Covenant House Health Services Enters 50 Years of Service to the Community

In 1964 a young, community-minded pediatrician with support from ten members of the First United Methodist Church of Germantown established a modest pediatric practice at 251 East Bringhurst Street in East Germantown. From this humble beginning Covenant House Health Services (CHHS) has evolved over four decades into a comprehensive primary care health services agency. Its mission continues to be the provision of comprehensive and affordable primary care health services principally to the low income and/or uninsured residents of Germantown and northwest Philadelphia. As such CHHS is one of the few primary care providers in northwest Philadelphia that serves as a safety-net for those individuals seeking care secure in the knowledge he or she won’t be turned away due to an inability to pay for needed care. Covenant House, Inc. continues to deliver services at its original location although we plan to open an additional site in the near future.

So what’s been happening in health care. Need I ask? Like the rest of the nation Philadelphia has been adversely affected by job losses and anemic job growth. This current trend is likely to continue well into 2009. As more and more Philadelphians lose jobs, and have difficulty obtaining a new job, their health status is placed at risk. The high cost of health care insurance makes insurance obtained through the private market, outside of employer-sponsored group health insurance, unaffordable. Thus unemployment becomes at least a double-edged sword. Not only is there a loss of income but also health insurance, assuming your employer offered health insurance to begin with. Once health insurance stops, the uninsured person typically delays getting preventive and acute care on a regular basis. When symptoms become intolerable he or she goes to the hospital emergency room where good care may be received but at an astounding cost. For those who have major ailments hospital-based treatment is beyond unaffordable. Credible studies have shown costly hospital bills are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy. This scenario can be prevented or ameliorated by coming to Covenant House, Inc. on a regular basis whether insured or uninsured. By obtaining preventive health care it is far more likely that conditions that become life threatening or debilitating, if left untreated, can be successfully diagnosed and an appropriate treatment plan implemented. So please don’t give up hope or neglect your health care.

In keeping with an emphasis on preventive health care, in 2007 Covenant House began participation in the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Healthy Woman Program (HWP). HWP is a breast and cervical cancer early detection program for low and moderate income women with no or limited insurance and age 40 – 64 years. Under HWP eligible women receive such services as clinical breast examinations, mammograms, instruction on self breast examination, Pap tests (a basic test for cervical cancer) and pelvic examinations. It’s not widely known but breast cancer represents more Pennsylvania female cancer cases than any other type of cancer and it is the second leading cause of female cancer death. Yet through early detection services breast and cervical cancer can be accurately diagnosed and successfully treated. Regular mammograms are now recommended for all women over 40 years of age. Although mammograms and Pap tests can be costly especially if a women is uninsured because of the HWP program Covenant House, Inc. is able to offer these services free of charge or at minimal charge. ¦