Dr. Minyong Chen had the best possible motivation for becoming a dentist – going to the dentist made him nervous!  He wanted to make dental visits as pleasant and fear-free as possible.  Dr. Chen was born in China and moved to Malvern with his family when he was 10.  He remembers thinking at that age that his old home must be just down the road – the vast geographic and cultural distance he and his family had travelled was more than a 10-year-old could process.  He attended dental school at Temple University.  He previously worked at Greater Philadelphia Health Action, another community Health center, where he received the Pinnacle Award for leadership and quality of patient care.

Dr. Chen joined ChesPenn on April 22 and provides dental care on Fridays to patients at our Coatesville health center.  Office Manager Susan Sullivan shared that they love him.  He teaches as much as he treats, and he makes his young patients feel like they’re working with him as a team so they are not so afraid.  He shared that he finds practice both frustrating and rewarding.  Knowing patients don’t really want to see him is difficult, but he enjoys seeing patients get excited when their pain is relieved or their smile restored.  As more parents understand the importance of preventive care, fewer children will have to experience fillings and fewer adults will need extractions and dentures as they age.

Dr. Chen also loves to teach.  He related the story of a seven-year-old boy who came in with multiple cavities.  In addition to filling his cavities, he spent time teaching the boy’s dad the importance of good dental hygiene and regular visits, even for young children.  The health of baby teeth effects permanent teeth, but more important, cavities hurt and children don’t always know how to tell their parents what they are feeling.  Worse, they can cause infection to spread through the entire system.

Dr. Chen looks forward to building relationships with his patients and we know he will be wonderful addition to the ChesPenn team.

Since February, ChesPenn has participated with seven other Chester County nonprofit organizations in the Nonprofit Justice and Equity Institute under the leadership of the Alliance for Health Equity.  After months of great facilitation by The Tammy Dowley-Blackman Group, LLC, we are wrapping up this month with a draft plan to review our diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging policies and practices.

In many ways, health equity is encoded into the DNA of Community Health Centers.  According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), we are “community-based and patient-directed organizations that deliver comprehensive, culturally competent, high-quality primary health care services to the nation’s most vulnerable individuals and families, including people experiencing homelessness, agricultural workers, residents of public housing, and veterans.”  We are mandated to remove barriers to care, including those created by income, race, ethnicity, ability, and sexual orientation or gender identity.  Half of our board members are ChesPenn patients, bringing our patients’ voices right into the boardroom.

But health equity is about more than making sure everyone can see a doctor or dentist. It’s about creating a supportive, psychologically safe environment for everyone who comes in the door – regardless of their color, culture, abilities, how they identify, or whom they love.  It’s about knowing what each patient needs and how they personally access healthcare.  And it’s about knowing how to direct them to other support systems such as housing, food, and utility support.  Not only that, but equity, inclusion, and belonging begin at home.  Employees who feel respected and included are better able to provide the same care and consideration to patients.

To quote AHE’s President and CEO, Vanessa Briggs, “ If ever there is a time to stay the course to change how nonprofits reduce health disparities, the time is now.  The hospital closure of Tower Health Brandywine Hosptial has unequally impacted access to care and the ongoing rise in mental health conditions, particularly among Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), who suffer disproportionately compared to other low income racial/ethnic groups. At The Alliance for Health Equity we proudly piloted The Nonprofit Justice and Equity Institute with our first cohort and look forward to our learnings to assist the nonprofit sector get at root causes of injustice and inequities to improve the overall health of marginalized and vulnerable populations.”

We are grateful to the Alliance for Health Equity for creating the Nonprofit Justice and Equity Institute and giving us a platform to explore with our peers how we can continue to develop an intentional culture of equity, inclusion.

