2019 -- S 0946

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LC002679

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

CONGRATULATING THUNDERMIST HEALTH CENTER ON 50 YEARS OF PROVIDING

RHODE ISLANDERS WITH QUALITY SERVICE AND HEALTH CARE

     

     Introduced By: Senators Satchell, Murray, Gallo, Ruggerio, Metts, and Lombardi

     Date Introduced: June 05, 2019

     Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

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     WHEREAS, Thundermist Health Center is a nonprofit corporation and Federally

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Qualified Community Health Center, that currently serves three Rhode Island communities --

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Woonsocket, West Warwick, and South County; and

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     WHEREAS, In 1969, local physicians felt that the City of Woonsocket needed a family

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planning center. They generously volunteered their time to provide care from an apartment in a

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low-income housing development, and on May 16, 1974, were officially incorporated as a full-

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fledged health center; and

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     WHEREAS, In 2001, Thundermist merged with the Health Center of South County, and

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in 2003, established a comprehensive health center and a school based health center in West

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Warwick. In 2005, Thundermist renovated an old warehouse in Woonsocket into a flagship health

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center that has subsequently been nationally recognized; and

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     WHEREAS, In 2006, Thundermist transitioned to an electronic record system,

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eClinicalWorks, and in 2011, opened the state's first health center site fully designed as a patient

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centered medical home. In addition, it became the first Rhode Island community health center to

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achieve patient centered medical home accreditation from NCQA in 2011, and is currently

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NCQA accredited at the highest level in all of its eligible departments and is a FTCA Deemed

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Facility; and

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     WHEREAS, In 2013, nearly 40 percent of Thundermist's 42,000 patients were uninsured,

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and many faced transportation challenges, substance abuse disorders, homelessness,

 

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unemployment or underemployment, and many other issues. In order to meet their needs,

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Thundermist provided $6.6 million in unreimbursed care in 2014; and

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     WHEREAS, Both patients and staff at Thundermist are ethnically and racially diverse. In

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order to provide the most accessible and best quality services, Thundermist follows the National

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Standards on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services and buildings are fully

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accessible to patients and staff with mobility challenges; and

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     WHEREAS, Thundermist's commitment to health and wellness services and health

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advocacy work extends into non-clinical programs also, including participation in Health Equity

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Zones, a community garden, and farmers markets; and

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     WHEREAS, For the past 50 years, Thundermist has grown and developed new programs

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in order to provide comprehensive health care services to meet the needs of the people who need

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it most in the communities it serves; now, therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

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hereby congratulates Thundermist Health Center on 50 years of providing Rhode Islanders with

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quality service and health care. We moreover thank all the Center's physicians, administrators and

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staff on their commitment and dedication; and be it further

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     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

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transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Jeanne LaChance, MBA, CPA, President and

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Chief Executive Officer of Thundermist Health Center.

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LC002679

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