving residents of DeKalb County and provides services to 1,183 enrolled patients. Many PCC patients suffer from chronic disease requiring ongoing primary care and management. In 2019, 44% had high blood pressure, 19% high cholesterol, and 26% of our patients were diabetic.  The clinic’s Chronic Disease and Diabetes Management Program is the only organized medical clinic program in DeKalb County offering on-going prevention and education classes and monitoring supplies.  This grant will support eight, two-hour diabetes management classes and scholarships for classes at Emory Decatur Hospital. Funding will be used to purchase testing strips and glucometers to monitor blood sugar levels as well as educational materials used to help patients improve nutrition and lose weight. Passes to attend organized, structured classes offered at Emory Decatur Wellness Center will also be provided to program participants.

Mercer School of Medicine “Student Run Clinic” Nicole Mette, Med Student – $4,973  

Macon Volunteer Clinic provides primary healthcare to residents of Macon-Bibb County who are ages 18-64, employed, uninsured, and earn less than 200% of the Federal Poverty level.  In 2019 Macon Volunteer Clinic served 778 individual patients.  Of these 70% were female, 92% had an annual income of less than $25,000, 66% were African American, and 20% were diabetic. Macon Bibb County is one of the top 10 unhealthiest metro areas in the United States, and its health outcomes are ranked #135 out of 159 counties with the highest rate of diabetes among Georgia cities.  Macon Volunteer Clinic has over 350 dedicated volunteers including dentists, physicians, nurses, administrative, nurse practitioners, hygienists, and medical students from Mercer University School of Medicine.  Mercer USM students provide valuable services to our patients, while receiving hands-on learning opportunities. Once each month Macon Volunteer Clinic has Student-Run Saturday Clinic, where Mercer School of Medicine students, with their physician instructor, provide initial screening appointments for new patients. In this Clinic, they learn to chart, take patient vitals, review and discuss labs, provide valuable patient education about chronic multiple medical conditions.

Clarkston Health Center, “Breast Health Initiative” Patrice Shongo, MD – $5,000

Clarkston Health Center’s Breast Health Initiative (BHI) aims to decrease the breast cancer mortality rate among uninsured, immigrant, and refugee women in DeKalb County and the surrounding region. As of December 2019, 168 women received screening mammograms. Our goal is to reach an additional 132 women with screening mammograms by the end of 2020. Of the 168 women, 67 had benign results, 26 were submitted for follow-up, 8 biopsy orders were sent, 5 ultrasound-guided biopsies were completed, 4 genetic orders sent, 14 unilateral diagnostic mammograms completed, and 1 bilateral diagnostic mammogram was completed.  CCHC’s volunteer physicians and nurse practitioners continue to conduct the initial clinical breast exams, identify any risk factors through a detailed medical history, and order the testing. GHFA grant funds will be used to provide mammograms to 37 women.

Rome Free Clinic “Telemedicine- Rural Communities” Leonard Reeves, MD $5,000

The Free Clinic of Rome is a not-for-profit organization that for 17 years has served low-income, uninsured patients with no primary medical home. Last year the clinic revised boundaries drawn for three counties and widened its outreach to “the greater Rome area” in order to reach more patients even when patients could not necessarily reach us. As a provider to low-income uninsured patients, data has shown us appointment cancellations and no-shows by patients outside a 3 – 5-mile radius of the clinic or in areas without access to the local public transit, are notably related to transportation issues.  Lack of a vehicle, insurance, gas money, vehicle dependability and daylight savings time (ability to drive in the dark/working headlights) all play a great part in a patient’s ability to come to appointments as scheduled. An evaluation of our patients in a rural County shows a round trip to an appointment for some to be over 80 miles. The ability for a remote Telemedicine Clinic to provide routine follow-up appointments in a geographically convenient location that eliminates time and travel issues should decrease appointment cancellations, increase the quality and continuity of care we can provide our patients, and make it much simpler for new patients to have access to us in the future.

Barrow County School Nurse Melanie Boestfleisch (R) recently presented Tar Wars to County Line Elementary School students in Winder, Georgia. Students learned how smoking and vaping damages your lungs as well as other dangers posed by E-Cigarettes/ JUULS and Hookahs. Students were also encouraged to create their own advertisements for living a tobacco and nicotine free life to enter in the Tar Wars statewide poster competition. To learn how you can present Tar Wars in your community contact Kara Sinkule at ksinkule@gafp.org or call (404) 321-7445.

        Support for Tar Wars Georgia provided by the W.G. Raoul Foundation

The Georgia Healthy Family Alliance (GHFA) recently awarded the Atlanta-based Center for Black Women’s Wellness (CBWW) a $5,000 Community Health Grant to support their “Safety Net Clinic”  project which provides chronic disease management for uninsured women and men including those with Hypertension, Diabetes, High Cholesterol and Mental Health needs.

GHFA Deputy Director Kara Sinkule (R) recently presented the $5,000 grant award to CBWW Wellness Program Manager April Reid (L).

Annually, CBWW serves approximately 700 uninsured patients through the Safety Net Clinic.  More than 30 patients will benefit from case management services for diabetes and hypertension through this project.  Of these patients, 100% of them are 200% below poverty level and are uninsured.

The overall goal of the “Safety Net Clinic” project is to educate patients by providing them with tools, clinical support, supplies, and case management services. These services assist patients in managing their health by giving them access to educational support, one-on-one clinical visits, and home monitoring tools.

The Center for Black Women’s Wellness is a premier, community-based, family service center in Atlanta committed to improving the health and well-being of underserved Black women and their families.

GHFA is the philanthropic arm of the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians (GAFP). Our nationally recognized Community Health Grant Program exists to support and create momentum in an area of need and provide vital funds for family physician sponsored healthcare projects across Georgia.

Since launching the program in 2012, the Alliance has awarded more than $326,000 in grants statewide. Grant awards are made to GAFP member affiliated community organizations supporting underserved populations and community programs that promote healthy practices. For more information visit www.georgiahealthyfamilyalliance.org or contact Kara Sinkule at ksinkule@gafp.org.

MCG at Augusta University Family Medicine Residents Present Tar Wars to Laney High School Students

Family Medicine Residents from MCG at Augusta University recently presented the Tar Wars tobacco and vaping prevention program to Laney High School students in Augusta, GA. In addition to learning about the dangers of tobacco and e-cigarettes/vaping use, the students also received information on hookahs and secondhand smoke.

Pictured (L-R) are Laney H.S. Coach William Wallace, Dr. Sara Myers, Dr. Mark Beckman, Dr. Christian Bramwell and Dr. Bilal Fiaz. To learn how you can present the Tar Wars program in your community contact Kara Sinkule at ksinkule@gafp.org.

Support for Tar Wars in Georgia provided by the W.G. Raoul Foundation