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Health & Fitness

North Coast Health Ministry Gets Some 'Outstanding' Recognition

NCHM has attained recognition by Better Health Greater Cleveland for outstanding achievement in high blood pressure care and control.

North Coast Health Ministry (NCHM), a free clinic serving the low-income uninsured on Greater Cleveland’s West Side, has attained recognition by Better Health Greater Cleveland for outstanding achievement in high blood pressure care and control.  The results were published in the Better Health Greater Cleveland Winter 2012 Community Health Checkup.

“We have long said it is our goal to provide care to our patients that is on par in quality with that provided to anyone of greater economic means or regardless of insurance status,” says NCHM Executive Director Lee Elmore.  “This demonstrates that the quality of care we are providing for our patients with hypertension is not only on par – it is of the highest quality in the region.”

Eighty percent of North Coast Health Ministry’s patients have chronic diseases, with hypertension being among the most prevalent. 

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“Our entire team is focused on providing coordinated, proactive disease management to our patients with chronic illness, and we are extremely pleased and proud to be recognized for excellence in managing this particular disease,” says NCHM Medical Director Philip Tomsik, M.D.

North Coast Health Ministry serves uninsured individuals that fall below 250 percent of the federal poverty level (income level varies based on family size) within 17 zip codes in northwestern Cuyahoga or northeastern Lorain counties.  To become a patient, interested individuals should call 216-228-7878.

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About North Coast Health Ministry

North Coast Health Ministry is the West Side’s free clinic for the low-income uninsured, serving approximately 2,700 patients who have no other route to health care.  With the support of 120 volunteer physicians, nurses and other caregivers, NCHM is able to provide primary health care, specialty referrals, prescription assistance, behavioral health care and social service referrals to the medically underserved.  NCHM strives to be the medical home for its patients providing preventive care and chronic disease management as well as care for acute illnesses and injuries.  Founded in 1986, North Coast Health Ministry is a vital part of the health care safety net on Greater Cleveland’s West Side.  NCHM’s primary location is at 16110 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, Ohio.  

About Better Health Greater Cleveland

Better Health Greater Cleveland is a multi-stakeholder partnership that improves the health and value of health care provided to people with chronic medical conditions in Northeast Ohio.  It is an independent, not-for-profit program established in 2007 under the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Aligning Forces for Quality initiative. Its focus on electronic medical records-catalyzed public reporting of performance on nationally endorsed and locally vetted quality standards has made it a leader in the use of technology to drive improvements in health care delivery and clinical outcomes in primary care. A region-wide Quality Improvement Learning Collaborative is a vital component of its work, leveraging data to identify opportunities and best practices in improving care and outcomes within a peer network of primary care professionals. 

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