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Archer Family Health Care Celebrates a Decade of Quality Health Care and Service in the Community

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and faculty member Sheryl Curtis, MSN, ARNP, cares for a yount patent at Archer Family Health Care.

By Kathryn Stolarz, HSC News and Communications

Jennifer Cassisi, a Family Nurse Practitioner student who graduated in Spring 2011, completed clinical rotations at Archer Family Health Care.

Latrelle Sneed, 58, was struggling with health and finances — for some, a life threatening combination.

She had diabetes, lung cancer, thyroid problems and a family to feed.

Thankfully, her neighbor told her there was a place she could go for help: Archer Family Health Care.

This nurse-managed center had just opened, only a few blocks from Sneed’s home in Archer. It was affordable and offered a range of health care services, including preventive care and illness treatment.

Sneed and her daughter, Amber Copen, 23, were some of the center’s first patients 10 years ago.

Today, they continue to go there for their health care needs. Copen brings her husband and children, a 3-year-old girl and a 4-month-old boy, for care.

“The providers and staff always treat me really well, and I trust them to take care of my whole family,” Copen says. “They’re just really nice and caring.”

Archer Family Health Care, run by the College of Nursing, is one of only 250 comprehensive, nurse-managed health centers in the country and is the only health care provider in Archer.

It has served over 7,000 patients in and around Alachua County — more than five times the population of the city of Archer.

“People come here, they love their practitioners and they stay,” says Denise Schentrup, DNP, ARNP, the lead nurse practitioner at the center and a UF clinical assistant professor of nursing.

Some AFHC practitioners and staff members. Top Row (L-R): Financial Assistance Counselor Phyllis Stephens, Nurse Practitioner Jennifer Donelan, Clinical Pharmacist Jose Barboza, Lead Nurse Practitioner Denise Schentrup, Practice Manager Joan Walker and Financial Assistance Counselor Anita Touchton. Bottom Row (L-R) Nurse Practitioners Anna Schwait, Rachelle Sansing, Susan Schaffer and Sheryl Curtis.

Humble Beginnings
It all started when one Archer citizen attended a meeting at the UF Health Science Center and made a plea for a health care facility in Archer.

Although College of Nursing students and community health faculty members had been providing health education to area residents for more than 30 years, the town needed affordable primary care. There had been none for five years before the center opened.

M. Dee Williams, PhD, RN, the College of Nursing’s associate dean for clinical affairs, says she heard the request and began to explore the feasibility of providing nurse-managed primary care in the area. She spoke with Dean Kathleen Long and, with support from the Health Science Centergovernment relations office, they were able to secure some state funding to do just what the citizen had requested — open a primary care practice in Archer.

One Special Place
Archer Family Health Care is part of a growing national movement to offer accessible, affordable, high-quality health care for the insured and uninsured alike.

Patients are treated with respect. The nurse practitioners are able to spend ample time with patients and take a holistic approach to their health, said Joan Walker, practice manager for the past seven years.

Services include preventive care, treatment for illnesses and injuries, physicals, immunizations, lab work and mental health counseling.

Schentrup says that offering mental health counseling isn’t common among primary care facilities, but it’s crucial for some patients’ overall well-being.

When Sneed’s mother passed away, the center’s psychiatricmental health nurse practitioner helped her deal with this loss.

Another patient says counseling brought her hope when she was depressed about having lost her job. Hurricane Katrina displaced her to Florida in 2005, Schentrup says.

In addition, staff members work tirelessly to find resources for uninsured and indigent patients who need services beyond the scope of the center. Referrals are made for specialty care and diagnostic testing such as mammograms and colonoscopy screenings. They also assist patients in securing necessary medical equipment.

Sneed says, “They helped me get a scooter because I couldn’t walk very well.”

A sliding fee scale gets patients in the door who normally can’t afford health care. For some, it’s their first health care visit in years.

About 80 percent of Archer Family Health Care patients earn below 200 percent of the federal poverty line, and more than half have no health insurance.

“We determine what the patient can afford to pay based upon household income and number of dependents. We don’t turn patients away,” Walker says.

