Catching a Hole in the Safety Net

Like other federally qualified health centers, the Eric B. Chandler Health Center in New Brunswick provides routine primary care services to an economically disadvantaged population. But the center’s staff found that a very important need of its patients, who are primarily Latin American immigrants, was not being met.

While more than 1,000 patients at the center are seen by a social worker each year, those in need of mental health services are referred off-site for follow-up care. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, many do not follow through to access this crucially needed treatment.

Now, a $75,000 grant from the Rutgers Community Health Foundation (RCHF) will assist these patients get the help they need.

The grant will fund the hiring of a full-time social worker/case manager. The social worker, who will be based at the health center, will provide counseling and ensure follow through with other health care providers. In addition, the social worker will be a bilingual, culturally competent “familiar face” – someone they can come to know and trust.

“Finding outside appointments for our clients is hard,” says Carlos A. Cordero, LCSW, director of social services for the Chandler Center, which is which is operated jointly by the Eric B. Chandler Health Center Community Board, Inc. and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “By providing these services on site, we can help ensure that patients get appropriate treatment and follow through when needed.”

According to Mr. Cordero, patients at the Chandler Center often come in complaining of sleep problems or other symptoms. The social worker may uncover postpartum depression, anxiety disorders related to employment status or other issues Cordero believes that many of the center’s patients are reluctant to seek treatment due to the stigma attached to mental illness and a general lack of knowledge about mental health in the immigrant population.

“The attitude is often, ‘families take care of themselves. Why go to treatment?,’ he explained. “This makes it difficult to get patients to seek further help.”

RCHF was a natural for funding this project, due to its emphasis on improving health services in New Brunswick.

“Our focus is on improving the health of vulnerable residents in the New Brunswick area,” says Joel Cantor, ScD, RCHF president. “Chandler is one of the most important sources of care for populations that don’t have other opportunities. We hope to address these issues by helping them to embed mental health services in the general medical setting.”