“Because of our demographics, sometimes our patients don’t have access
to a lot of information,” said Trish Perkins, RN. “And many of them are
first-time parents, so we discuss things like when they should go to the
emergency room and what a false alarm is.”
The Center for Children and Women opened in August 2013. After a year-long
transformation, what had been an aerospace warehouse became a bright and airy
50,000-square-foot medical facility.
The clinical staff includes two pediatricians, three pediatric nurse practitioners, six
Ob/Gyns and two certified nurse midwives. There are also enrollment specialists
who assist families with enrolling in Medicaid or CHIP. In total, more than 90 clinical
professionals staff The Center along with medical residents and fellows from Baylor
College of Medicine.
“The thing I hear most from parents is they appreciate that they can get
everything they need in one place,” said Pediatric Care Coordinator
Nyree Benjamin, RN. “Patients can have their visits, get their lab work
done and then pick up prescriptions on their way out.”
The Center had almost 3,000 patient visits in its first two months. The patient volume and
dynamics of The Center allow staff nurses to play many different – and critical – roles.
“The model that we’ve created fully supports everyone working to the
very top of their licensure,”Taylor said. “That way we can bring the
very best primary care services to our Texas Children’s Health Plan
members right here in
their
community.”
As a care coordinator, Lisa Weaver, RN, compares her job to that of an orchestra
conductor, providing oversight for a final, positive outcome.
