Local Nonprofit Provides High Quality Healthcare to Medically Under-Served Population
As the cost of living in Denver continues to steadily rise each year, families and individuals alike are often forced to strictly budget their everyday expenses. Basic necessities such as rent and/or mortgage, groceries, transportation and healthcare must be closely evaluated to see where cuts can be made. And while rent is typically the culprit for increased living costs, healthcare is looming close behind.
According to analysis from the Health Coverage Portal, the average monthly premium for healthcare in Colorado is $226 per month. For a Denver resident making 60% of the area median income ($33,660 per year) this is over eight percent of their annual salary. This only adds to the growing dialogue surrounding Denver’s unrealistic cost of living for many residents.
Tucked away in Globeville – one of Denver’s poorest neighborhoods – sits Clínica Tepeyac, a healthcare nonprofit for the medically underserved. Tepeyac was established in 1993 after a community needs assessment revealed major barriers to health care access for a portion of Denver’s population. As their patient base quickly outgrew their physical capacity, Tepeyac experienced multiple relocations and renovations. Jim Garcia, the CEO and Founder at Clínica Tepeyac, explained that while the clinic itself is located in Globeville, their patient base is much farther reaching.
The reasoning behind Tepeyac’s expansive reach and overwhelming patient demand is simple: they provide high quality healthcare services to those who are uninsured and who experience challenges accessing care. And for Clínica Tepeyac, this is over 90% of their patient base, which primarily comes from the Latino community. With a staggering 96% of their patients with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty line (FPL), Tepeyac charges patients on a sliding fee structure. For individuals below 100% FPL (making less than $11,880 per year), Tepeyac charges just $25 for a healthcare visit. Their scope of services are broad, and range from primary care to the management of chronic disease and recently integrated behavioral health care.
Tepeyac hit a major milestone in 2015, when they were officially awarded Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) status. This qualification is awarded to health centers that meet the needs of underserved communities, provide comprehensive care, have a strong governance model, provide high quality care, and they are evaluated every three years. In order to remain qualified, Tepeyac must report on 16 key health indicators, financial measures, quality improvement, and other information for their entire patient base. The health indicators range from Tobacco use screening to Hypertension management. According to Garcia, Tepeyac was considered a high performing FQHC during their first assessment in 2016, just one year after they were awarded the FQHC qualification.
“It is privilege to provide high-quality affordable health services to the local community, and to work toward a healthy, sustainable future for Globeville Elyria-Swansea,” Garcia said.
Tepeyac has also developed partnerships over the years that have allowed them to broaden their healthcare services. For example, Tepeyac’s partnership with St. Joseph’s Hospital’s mobile mammography program, with funding from Susan G. Komen® Colorado and the Women’s Wellness Connection (part of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment) has allowed them to provide free mammogram screenings for women in the community. The funding from Susan G. Komen, the Women’s Wellness Connection, and The Avon Foundation includes outreach and education to keep their patients well informed.
As Tepeyac’s patient base continues to expand – they currently see between 13,000 and 14,000 visits each year – they have hit capacity in their current space, which was just renovated and expanded in 2015. Garcia explained that Tepeyac’s goal to increase their patient visit capacity to 20-25,000 visits annually in the next 3 – 5 years is only possible with a larger space.
“Our goal is to offer our community the full spectrum of integrated health care services, which would include the addition of dental and pharmacy services,” Garcia said. “To achieve this goal and to offer all of these services under one roof, we will need a much larger facility that is strategically located to be more accessible to our patient population.”
As Urban Land Conservancy continues to work in neighborhoods like Globeville and Elyria-Swansea, where Tepeyac expects a larger percentage of their future patient base will come from in the future, we recognize the dire need for healthcare for many low-income residents. We look forward to working together with Clínica Tepeyac in the future, and are very happy to know there is an organization working diligently to ensure the health and well being of Denver’s residents. Please see below for a story featuring one of Tepeyac’s patients!
The following is a patient story provided by Clinica Tepeyac:
Dr. Miranda, one of our long-time volunteers, recently shared the story of a patient named Stephanie who was suffering from a severe case of type 1 diabetes. When she first arrived at Clinica Tepeyac, she had experienced dramatic weight loss (over 50 lbs. in a six month period). Along with her rapidly deteriorating physical condition, Stephanie was also diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes. Dr. Miranda mentioned that when he first met with her, he was struck by the fact that she was virtually blind and was only able to make out shapes.
Stephanie is only 14 years old.
Within a relatively short period of time, after being treated by Dr. Miranda and our medical staff, Stephanie’s health began to dramatically improve. She began to gain weight and the other diabetic symptoms began to subside. Despite this major progress, the unresolved issue of the cataracts and resulting blindness still had to be addressed. With her overall health condition now stabilized, Stephanie was referred to an eye surgeon, who for years has provided his services at a reduced rate for Clinica patients. Once the cataracts were removed, Stephanie’s vision rapidly returned to normal.
Fast-forward now to two weeks ago when Stephanie arrived for her most recent check-up, now at a healthy weight, with 20/20 vision and back in school as a high school freshman!