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The Strong partners with Jordan Health to promote wellness  

The Strong National Museum of Play and Jordan Health have launched the Passport to Healthy Play program to encourage medical screenings and wellness.  

The Strong partners with Jordan Health to promote wellness  Through the Passport to Healthy Play program, pediatric patients with Jordan Health who complete their physical and dental screenings will be provided passes and meal vouchers to enjoy a day of play at The Strong on specified days.  

“Jordan Health is excited to partner with The Strong to provide young patients the opportunity to explore healthy ways to play,” said Janice Harbin, president and CEO of Jordan Health. “We understand that health goes beyond physical health and includes the mental and active state of our young people, too. To build a healthier community, we must provide healthy options of exploration for the next generation.” 

The Passport to Healthy Play program will host two upcoming dates this year – Sept. 10 and Nov. 12 – and additional dates will be announced for 2023. 

“The physical, cognitive and emotional benefits of play have been proven time and time again,” added Steve Dubnik, president and CEO of The Strong. “We’re proud to join with Jordan Health to share a day of play with their patients and to also encourage and incentivize families in our community to complete their crucial medical wellness screens.” 

[email protected] / (585) 653-4021 

Jordan Health, county partner to help veterans

Hundreds of veterans could benefit from a new partnership between Jordan Health Center and the County of Monroe.

The partnership is designed to help local veterans access Veterans Affairs benefits. There are currently hundreds of veterans or spouses of veterans throughout the Greater Rochester area who unknowingly are eligible for several benefits due to their service, officials noted, and thousands of dollars go unclaimed every year.

Jordan Health patients who are also veterans or the spouses of veterans will be provided information and have the opportunity to meet with a Monroe County Veteran Services Agency representative on-site at the Jordan Center.

“Our veterans have given so much to our country. We owe them more than a debt of gratitude but also the opportunity and assistance to secure all of their eligible VA benefits,” said Jordan Health Center President and CEO Janice Harbin in a statement Thursday. “It is critical, now more than ever, that we help our veterans obtain not just the health benefits they have earned, but the financial benefits as well. We’re proud to support the veterans in the communities we serve.”

The Monroe County Veteran Services Agency representative will be available at the Jordan Center on Holland Street every other Thursday. The representative will walk eligible individuals through the process to gather the materials needed to support a claim, file a claim and track the claim through the VA system, officials explained.

“As Jordan Health has done time and again in the past when asked to help the county bring vital services into the City of Rochester, they did not hesitate to say ‘yes,'” said Monroe County Executive Adam Bello. “This new partnership between the Veteran Services Agency and Jordan Health provides veterans served by Jordan Health ready access to the expertise of the Veteran Services Agency staff. We look forward to the expansion of the partnership to Jordan Health’s other sites.”

The Monroe County Veterans Service Agency has assisted in facilitating the payment of more than $6.3 million in retroactive benefits and roughly $15 million in monthly payments in the last year.

“The fact that there may be even one veteran, let alone hundreds, living in Rochester who have not received the VA benefits they have earned due to not having been informed of them is unacceptable. As a government agency it is our job to extend our outreach and meet people where they are,” said Nick Stefanovic, director of Monroe County Veterans Services. “People need to see our physical presence and know that we respect their service to our country and are available to represent them, ensuring they are paid the financial benefits due to them.”

[email protected] / 585-653-4021
Follow Velvet Spicer on Twitter: @Velvet_Spicer

Jordan Health Respiratory Clinic marks six months

Jordan Health on Saturday marked six months since the opening of its respiratory clinic at the Anthony L. Jordan Health Center. The clinic was opened at the request of Monroe County and the city of Rochester to help address the impacts of COVID-19 on the communities it serves.

More than 2,200 COVID-19 tests have been performed at the Jordan Health Respiratory Clinic. The results of the tests show a 6.1 percent positive rate in the African American community, a 5.38 percent positivity rate in the white community and a 3.25 percent positivity rate in the Latinx community.

