COVID-19 vaccinations

 

Swope Health will provide COVID-19 vaccinations with El Centro Inc. from 4-7 pm Monday Nov. 8 at The Merc Co-op, 501 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, Kan.

No appointment is necessary and there is no cost.

For more information, call 913-677-0100.

 

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Swope Health also offers COVID-19 vaccinations 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday, Nov. 13 at the Friendship Baptist Church, 3530 Chelsea Drive, Kansas City, MO.

Swope Health will provide first, second or booster vaccinations, for those who qualify.

Pfizer vaccine is now available for children age 5-11, with parent or guardian present.

This event is co-sponsored by the Community Builders of Kansas City and features a free food and family essentials giveaway including turkeys, food, diapers and books.

Additional sponsors are Jackson County Executive Frank White and Teresa White, Blue Parkway Sunfresh, Happy Bottoms, Harvesters, the Kansas City Public Library, Catholic Charities, the Greater Kansas City Building and Trades Construction Council and the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO.

 

First Saturday: Join us for food, essentials giveaways

Swope Health is sponsoring a food and family giveaway event – please mark your calendars and plan to join us:

Saturday, Nov. 6 – “First Saturday” – food and family essentials giveaway drive through from 9 a.m. to noon at Swope Health Central. Includes Thanksgiving meal items, and stations for toiletries, cleaning products and winter items. Turkeys and winter coats will be available while supplies last.

This event is free to a maximum of two families a car. No walk-ups, please. All items will be delivered directly to your car.

Sponsored by Sen. Barbara Washington, Total Man, United Way, Jackson County Missouri, Aetna, Harvesters, Community Action Agency of Greater Kansas City, Home State Health, Morningstar’s Development Co. Inc., Missouri Department of Health & Human Services Office of Minority Health. Additional sponsors still being added!

Join us for food and essentials giveaways!

Swope Health is sponsoring two upcoming events – please mark your calendars and plan to join us:

Saturday, Oct. 23 – A “Fourth Saturday” food giveaway drive through will be available from 8:30 am to noon at Swope Health West. Featuring foods from Harvesters.

Saturday, Nov. 6 – “First Saturday” – food and family essentials giveaway drive through from 9 a.m. to noon at Swope Health Central. Includes Thanksgiving meal items, and stations for toiletries, cleaning products and winter items.

This event is free to a maximum of two families a car. No walk-ups, please. All items will be delivered directly to your car.

Sponsored by Sen. Barbara Washington, Total Man, United Way, Jackson County Missouri, Aetna, Harvesters, Community Action Agency of Greater Kansas City, Home State Health, Morningstar’s Development Co. Inc., Missouri Department of Health & Human Services Office of Minority Health. Additional sponsors still being added!

It’s Back! Treat Town Tent for Drive-In Trick-or-Treat

One more time!

The Swope Health annual trick-or-treat event will once again move outdoors with a drive-through version of Treat Town.

Now in its 26th year, Treat Town is again modified to accommodate COVID-19 precautions. Like last year’s event, participants will be able to drive through a large spooky tent in the lot at Swope Health Central to receive Halloween treats without leaving your car.

Please plan to join us 6:30-8:30 pm Saturday, Oct. 30, for a drive-through version of our annual Treat Town.  

All cars will enter the Swope Health Central main entrance, 3801 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, to participate. From the safety of your vehicle, you will be guided to tent where we (along with assorted ghouls, superheroes and other creatures) will provide treat bags for children under age 12.

We ask all participants to wear a face mask to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. Everyone stays in the car with just a quick stop to gather your treats! (No walk ups, please.)

Thanks to our partner Hot 103 Jamz for again supporting this free, safe trick-or-treating event.

Swope Health can help you with Medicaid Enrollment

Starting Oct. 1, the state of Missouri expands Medicaid coverage to an estimated 275,000 individuals, following Missouri voters’ approval of the expanded program and a court ruling upholding it.

Under the expanded program, an individual making $18,000 a year or less will receive healthcare coverage. A family of four is eligible if income is $36,000 a year or less.

