A proclamation celebrating the 50th anniversary of Denver Health’s Bernard F. Gipson Eastside Family Health Center and Denver Community Health Services.
Whereas Denver's Denver Health Bernard F Gibson Eastside Family Health Center opened in March 1966 as the third Community Health Center in the United States and the first west of the Mississippi River. And. WHEREAS, The East Side Family Health Center is named for Bernard F Gibson, Colorado's first board certified African-American surgeon. And. WHEREAS, Denver Community Health Services now has eight community health centers and 17 school based health centers, with the mission of providing primary and preventative health care services to the residents of the city and county of Denver and acts as a safety net to the medically underserved of Denver. And. Whereas, the community and school based health centers are located in high need areas, provide comprehensive primary health care services to their patients, and provide services to all residents of their service area with fees based on ability to pay. And. Whereas, Denver Community Health Services is the leading primary health care system for low income Denver residents providing health care services to 60% of Denver's uninsured population and over half of the city's Medicaid patients. And. WHEREAS, Denver Community Health Services provides high quality health care, as evidenced by indicators such as childhood and adolescence, immunization rates, well-child visit rates, adult hypertension control and diabetes management. And. WHEREAS, Denver Health will be opening its newest community health center, the Southwest Family Health Center, at 1339 South Federal Boulevard on April 18, 2016, providing urgent care, full spectrum primary care, dental services, behavioral health services, and more. And. WHEREAS, the Bernadette Gibson Eastside Family Health Center will have provided 50 years of continuous service to the citizens of Denver on March seven, 2016, now therefore be proclaimed by the Council of the City and County of Denver, Section one that the Council of the City and County of Denver applaud the tireless commitment and work of the Bernadette Gibson Eastside Family Health Center. Section two that the Clerk of the city and County of Denver shall attest. And a fix the seal of the city and county of Denver to this proclamation, and that a copy be transmitted to Dr. Art Gonzalez, CEO Denver Health and Dr. Simon Hambrick, Chief Ambulatory Officer, Denver Health. So I move the proclamation. 157 be adopted. It has been moved and seconded. Anyone who want to start off with comments on proclamation 157. Councilman Ortega. I'd be happy to make some comments. So first of all, I want to congratulate Denver Health for just the outstanding work they've done across this city. I can remember when this body had to play a role in approving the school based clinics being allowed accepting the grant funds that allowed the first school based clinics in our high schools. I think it was east and west and North High School, I think were the first three that were started out. And it was it was a political football because there were a lot of concerns about what kind of services were going to be provided and, you know, making sure that contraceptives were distributed to students and all of those kinds of concerns. But really, those clinics have played such a vital role in ensuring that uninsured students are able to have access to, you know, if they play in sports, they have to have their what do you call it, physicals, their physicals, so that they, you know, have that sign off before they can play the sports. And in in many cases, you know, they didn't have a doctor or they didn't have insurance. And so the clinics played such a vital role, and I'm very familiar with this particular clinic, have had an opportunity to step in there and and be in that general complex where we have a number of city buildings. And I just want to commend Denver Health for just the outstanding work that's been done across this city. I can remember when the clinic in the Globeville neighborhood closed and, you know, we worked really hard to get the LA Clinic up there to ensure that that community still has access. And in that case, they're serving a large number of people. But to know that we have the new clinic that's going to be opening in southwest Denver, that will have a number of services. And just so you know, that's in addition to Sam Sanders clinic, the demand in that quadrant of the city has grown so much that there was a need to build a new facility. And so I'm just pleased to be a co-sponsor of this bill tonight and just grateful for the incredible work that Denver helped us in our community. Thank you. Thank you, Councilwoman Ortega. Councilman Flynn. Thank you, sir. President. Councilwoman Ortega, with her last remarks, took the words out of my mouth. I wanted to thank Denver Health and Denver Community Health Services for the 50 years in the East Side. And I wanted to take the opportunity to point out, as Councilwoman Ortega has, about the new Southwest Clinic, which is an extension of this vital service coming down to to our neck of the woods. And it will open on April 18th. I just wanted to mention the date, April 18th that clinic will open and we welcome it with open arms. The services that have been provided for 50 years in eastern Denver are coming down to Southwest. Thank you very much, Mr. President. Thank you, Councilman Flynn. Councilwoman. So, Councilwoman Sussman. Thank you very much, Mr. President. I believe the Eastside Mental Health Center used to be the Malcolm X Mental Health Center. Is that correct? At least that's my recollection. That's how long I have been in Denver. And it was a good idea. What? It's a good idea. It was. And it and they I was a graduate student, a dude studying psychology. And they I guess they needed somebody under 25 or something to sit on the board. And I remember we were all very proud of that name, Malcolm X. And we had we had been encouraged for years to change it because of the controversial aspect of the name. But we held on to it for quite a while because it had so much meaning to that community. And so I feel particularly connected to this mental health center. But more than that, I not more than that. But in addition, it's so funny how life has so many coincidences. My telephone number was one different from Doctor Gibson's, and I would get Dr. Gibson's