What is the Health Connection?

The primary goal of this 2-day event is to provide every child access to health care, especially low-income, uninsured children of Northern Utah that would otherwise not have their health care needs met.

We provide services to over 1400 children with the help of over 700 volunteers. Children receive complete comprehensive physical examinations, immunizations, dental examinations, vision, hearing screenings, free prescriptions and medications, toothbrushes, books, socks, underwear, and haircuts. We also immediately coordinate referrals and follow-up care for children with special health care needs identified at the event, with careful health care records maintained from year-to-year.

Women’s Health Connection (WHC) was initiated in 2004 as a natural extension of Children’s Health Connection.  The Junior League of Ogden, McKay Dee Hospital and Midtown Community Health Center recognized that healthy children require healthy moms to care for them.  Preventive screening including Pap smears, breast exams, oral health screening and depression screening are offered to 500 women during the twice yearly event. During the June 2005 event over 250 women received health care services.  Many of the low-income, uninsured women served had not received preventive care in many years. The latest WCH, held November 9, 2006, coincided with the first winter day in Ogden. Only 176 of the 250 women scheduled came to the event. Many of the women rely on public transportation or walk and it was too cold and rainy to be outside. Because of this, we have decided to hold the event once yearly during the spring. Our goal will be to serve 500 women during a two-day event.

YOU CAN HELP
The Health Connection needs volunteers and donations. To find out how you can help please contact us.

Sponsors

Children's Health Connection 2005

Demographics
More than 3000 people, including 1668 children attended the two-day Health Connection event where over 700 health care professionals and Ogden community members volunteered to provide free physicals, immunizations, and dental, vision, hearing, and developmental screenings to the inner-city children of Ogden.

Bilingual volunteers were crucial to this event and process due to the fact that approximately 74% of the participants spoke only Spanish.

Process Changes

• The event was held at Central Middle School for the third year in a row. An additional medical examination room was added and that addition helped to ease the medical flow issues. The team also added a "take a number" system - this was very successful and allowed the clients and families to move around and not be contained in a long line.
• Medicaid and CHIP representatives were present at the event and eligible families/individuals were directed to these representatives in order to complete the application forms. This step will save time and resources during the follow-up process.
• The case managers from the Health Access Team will now coordinate follow-up care and health education.

Services Provided and Referrals

The following screenings were completed at the 2005 Health Connection:

• 1230 - Medical
• 1280 - Dental
• 929 - Vision
• 196 - Developmental
• 797 - Hearing

Total services provided: 4432

The health screenings resulted in the following priority follow-up cases:

• 240 - Medical* - includes high - medium - low priorities
• 271 - Dental* - includes high and medium priorities
• 144 - Vision
• 75 - Developmental
• 77 - Hearing

Total follow-up priority: 807

Follow-up Coordinators will track the families during the coming year to ensure their continued access to health care.