Cardiac Screening for the Uninsured Goes On the Road
Roslyn, NY – With plenty of holy water in hand, Fr. John Ephraim blessed St. Francis Hospital’s latest effort to provide much needed cardiac care: its new, state-of-the-art Outreach van.
The customized vehicle will travel to underserved communities once a week and on designated weekends to provide cardiac screenings to the uninsured. Directed by Louise Spadaro, M.D., its dedicated staff of health professionals will provide cardiac, blood pressure, and diabetes screenings to patients who don’t have access to health care.
“At a time when a growing number of Long Islanders are facing the predicament of being under or uninsured, we are please to announce this new initiative,” says Dr. Spadaro. “Our patient friendly mobile unit is just an extension of our hospital’s commitment to serve those populations that are most in need of our cardiac expertise.”
The three room van has an exam/EKG area, a lab station/counseling area, and a waiting area with educational material. Even though the Hospital’s Outreach Program has screened hundreds of patients over the years, because of space constraints it was sometimes difficult to find sites to accommodate the free screenings. Since the new unit is mobile, it gives St. Francis Outreach workers greater access to communities that really need their services. The van will also be used for community health programs that offer free screening programs to anyone.
In addition to onsite screenings, the cardiac outreach program will provide referrals for noninvasive testing, treatment of arrhythmias, surgical correction of heart problems through bypass and valve surgery, and the treatment of congestive heart disease. Funding for these services will be provided in part from donations raised through WFAN’s Mike Francesa Champions of the Heart charitable fund.
“It is our greatest hope that people see our new van in their communities and recognize it as a welcome sign of our commitment, offering them a safe, comfortable place to address privately their cardiac concerns,” says Dr. Spadaro.
Contact:
Paul Barry, 516-705-6657, paul.barry@chsli.org
Rosemary Gomez, 516-705-6656, rosemary.gomez@chsli.org