For as little as a $5 co-pay, a person can be seen by appointment or as a walk-in.

Copen says that when her family needs to be seen, the center sees them the same day or the next day.

So when financial doors close, Archer Family Health Care remains open and patients are very appreciative of the care they receive. Thank you cards and small tokens of appreciation are common, Walker says.

Where Students Learn
In addition to providing health education and primary care to the underserved, practicing faculty members supervise clinical education experiences for graduate students in the College’s master’s and doctor of nursing practice programs.

Students learn to be sensitive to a number of factors that affect their patients’ health. For instance, some patients have to wait on rides to make visits and wait on paychecks to fill prescriptions, Williams says.

It’s challenging, she says, since they have to talk to patients about what they do and don’t have, and find the resources to help them.

“Not only is this a good thing for our students and residents in the Archer area, but it’s a good thing to show what nursing can do to address the health care needs of this country,” Williams says.

My, How It’s Grown
This year alone, the center expects more than 6,000 patient visits — more than six times the number of visits the center had during its first year of operation.

It was located in a small, two-story house built in the 1930s and was staffed with just one family nurse practitioner and an office manager.

The house’s original three bedrooms were converted into exam rooms and also served as the practitioners’ offices. The kitchen became the lab, clinical pharmacy, and nurse’s station; the dining room was the receptionist’s area; and the previous living room was a cozy waiting room, says Walker.

In 2007, the practice relocated from the 1,200-square-foot house to a one-story office building that is more than four times the size. It has twice as many examination rooms, a large lab, offices for staff and providers, a conference room, and a large waiting room. Six nurse practitioners with specialties in family, pediatric and mental health nursing, a family practice physician, two licensed practical nurses, two financial assistance counselors and a practice manager serve the needs of patients.

Last November the center replaced an outdated online billing and scheduling system. In March a state-of-the-art electronic health record system was implemented, made possible through a collaborative agreement with the Alliance of Chicago and membership in a consortium of 30 safety-net health centers across the nation. The center contributes to a national data set that measures and compares health care outcomes among consortium members.

“This nursing center is not just a little clinic in Archer; it’s part of a national solution to this country’s health care needs,” Williams says.

In addition to those who pay on a sliding scale, the practice also accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and six private insurance carriers — Blue Cross and Blue Shield, AvMed, Cigna, United Healthcare, Aetna and Humana.

Time to Celebrate
Although the center’s official anniversary was in January, it chose to celebrate on June 4, in conjunction with Archer’s annual town festival, Yulee Day. The holiday brings the town together to commemorate Florida’s first U.S. senator, David Levy Yulee, who built the railroad that runs through the town.

The center set up a tent and banner outside its office, gave tours of the facility, served cake and gave away gift bags. UF nursing students also provided free blood pressure checks and health education.

Beyond the city limits of Archer, the center has earned national recognition. At its annual conference in March, the National Nursing Centers Consortium presented Archer Family Health Care with a certificate for its decade of service to the community.

It’s important to remember the organizations and people whose funding helped create the center and have enabled it to move forward, Williams said. In addition to state support, local sources such as the Alachua County Commission, the Alachua County Health Department, and Area Health Education Center (AHEC) have provided grants and funding through the years. The center has had six years of federal funding from the Bureau of Health Professions Division of Nursing.

Private donors also have been an instrumental part of Archer Family Health Care. Gifts from John Pettengill, the Maren Foundation and from Archer area resident, Melvin Lauderdale, as well as other donors, are critically important to ensuring that the practice continues its service and education missions far into the future.

If you are interested in supporting Archer Family Health Care, please contact Anna Harper, Director of Development, at aemiller@ufl.edu or call 352-273-6360.

What’s Next?
New initiatives are on the horizon. Schentrup says she would like to double the number of patients that providers see, specifically children and the elderly.

In addition, Schentrup says the center hopes to offer prenatal care in the near future. In June, a midwife who specializes in women’s health will join the group.

To learn more, please visit http://afhc.nursing.ufl.edu