phone calls all the time until I got to kind of know him and, you know, and they'd say, and I would have his phone number and say, No, you don't have Dr. Gibson's office. And I remember that very well and thought it's fun to be connected to some of the history in Denver. And congratulations to you. Thank you, Councilman Sussman. Councilman Lopez. Thank you, Mr. President. I also want to just congratulate Denver Health and the folks who make Denver Health happen and those of all the employees that work to make these these clinics work. I remember a day where you walk into a clinic and you were there all day, and I didn't have health insurance until I was well into my twenties. But I remember having to walk in the Mariposa and having to be there all day before you got even to sign up for an I mean, you had to be there all day and it didn't guarantee that you got seen the next day or that you're first in line. You just told you to go home and come back tomorrow. And if you can get if you can just get back in line, you can. But they didn't hold it. But it's changed in such a revolutionary way. The way Denver health delivers health care to our communities, care for the indigent, but also for everybody. And Councilman Ortega is absolutely right. It'll 219 and 80204, which are the two zip codes in Southwest and West Denver, the highest number of patients in the area, largest underserved area. And that new in Southwest uh, uh, clinic. I would if you want to go to it and it is amazing what they've done over there that these these neighborhood clinics, these community clinics, it's important that we honor them, but it's important to know that we've fought for them to stay open. And the fact that this one for celebrating its its 50th is just remarkable. And it's a great feat for Denver Health. And you know what? If it's not a clinic, maybe it's a library or some shape or form, I do think and let me go on record in saying we do have to honor Malcolm X and the way and what he contributed, not just to African-American, um, African-American history, but all of us and that memory and that network that does have to be commemorated. And it shouldn't be controversial. Thank you, Councilman Lopez. Any other comments? Proclamation 157. I would simply ask that you cannot understate the impact that these clinics have had to the communities that they have served. And I'm familiar with the Gibson Family Health Clinic. Not as much as I'm familiar with the one in my district in Montevallo, but I just think about how vital that is to the community. And not only does it provide health care services, but quality health care services. So no matter where your income level is in the city, there's a place for you to receive that quality and health care. And I just have to give kudos for the Denver health team for putting all this together, because it is it is vital for those communities that they serve. And congratulations for 50 years and continued success. Seeing the comments on 157. Madam Secretary, roll call. Black Clerk I Espinosa Flynn I Gilmore I Cashman. I can each Lopez. I knew Ortega assessment. Mr. President. Hi. Madam Secretary, please close voting out the results. 1212 eyes 157 has been adopted. I would like to invite to the podium to receive the proclamation. Richard Castro, Ambulatory Health Service Administrator. Thank you, Councilor. Thank you. Council President Herman. I'm Richard Kallstrom, clinical administrator for the Family Health Center. Along with the other East Side clinics are Parkhill, Montebello and Lowry have another administrator, and she's oversees the other clinics on behalf of Denver Health and the behalf of Simon Hemorrhage. And Dr. Gonzalez, just want to say thank you very much for recognizing Denver Health Community Health Services. Denver health. I just want to say, on behalf of 606,500 employees at Denver Health, I accept this recognition, proudly accept it for 50 years of service to Denver City and County. As we began our work back in March 7th, 1966, in a dilapidated bakery in a five points neighborhood that was transformed into the side family health center and later renamed a Gibson Eastside Family Health Center in 2000, in honor of Denver's first African-American surgeon, minority F Gibson Senior. Then those first days or first weeks of operation at Denver Health at East Side, they served 1200 patients and 14 the first 14 days at 14,000 visits. So we have a here a couple of people who've been this in this journey from the beginning and very. Carlos, could you stand up? I want to recognize Colonel Sam to Steve. And he he was one of the pioneers in guiding East Side Family Health Center and West Side Family Health Center started. He was president of the city council. Actually opened it on March 7th, 1966. You don't look like it, but we got the pictures. Okay. Thank you, Carlos. Without. Without you and sitting down. Without pioneers like Carlos and the City Council, we don't have community health in Denver. We've grown from 14,000 patient visits in the first few days, first two weeks to over a half a million annually. That's a lot for Denver. A half a million visits? Yeah. I have just recognized another person. I can recognize everybody but Sherry Stevens. Just stand up and I know you're so shy. Or Sherry Johnson. I'm sorry. Sherry Stevens is. No, Sherry's mom was. She started at 50 years ago at Eastside Family Health Center, and she retired. And Sherry. She's been with us for 31 years. So they've seen the 50 year journey. Journey this family has. Thank you. Sharing. And that's important because in all of our clinics, especially at the Eastside Clinic, which is the oldest one, we're in our fourth generation of patients. And there's a good reason for that is because we do give darn good care. We have doctors that can work anywhere, but they don't. They can work anywhere for more money, but they don't. They work at Eastside and or other clinics because that's what that's where the reward is. In 1966, the promise of community health was a simple one go where the need is. We remain committed to going where the need is and for caring for Denver's most vulnerable regardless of their ability to pay for the next 50 years, for that last 50 years and the next 50 years and beyond. We plan to be here. Thank you. Thank you. We are moving on to our last proclamation, proclamation 158. I am not reading that one. Councilman Lopez, will you please read proclamation 158?