Under the old program, the state limited access to Medicaid to people with disabilities with children and poor families. For example, a family of four could not earn above $5,550 a year, and adults who are not parents were not eligible at all.

The new benefits will be provided via MO HealthNet, Missouri’s Medicaid insurance program. The Missouri Department of Social Services begins evaluating the applications on Oct. 1.

Swope Health is ready to provide free assistance to anyone who is interested in applying for benefits. We’re ready to help – call us at 816-599-5653 or 816-599-5654. Swope Health has a team of “navigators” ready to assist with the sign-up processes.  

For individuals whose income exceeds the Medicaid guidelines, the Swope Health navigators can also assist with enrollment for health coverage in the Affordable Care Act Marketplace and the Childrens’ Health Insurance Program (CHIP) of Missouri. The annual enrollment period for the Marketplace opens in November 2021.

“At Swope Health, we want to encourage as many people to enroll as possible,” said Arsenial Runion, Director of Patient Experience. “We believe healthcare is a right, and this program should help more people receive needed care.” Swope Health estimates that nearly 10,000 current patients may be eligible for MO Healthnet expanded coverage.

With expanded coverage, more people will have access to health care earlier. The MO Healthnet program should also make it easier for patients to get access to medications they need – whether it’s asthma inhalers or insulin or other prescriptions – as well as laboratory work and other tests for preventive care. The program should help patients avoid going to the emergency room by providing access to regular care.

Under the Affordable Care Act, the federal government pays 90 percent of the cost of the expansion, leaving the state to cover 10 percent.

Missourians interested in Medicaid expansion enrollment can also find support at CoverMissouri.org or online at https://mydss.mo.gov/apply.

Swope Health is grateful for grant funding from the Health Forward Foundation and the National Association of Community Health Centers to support Medicaid enrollment efforts.

   

Join Us: Hispanic Heritage Month Special Event

Swope Health will host a free public webinar on “Race and Ethnicity in the LatinX Community” at noon, Wednesday, Oct. 6. 

The event features Erica Andrade, Chief Program Officer at El Centro Inc.

To participate, join by Zoom: https://swopehealth.zoom.us/j/95970403008?pwd=dDZwL2orZS9iMkVaamVzVXFyTWRMdz09

Passcode: 653420

Erica Andrade is the proud daughter of an immigrant mother and has called Kansas City, Kansas, her home for more than 27 years.

Ms. Andrade joined El Centro, a nonprofit that serves the Latino community in Wyandotte and Johnson Counties in 2001. El Centro’s mission is to improve the lives of Latinos and others through educational, social and economic opportunities.

As Chief Program Officer, she supports El Centro’s community programs and implements strategies related to community education, health, economic empowerment, advocacy & engagement.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies from the University of Kansas and an Executive Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Missouri – Kansas City.

The event is part of Swope Health’s recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, 2021. Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

 

Details:
Noon, Wednesday Oct. 6

Erica Andrade on Race and Ethnicity in the LatinX community
https://swopehealth.zoom.us/j/95970403008?pwd=dDZwL2orZS9iMkVaamVzVXFyTWRMdz09

Passcode: 653420

 

 

Free COVID-19 Vaccinations Saturday, Sept. 4

Swope Health provides COVID-19 vaccinations at labor event

Swope Health will provide free COVID-19 vaccinations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4 at the Laborers Local 663, 7820 Prospect Ave., Kansas City, MO 64132.

The Pfizer vaccine will be available to individuals age 12 and up. Individuals age 18 and under must have a parent or guardian present to receive the vaccination.  While receiving your vaccination, you can make arrangements for your second dose.

This event is sponsored by the Greater Kansas City Building and Construction Trades Council, the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO, and the A. Phillip Randolph Institute (APRI).

The event will feature food boxes, provided by Harvesters, and gift cards for individuals who receive the vaccination, provided by the labor organizations and APRI. Information on labor apprenticeships will also be available at the event.

Walk-ups welcome!

New precautions to protect patients: CALL BEFORE YOU COME

With the rise in COVID-19 cases throughout the Kansas City metro area, Swope Health is implementing additional changes to create a safer environment for patients and associates.

