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West Cecil Health Center Celebrating Healthcare Quality Week

West Cecil Health Center (WCHC) is proudly celebrating the achievements and contributions professionals have made to improve healthcare quality during National Healthcare Quality Week October 21-27, 2018. The week is also a time for WCHC to celebrate the outstanding quality of healthcare provided by the rural health system in a variety of categories.

WCHC is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that provides quality, affordable healthcare services to the underserved, underinsured and non-insured members of Cecil County, Harford County and their surrounding communities. The organization was found to be a leader in both state and national standards, according to the 2017 Uniform Data System (UDS) Survey conducted by the Bureau of Primary Care.

According to the survey, WCHC ranked among the top health centers for quality benchmarks in following categories:

  1. Access to Prenatal Carepercent of pregnant patients who receive prenatal care within their first trimester. 
    • WCHC: 87.5%
    • State: 73.73%
    • National: 73.97%
  2. Tobacco Use Screening & Cessation Interventionpercent of patients screened for tobacco use; if positive, patients were provided cessation counseling, resources and support.
    • WCHC: 96.4%
    • State: 90.52%
    • National: 85.7%
  3. Screening for Depression and Follow-Up Planpercent of patients screened for depression; if positive, had a follow-up plan documented.
    • WCHC: 87.49%
    • State: 74.43%
    • National: 66.15%
  4. Dental Sealants for Children between 6 and 9 Years – patients between 6 and 9 years who had a sealant placed on a permanent molar.
    • WCHC: 81.82%
    • State: 65.06%
    • National:72%
  5. Total Cost per Total Patient:
    • WCHC: $945.90
    • State: $1,155.98
    • National: $941.97

“When I consider the word ‘quality’ and what it means to me and WCHC, I am extremely proud of all we’ve accomplished in our ten-year tenure – and quality is at the forefront,” says John Ness, president of West Cecil Health Center. “It’s a common misperception that those who visit WCHC for services do so at a sacrifice to their overall quality of care, so it’s exciting for us to see that we’re ‘paving the way’ in many important healthcare categories – especially the overall cost it takes to care for those we serve.”

WCHC is a nonprofit healthcare system located in Conowingo, Havre de Grace and Perryville, providing affordable services such as behavioral health, dental, primary care and women’s health. To learn more about WCHC or to donate to help the nonprofit provide low-cost health care to community members in need, visit westcecilhealth.org.

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Andrea Lynn

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