A community effort for good
OneWorld opening new clinic inside Stephen Center
Beth Ellis, Stephen Center Community Engagement Manager, (left) and Pat O’Hanlon, RN, OneWorld Community Health Educator, (right) outside of the Stephen Center.
For over 15 years, OneWorld has reserved appointment times at the Livestock Exchange Health campus for residents at the Stephen Center, a shelter for individuals to overcome homelessness and addiction, to receive medical care. In December, the partnership will expand, as OneWorld will open a clinic inside the Stephen Center’s walls.
“When the Stephen Center presented this idea to us, it was a no brainer,” said Sarah Miller, APRN, CPNP-PC, Chief of Medical Services. “We already have a wonderful partnership established, and this clinic will run very similarly to our School-Based Health Centers and Teen and Young Adult Health Centers.”
The clinic will be open on Wednesday afternoons for primary care services including diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic diseases, behavioral health referrals, laboratory services and vaccines.
“This partnership will allow for a very holistic approach to providing care by allowing our clinical staff to see patients in their everyday environment,” said Kim Lambrecht, BSN, RN, Associate Nursing Director of Specialty Clinics. “If we can make quality care more easily accessible to patients facing difficult situations, we are making our entire community better.”
Cody Thorson, PA-C, Family Medicine Physician Assistant, will be the primary provider at the Stephen Center clinic, with the support of Nora Guzman, Medical Assistant.
“I see Stephen Center residents regularly at OneWorld,” said Thorson. “When I ask them about their experience at the Stephen Center, they tell me how much it’s helping them improve their lives. I want to help further that cause.”
Cody Thorson, PA-C
In 2022, the Stephen Center has had 85 children as clients, of whom over half are under the age of five. With the new clinic, parents will have direct support from Stephen Center staff to schedule their child’s well-child visits without having to leave the center.
Dawn Olijnek, Stephen Center Chief Operating Officer, said they are excited to offer predictability and the opportunity for their clients to learn a routine and be able to create plans for their medical care.
“Many of our clients come from chaotic backgrounds and a lot of their lives are lived in crisis, so being able to provide routines for them is a life skill,” said Olijnek. “Additionally, having a clinic in our facility will make access to care easier. A lot of folks in our permanent supportive housing have some sort of disability, whether it be physical or developmental. Having the ability to be seen on campus, especially for individuals in wheelchairs or who struggle a bit more to get around, is life changing.”
OneWorld will continue to reserve appointment times for Stephen Center patients and provide transportation services for those appointments. Vaccine outreach services and regular visits from OneWorld registered nurses will also continue.
Through the years, OneWorld has helped many Stephen Center patients enroll in Medicaid so they can have access to specialists and other essential services.
“We’re grateful for the partnership with OneWorld,” said Olijnek. “This is a community effort, and we’re glad to be a part of it.”
