Community Resource: Bridgepoint Health Foundation - Essay Example

Community Resource Community Resource Since the 1860s, the Bridgepoint Family Health Team unit provides various servicesto the people suffering from complex chronic disease. There are various services offered by Bridgepoint to its clients. The most important of them is the focused care offered to patients with complex chronic diseases. There are complex care services and complex rehabilitation services which offer care to victims of severe stroke, various progressive neurological diseases, HIV, dementia, brain injury and so on (Bridgepoint Health, 2010). The Bridepoint Family Health has various specialty clinics and services. One among them is the Augmentative Communication and Writing Clinic (ACWC) which addresses the “communication needs of individuals with severe speech and physical impairments” (Bridgepoint Health, 2010). Moreover, there is a chiropody clinic which handles the patients with foot problems. In addition there is a dental clinic, ophthalmology clinic, seating and positioning clinic, and pain management program. The Bridgepoint Hospital which offers complex care and complex rehabilitation presently has 455 inpatient beds. The hospital is located in the Riverdale community of Toronto. The main entrance to Bridgepoint Health is located on the west side of Broadview Avenue, just north of Gerrard Street East. It is located behind 430 Broadview Avenue (Bridgepoint Health, 2010). The phone number of Bridgepoint Health is 416-461-8252. The website is http://www.bridgepointhealth.ca/. The Bridgepoint Health Foundation funds the mission of Bridgepoint Health through charitable giving and community partnerships. The foundation, through the program ‘Life. Changes’ campaign, is trying to raise $60 million in order to start the new Bridgepoint Hospital and Bridgepoint Collaboratory for Research and Innovation (Bridgepoint Health, 2010). According to the information provided, “the Bridgepoint Family Health Team brings family physicians together with inter-disciplinary health care professionals including a nurse practitioner, registered nurse, social worker and pharmacist” (Bridgepoint Health, 2010). It is possible to volunteer and do paid work with and without experience. In order to volunteer there, one needs to be at least 15 years of age. It is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, where the government covers the cost of the physicians and interdisciplinary health providers. In addition, the Bridgepoint Foundation helps the clients without insurance coverage (OHIP or 3rd party insurance) to access the clinic’s services for free. The rest of the staff at the hospital is employed by the Foundation through donations and funds. (Bridgepoint Health,n. d.). The hospital maintains its accountability through public disclosures of the financial position. In addition, it hires an independent person for auditing process. It is followed by regular financial reporting which helps retain transparency. As the Hospital is located on the west side of the Broadview Avenue, the best way to reach the place is to take public transportation. The fare for this will be nearly $3.00 per adult, $2.00 for seniors and 75 cents for children under 12 years of age (Toronto Transit Commission, 2012). If the client wants to park in the area, there will be an additional cost of approximately “$3.00 per hour with a three hour maximum time limit” (Bridgepoint Health, 2010) as well as additional parking located nearby marked by “Green P” that “charges $6.00 from 7am to 6pm” (Bridgepoint Health, 2010). The building is carefully designed with elevators and ramps. On entering the hospital, clients get booklets about various services offered to complex chronic diseases. These booklets are printed in English, French and Chinese. However, one problem associated with the intake application forms is that they are prepared in English or French languages. That means people who cannot use these languages will have a difficult time as there is no staff available to help translate the information. So, it is advised that the clients with language difficulties bring a translator with them. Another important area of consideration is the working hours of the hospital. The hospital is open for ------------------------------------. That means the clients can easily manage to come. The waiting time at the hospital is usually around one hour. However, the clients stay in the waiting room and are called by name. Thus, there is a feeling of lack of confidentiality. All the clinics of the Bridgepoint Foundation are equipped with multi-disciplinary teams of professionals. The ACWC is equipped with “a multi-disciplinary team of professionals, including a Speech-Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Communicative Disorders Assistant, and Technologist” (Bridgepoint Health, 2010). The clinic comes under the Assistive Devices Program of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. As a result, the clinic is able to meet the expenses of the devices through the Assistive Devices Program(AWAC). The ACWC’s registered nurses, physicians and social workers are able to provide affirmational, emotional and informational support to the clients. An example of the affirmational and emotional support is that the nurses or social workers counsel the clients and make them come to terms with their limitations, financial situations and lifestyle changes linked to that situation. Also, the staff at the clinic provides the clients with informational support by giving them brochures about various complex chronic diseases. This will make them aware about the various resources available like support groups. In fact, clients receive this informational support on various occasions like counseling sessions, along with diagnostic procedures, and through the reading materials available in the waiting room (ACWC). The staff at the ACWC leave the clients with enough information about their disabilities and the possible solutions so that they are able to take better choices regarding the appropriate communication system. While doing this, the staff take into account various factors ranging from the individual’s needs, their environment, and communication partners. Thus, clients are more satisfied with the communication systems developed as the clients are considered as treatment partners. Moreover, the clients are more receptive and more confident because of the informational and emotional support they receive. This makes them more confident in achieving the courage to live their lives overcoming the barriers in communication. Furthermore, as the clinic is enjoying the ‘Expanded Level’ status offered by the Assistive Devices Program of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, it is able to provide the required devices to the clients free of cost. Moreover, it is able to retain sufficient staff, knowledge, support and equipment to meet the needs of a wide range of complex chronic patients. In total, the Bridgepoint Foundation is playing a vital role in improving the lives of people with complex chronic diseases. By providing the clients with affirmational, informational, emotional and emotional support along with the treatment, the clinic manages to enable the clients to come to terms with their disabilities and function in the best possible way. References Bridgepoint Health. (n.d.). ACWC: augmentative communication & writing aids clinic. Retrieved from http://www.bridgepointhealth.ca/documents/17/ACWC%20 brochure.pdf Bridgepoint Health. (2010). Bridgepoint Health. Retrieved from http://www.bridgepoint health.ca/ Bridgepoint Health. (2010). The bridgepoint family health team. Retrieved from http:// www.bridgepointhealth.ca/fht Bridgepoint Health. (2010). Complex care services. Retrieved from http://www.bridgepointhealth.ca/ComplexCare Bridgepoint Health. (2010). Complex rehabilitation services. Retrieved from http://www.bridgepointhealth.ca/complexrehabservices Bridgepoint Health. (2010). Augmentative communication and writing clinic (ACWC). Retrieved from http://www.bridgepointhealth.ca/acwc Bridgepoint Health. (2010). Information and directions. Retrieved from http://www.bridgepointhealth.ca/studenthandbookinfo Bridgepoint Health. (2010). Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.bridgepointhealth.ca/foundation Bridgepoint Health. (2010). Contact us. Retrieved from http://www.bridgepointhealth.ca/contact Toronto Transit Commission. (2012). Prices. Retrieved from www3.ttc.ca/Fares_and_passes/Prices/Paying_fares.jsp Read More