Atascocita Observer - News
Lyons clinic expansion offers more services, programs
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| The Harris County Hospital District celebrated the expansion of the E.A. "Squatty" Lyons Health Center with a ribbon cutting ceremony Nov. 11. The health center is triple its previous size, having grown from 4,736 square feet to 15,232 square feet. Joining in the festivities were Dr. Jose Bayona, vice-chief of staff of the Community Health Program; Dr. Srinivasa Murthy, medical director; Dr. Robert Trenschel, CHP senior vice president; David S. Lopez, HCHD president and CEO; Dr. Carlos Vallbona, CHP chief of staff; Mary C. Spinks, HCHD board member; John Whitmire, state senator; Jerry Eversole, Harris County commissioner; Doris Dorsey, member of advisory council; Regina Williams, nurse manager; Ora Roberts, director; and Elvin Franklin Jr., HCHD board member. |
By ROYCELYN BASTIAN
According to the Harris County Hospital District, the large number of uninsured or under-insured patients is responsible for the increase in wait times in emergency rooms.
To help serve those with no or little medical insurance in the Humble, Kingwood and Atascocita areas, the E.A. “Squatty” Lyons Community Health Center was established by the hospital district in the early 1980s.
“We primarily see people with or without insurance on a daily basis,” said Ora Roberts, a registered nurse and director of the health center. “We are a safety net for the indigent population.”
Expansion
The clinic began in Bordersville in 1983 seeing people who needed medical attention but did not have health insurance. When the clinic moved to its current location in 1991, it began to see everybody with all kinds of medical and pediatric issues as well as a variety of other illnesses.
Working in limited space with only 4,736 square feet and six exam rooms, the staff at Squatty Lyons was cramped in trying to help at least 50 patients a day.
“When we moved to Humble, we had a small waiting room, conference room and office space to take care the needs of our patients,” Roberts said. “With 20 exam rooms and an additional 10,000 square feet, we now can officer more services, programs and physicians to meet their (patients) needs.”
Since the expansion, which was completed in July, the center hired a part-time clinical pharmacist Oct. 21 who will follow patients who are on Coumadin, a blood thinner that reduces the formation of blood clots.
“My job is to make sure patients on Coumadin are OK, but in the future, I hope to also follow patients who have diabetes, hypertension, asthma and more, which I do at a clinic on North Main,” said Dr. Cesar Munoz.
New services
The community health center has also increased its services by adding podiatry for half a day on Thursdays, psychiatry all day on Tuesdays, and a clinical pharmacist on Tuesday afternoons and Friday mornings. It also offers a nutritionist one day a week, a behavior health therapist and case manager two days a week, and patient and health educators.
“The patient educator teaches patients with issues such as diabetes how to manage their illness. The health educator teaches healthy eating, dental care and smoking cessation classes,” Roberts said.
The clinic is in the process of hiring two more family health physicians, a pediatrician, a midwife, and an obstetrician and gynecologist for patients. It is also looking into hiring a nurse practitioner to see walk-in patients that have urgent or emergency medical issues. The clinic also has the equipment to do HIV tests a half a day on Tuesdays. Patients who test positive are sent to the Thomas Street, Settegast or Northwest clinics for care.
“What we don’t offer at Squatty Lyons, we are able to send our patients nine miles down the road to the Aldine Community Health Center or to one of our hospitals to get the help they need,” Roberts said.
In addition to new personnel and services provided, many staff members feel the extra space is just what they needed to provide a quality level of health care to those who need it.
“The expansion has really helped out a lot as far as being more organized,” said Dr. Stephen Nguyen. “The extra space will allow us to effectively better serve our patients.”
Now that the expansion is completed and the extra staff is added, the health center will have the capacity for an additional 16,000 patient visits annually. Previously, Squatty Lyons averaged approximately 14,000 patient visits a year.
The E.A. “Squatty” Lyons Community Health Center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m except on the third Tuesday of the month, when it is only open from 1 to 4:30 p.m.
more Info
Call the E.A. “Squatty” Lyons Community Health Center for additional services and programs at 281-446-4139. To schedule an appointment, call 713-526-4243. The clinic is located at 1712 First Street, Suite M20, in Humble.
To help serve those with no or little medical insurance in the Humble, Kingwood and Atascocita areas, the E.A. “Squatty” Lyons Community Health Center was established by the hospital district in the early 1980s.
“We primarily see people with or without insurance on a daily basis,” said Ora Roberts, a registered nurse and director of the health center. “We are a safety net for the indigent population.”
Expansion
The clinic began in Bordersville in 1983 seeing people who needed medical attention but did not have health insurance. When the clinic moved to its current location in 1991, it began to see everybody with all kinds of medical and pediatric issues as well as a variety of other illnesses.
Working in limited space with only 4,736 square feet and six exam rooms, the staff at Squatty Lyons was cramped in trying to help at least 50 patients a day.
“When we moved to Humble, we had a small waiting room, conference room and office space to take care the needs of our patients,” Roberts said. “With 20 exam rooms and an additional 10,000 square feet, we now can officer more services, programs and physicians to meet their (patients) needs.”
Since the expansion, which was completed in July, the center hired a part-time clinical pharmacist Oct. 21 who will follow patients who are on Coumadin, a blood thinner that reduces the formation of blood clots.
“My job is to make sure patients on Coumadin are OK, but in the future, I hope to also follow patients who have diabetes, hypertension, asthma and more, which I do at a clinic on North Main,” said Dr. Cesar Munoz.
New services
The community health center has also increased its services by adding podiatry for half a day on Thursdays, psychiatry all day on Tuesdays, and a clinical pharmacist on Tuesday afternoons and Friday mornings. It also offers a nutritionist one day a week, a behavior health therapist and case manager two days a week, and patient and health educators.
“The patient educator teaches patients with issues such as diabetes how to manage their illness. The health educator teaches healthy eating, dental care and smoking cessation classes,” Roberts said.
The clinic is in the process of hiring two more family health physicians, a pediatrician, a midwife, and an obstetrician and gynecologist for patients. It is also looking into hiring a nurse practitioner to see walk-in patients that have urgent or emergency medical issues. The clinic also has the equipment to do HIV tests a half a day on Tuesdays. Patients who test positive are sent to the Thomas Street, Settegast or Northwest clinics for care.
“What we don’t offer at Squatty Lyons, we are able to send our patients nine miles down the road to the Aldine Community Health Center or to one of our hospitals to get the help they need,” Roberts said.
In addition to new personnel and services provided, many staff members feel the extra space is just what they needed to provide a quality level of health care to those who need it.
“The expansion has really helped out a lot as far as being more organized,” said Dr. Stephen Nguyen. “The extra space will allow us to effectively better serve our patients.”
Now that the expansion is completed and the extra staff is added, the health center will have the capacity for an additional 16,000 patient visits annually. Previously, Squatty Lyons averaged approximately 14,000 patient visits a year.
The E.A. “Squatty” Lyons Community Health Center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m except on the third Tuesday of the month, when it is only open from 1 to 4:30 p.m.
more Info
Call the E.A. “Squatty” Lyons Community Health Center for additional services and programs at 281-446-4139. To schedule an appointment, call 713-526-4243. The clinic is located at 1712 First Street, Suite M20, in Humble.
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