Effective immediately, if you are seeking a walk-in appointment, YOU SHOULD CALL FIRST! Before you come, call: 816-923-5800.

We will ask to conduct a telehealth appointment rather than have you come to our facilities. You will be able to meet with a clinician from the safety and comfort of your home – especially important if you are not feeling well.

We have implemented a new telehealth platform that is even easier than our previous methods. Now, when you are scheduled for a telehealth appointment, you will receive a text with a link to start your appointment.

Once you click on the link, you enter your date of birth and the telehealth application verifies your camera and sound are on, and then you’re ready for your visit. Learn more about the telehealth visit in this downloadable summary (Also available in Spanish.)

Remember: if you are seeking a same-day walk-in appointment CALL 816-923-5800 FIRST.  

We will also be scheduling as many appointments as possible using telehealth same-day or within the next business day, an effort to reduce contact between patients and with associates. It’s a way to demonstrate our commitment to creating a safe, healthy environment and protecting our community from the spread of COVID-19.

As another example of our commitment to public safety and protecting our community, Swope Health has implemented a policy requiring all associates to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. This policy applies to all associates, including contractors, temporary help, students and volunteers. It applies at all locations, including for associates working remotely.

If you come to any Swope Health facility, remember that you must wear a mask at all times. Before you enter, you’ll be asked a series of screening questions and your temperature will be scanned. If you have an elevated temperature and any positive answers to the screening questions, you will be directed to a separate clinic – a way to further limit your contact with others.

While at Swope Health, we will also encourage you to receive a COVID-19 vaccination if you have not already done so. We are happy to answer your questions about the vaccine.

Finally, we encourage you to join us leading the fight against the spread of COVID-19: Get vaccinated. Wear a facemask indoors. Maintain physical distance from others, especially indoors. Wash your hands often with soap and water.

Learn the facts:

CDC: COVID-19 Variants
CDC: Delta Variant Science

From the CDC:
Level of Community Transmission in Jackson County, Missouri, is HIGH

Join us for COVID-19 Town Hall — 6 pm Tuesday, Aug. 10

Dr. Naiomi Jamal, Swope Health’s Chief Quality Officer, will participate in a special online Town Hall on COVID-19 starting at 6 pm Tuesday Aug. 10.

Dr. Naiomi Jamal

Dr. Naiomi Jamal

The town hall, sponsored by 107.3 FM, will be broadcast live on Facebook. Watch on the 107-3 FACEBOOK PAGE

The Town Hall, “The Real Deal on the COVID-19 Vaccine,” features other Kansas City healthcare experts with Dr. Jamal in questions and discussion led by Darron Story of 107.3FM.

Topics will include guidance on the COVID-19 delta variant and information about the COVID-19 vaccines.

Dr. Jamal heads the Department of Quality and Population Health at Swope Health. She is responsible for organization wide clinical quality, performance and process improvement, along with Population Health initiatives geared toward meeting the quadruple aim of improving provider and patient experience, improving population health outcomes and resource stewardship.

She also practices as a primary care physician through the Independence clinic and sees a variety of complex medical diagnoses.

Dr. Jamal is on faculty at University of Missouri/Kansas City where she is responsible for developing and delivering a preventive medicine and public health curriculum for family medicine residents. She is also responsible for the didactic lecture series Social and Structural Determinants of Health at the UMKC School of Medicine for Medical Students.

 

Swope Health Supports Operation Backpack

Councilwoman Ryana Parks-Shaw is inviting KCMO residents to celebrate students going back to school by joining her and a host of community sponsors, including Swope Health, for Operation Backpack on Saturday, Aug. 7, at Swope Park.

The event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will offer backpacks, school supplies, tablets and food. The event also include free Wi-Fi hotspot giveaways.

Parks-Shaw, who represents the 5th District, said she believes this will really help meet the needs of many residents who have been hit hard financially by the pandemic.

“I’m so thankful for all of our sponsors and volunteers who have really stepped up to make sure this giveaway is going to be successful this year,’’ Parks-Shaw said. “I know we’re all dealing with our own issues, but we must remember parents and students who need our help and we simply can’t let them down.”

We look forward to seeing you at Swope Park on Saturday!