Message from the CEO




	Home Page All Services New Patient Forms Patient Information About QOLHS Provider Staff News & Events Career Opportunities Joint Commission Mission Statement Year In Review Message from CEO Contact Us	Message from the CEO As we noted to many members of Congress and the White House, the impact of $600 million cut – even when combined with new funding made available to health centers under the Affordable Care Act for expansion of care – means that health centers will not be able to develop care for 5 million people in the coming year. Despite continued growth in the numbers of uninsured and plans to extend insurance coverage to 32 million people beginning in 2014, it means that the 800 communities that had applied to establish new community health centers where none exists today will most likely not be funded to develop care in any of those communities. Still, we believe that the resulting final agreement means that existing centers will not be forced to reduce current services and care. Certainly the financial and political climate makes one highly sensitive to the likelihood of further cuts in federal spending generally, but we remain confident that Congress will not further cut the program and services. Health centers and communities across the country have been developing plans to expand care to serve more people who can not get health care elsewhere. This is of deep concern, but we think that most of these communities know that the need is so deep and we believe that Congress will respond to that need. As Quality of Life provides health care with tomorrow in mind, there are major attributes of our company which make us a unique entity in the health universe. First, our centers offer a patient-centered approach to health care. This method of caring for our patients goes beyond policies and procedures expressed in volumes of manuals but transcends the pages to be expressed in respect, cultural competency and a desire for excellent patient outcomes. Secondly, our partnerships in the local communities where we serve have been developed and nurtured. There is no way to be successful as a separate entity; connections with other resources are a necessity in order to offer a comprehensive system of care. Our strong community network with hospitals, specialty providers, health departments, schools and social service agencies gives us a broad system of care. As I stated earlier, the focus of our organization has moved to place more emphasis on the outcome of patient care, as opposed to activities and processes. Patient data is no longer just collected and reported but is now used to improve the patient’s health. Our staff has a shared commitment to quality improvement which translates into better patient care. Another key descriptor for our patient care system is follow-up and patient advocacy. Our goal is to ensure proper case management and follow-up after the patient leaves the patient care visit. This helps in managing the patient’s health condition as well as getting the additional help that the patient may need to achieve a more healthy lifestyle. Our success is also predicated on selecting and retaining the right people. The premise is that health center employees are as important as the plans and protocols in explaining success. Health center staff are carefully selected and supported, and they not only understand, but also truly value, the distinctiveness of the community health center model of care. Finally, the success of Quality of Life has resulted from the focus on external advocacy and outreach which promoted our mission in the communities that we serve. As our message permeates these urban, suburban and rural settings, the core of the health center movement – making a healthier community – comes to the surface. Our focus will be to continue the outreach and advocacy efforts in the coming year. Over the past year our organization has achieved many notable accomplishments. Our Capital Improvement Projects led to an expanded and upgraded communication system which has been completed. Our Dekalb Quality Health Care location is nearing completion and the dental and pharmacy renovation project at the QOL Health Complex has been completed. Progress has been made on our new pharmacy in Woodland, Alabama, which is scheduled to open on July 1, 2011. Our new location in Anniston, the Northeast Regional Care Center, has been operating for approximately nine (9) months, and this collaboration with Regional Medical Center in Anniston has proven extremely successful. Our organization continues to increase medical, dental and vision visits at our seventeen centers. The number of prescriptions filled during the past year has increased at our three pharmacies. In addition to filling thousands of prescriptions, our staff is also available to enroll patients in numerous prescription programs: 1,550 Prescription Assistance Program (P.A.P.) medications for a value of $ 861,712 and 2,625 Sharing the Care (S.T.C.) prescriptions for a value of $ 833,219 were filled at the Gadsden pharmacy. The Anniston Pharmacy filled 1,269 Prescription Assistance Program (P.A.P.) prescriptions for a value of $ 755,299 and 1,167 Sharing the Care (S.T.C.) prescriptions for a value of $ 293,693. The R.O. Watts Pharmacy filled 894 Prescription Assistance Program (P.A.P.) prescriptions for a value of $ 471,542 and 977 Sharing the Care (S.T.C.) for a value of $ 533,361. The total Prescription Assistance Program prescriptions filled this year were 3,713 with a value of $ 2,088,554 and 4,769 Sharing the Care prescriptions with a value of $1,660,274. The total value and savings passed on to Quality of Life patients was $ 3,748,828. So while our accomplishments have been numerous during the past year, our goal is to continue providing health care with tomorrow in mind. Because as Dwight Eisenhower said “Our real problem is not our strength today but rather the vital necessity of action today to ensure our strength tomorrow.” So to our staff and community partners, continue to work hard to ensure our future success. Our plans are to continue advocating for health centers and expanding into communities that need our assistance. Please join me in making a difference!