People living in poverty have been shown to be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, and poverty is a common thread among the communities Jordan Health serves, officials said.

“When compared to the COVID-19 positivity rate for Monroe County overall, which rose above 2.5 percent this week, the test results from our respiratory clinic paint a stark picture of the disproportionate way this virus impacts impoverished communities,” said Jordan Health CEO Janice Harbin. “We at Jordan Health have helped alleviate some of the health care challenges of underserved and uninsured individuals for over 100 years and we’re proud to have quickly mobilized to help some of the most vulnerable patients during this pandemic.”

The county and the city asked Jordan Health to address the pandemic in April and within two weeks a respiratory clinic was opened.

“The residents of Monroe County and the city of Rochester are fortunate to have dedicated professionals and (the) exceptional care of Anthony Jordan Health Center,” County Executive Adam Bello said in a statement. “Their efforts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic have provided countless people and families, particularly those of color who have been disproportionately impacted by the virus, with access to health screenings, testing and other preventative care measures.”

Monroe County on Thursday recorded 300 new COVID-19 positive tests, and the positivity rate now stands at 4.3 percent. With winter months approaching, officials have emphasized the importance of adhering to COVID-19 health and safety protocols such as wearing a mask, practicing social distancing and washing hands frequently.

“The recent rise in COVID-19 cases in our community proves that now is not the time to let our guard down and skip the steps we know work in preventing the spread,” said Laurie Donohue M.D., Jordan Health Center family medicine specialist. “Even small gatherings of family and friends at restaurants or bars or even at private homes have resulted in outbreaks when masks are not worn and social distancing is not properly implemented. As Thanksgiving approaches, we urge everyone to consider the wellbeing of our community and remember the necessary health protocols when making plans for the holiday.”

The Jordan Health Respiratory Clinic is open to the public on weekdays from 1 to 8 p.m.

[email protected] / 585-653-4021
Follow Velvet Spicer on Twitter: @Velvet_Spicer

County, city collaborate on pandemic initiative to counter racial disparities

The city of Rochester and county of Monroe will partner with Jordan Health, Trillium Health and the University of Rochester Medical Center on a new initiative aimed at reducing racial and ethnic disparities related to COVID-19.

“We know that COVID-19 does not discriminate. Anyone can get it, regardless of age, income or background,” Monroe County Executive Adam Bello said at a Tuesday press conference. “But we also know some people are more vulnerable than others. This includes people of color.”

Officials said the pandemic has intensified existing racial and ethnic disparities both locally and across the country. The percentage of local COVID-19 patients being hospitalized and sent to the ICU is disproportionately black and brown, and nationwide, people of color are disproportionately dying from the disease.

In fact, a new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that the Centers for Disease Control data suggests that the virus is having disproportionate effects, with black people accounting for 34 percent of confirmed cases with known race/ethnicity compared with 13 percent of the total population as of April 20. In the majority of states reporting data, black people accounted for a higher share of confirmed cases (in 20 of 31 states) and deaths (in 19 of 24 states) compared with their share of the total population.

In Upstate New York, the report shows, some 17 percent of confirmed deaths from COVID-19 are black, although black individuals represent 14 percent of the total upstate population.

The new local initiative consists of two new Respiratory Health Clinics — one of which will include a mobile site — within the city limits. Jordan Health launched the first clinic Tuesday at the Anthony L. Jordan Health Center on Holland Street. It will be open weekdays from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., by appointment only. It is open to existing Jordan Health patients.

Trillium Health is opening its clinic at 259 Monroe Ave. on April 27. Initially, the clinic will be open to existing Trillium patients. The clinic will be open weekdays from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., by appointment only. Officials are expecting to accept appointments from the general public within a short time frame. Trillium also will be adding a mobile clinic in the near future.

Personal protective equipment, testing swabs, laboratory services and logistical support will be provided by Monroe County and URMC, among others.

[email protected] / 585-653-4021
Follow Velvet Spicer on Twitter: @Velvet_Spicer