Sutton’s Refugee Health Program has helped hundreds

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James Sutton, a U.S. Army medic turned physician’s assistant, has initiated numerous programs to address specific, often unmet, community health needs. As the director of community medicine for Rochester Regional Health, he has helped people from multiple generations and across many demographics.

In 2009, for example, Sutton developed a program that allowed him to screen refugees at the health department upon their arrival in Rochester. Existing medical problems were identified and patients joined primary care practices at Rochester General Hospital.

Through the Refugee Health Program, more than 900 refugees enter Rochester General Hospital primary care practices each year. Many have medical problems that necessitate ongoing care and treatment. Without easy access to office-based health care, they would have no choice but to seek treatment at emergency departments, where they likely would be subjected to long waits while adding to already high patient volumes. This effort resulted in a new clinic called the Center for Refugee Health that has five medical providers and 20 staff members who care for newly arriving refugees.

In addition, Sutton developed a hypertension clinic at Rochester General Hospital that uses a team approach to treat patients who find it challenging to control blood pressure. He also helped create the Monroe County High Blood Pressure registry, which is now in nine counties. Since its implementation, Monroe County’s control rate rose 4.5 percent to a control rate of 78.6 percent, which represents more than 15,000 people now at a lower risk for a heart attack or stroke.

Sutton’s more recent idea includes spearheading a project in Monroe County called Open Notes, which makes the last note a physician writes about a patient readily available to the person who sought medical care.

In addition to his professional efforts on behalf of Rochester Regional Health, Sutton, 58, volunteers frequently on behalf of others. For example, he is regional medical director for the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes program, which provides athletes with on-site physicals to detect health disparities.

Since 2008, Sutton has volunteered with the Department of Health and Human Services National Disaster Medical System to aid those in need after hurricanes. He has responded after eight devastating storms, including well known Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, and Hurricane Maria. In 2017, he was deployed for 45 straight days, helping at the site of three consecutive hurricanes in two states and Puerto Rico.

“Refugees, people down on their luck, and hurricane victims actually have something in common,” says Sutton, of Spencerport. “They have found themselves is a situation that in most cases is beyond their control. Most won’t even ask for help even though they need a lot of help.  I am attracted to people in these situations because I feel like providing a service to them is much like giving them a gift. The gift is my time and knowledge and skills. It feels like Christmas for me every day that I can give that gift.”