Men are notorious for neglecting their health.  Every person who has a father, brother, son, male friend or significant other has at some point had to nudge, cajole, or outright pester their loved one to see a doctor.  Men are too often conditioned from a young age to “tough it out” through injuries and illnesses.  Depression, anxiety, trauma?  Not going to talk about it.  Preventive care and screenings?  No, thank you.   And yet, we know that men are more susceptible to a broad range of illnesses, most of which are preventable or easily treatable with early detection and care.  Men are more likely to develop diabetes, hypertension, and colorectal cancer.  And men’s life expectancy is about 5 years less than women’s.     

Men’s Health Month is the perfect time to have the talk.  Encourage the men and boys you love to take care of themselves.  Guys, start taking your wellbeing as seriously as you care for everyone else your lives. Get outside and get active.  Eat more color.  Practice mindfulness or any other stress management tool.  Take your meds.  Have regular checkups.  If you’re depressed or anxious, get treatment.  And, yes, get your colorectal and prostate cancer screenings done.  Take care of you so that you can be there for the ones you love!

As we celebrate Pride Month, we are thinking about how we can be allies to friends, family, colleagues and patients in the LGBTQ+ community.

Here are 10 important steps to take:

1. Be a listener.
2. Be open-minded.
3. Be willing to talk.
4. Be inclusive and invite LGBT friends to hang out with your friends and family.
5. Don’t assume that all your friends and co-workers are straight. Someone close to you could be looking for support in their coming-out process. Not making assumptions will give them the space they need.
6. Anti-LGBT comments and jokes are harmful. Let your friends, family and co-workers know that you find them offensive.
7. Confront your own prejudices and bias, even if it is uncomfortable to do so.
8. Defend your LGBT friends against discrimination.
9. Believe that all people, regardless of gender identity and sexual orientation, should be treated with dignity and respect.
10. If you see LGBT people being misrepresented in the media, contact us respond.  Hold the media accountable.

“Service is the rent that you pay for room on this earth.”  Shirley Chisolm

On April 20 ChesPenn’s Board of Directors announce the appointment of Susan Harris McGovern, ChesPenn’s CEO, to the position of President and CEO.  A native of Chester, PA, Sue is a dedicated public servant who joined ChesPenn Health Services in 1983 as an Expanded Function Dental Assistant. Susan became Office Manager at our Center for Family Health at Eastside in 1998 while earning her BA and MS degrees from Eastern Pennsylvania  University and raising three daughters.

In 2009 Susan was appointed Director of Operations, extending her management to all of ChesPenn’s clinical sites. She was instrumental in managing the operations associated with the opening and closing locations in Chester, Upper Darby, and Coatesville, expanding ChesPenn’ s community health services in both Delaware and Chester counites.  Her demonstrated leadership led to her appointment as ChesPenn’ s first Chief Operating Officer in 2020.

Inspired by her mother, whose career began as a Social Worker in psychiatric services at Sacred Heart Hospital and who later retired as a Case Manager from Delaware County’s Office of the Aging, Sue credits her mother for instilling her passion to better the healthcare facilities and services offered in communities that face socio-economic challenges. Sue’s contributions to her community outside of work include her membership in the National Congress of Black Women Delco Chapter in Chester, PA where she held the title of Treasurer from 2008 – 2017 and volunteer work at events that uplift the lives of women of color. Sue’s life’s work at ChesPenn and community involvement has uniquely prepared her to step in her newest role of President and CEO of ChesPenn.

Sue shared her thoughts on her career at ChesPenn and vision for our future.  “Whenever I’ve been asked about why I never left ChesPenn or currently what are my vision or goals for ChesPenn, I’m grateful to credit having worked for many years alongside Dr. Rekha Yagnik, and Dr. Letitia O’Kicki.  These phenomenal women were instrumental in sparking my interest overcoming the imbalances of services regardless of socio-economic status. We’ve grown from a trailer to multiple locations .  We serve 15,000 patients across Delaware & Chester Counties.  This is a testament to their legacy of service, compassion, listening and leadership that I look forward to continuing. We know the community, we are the community, and many of us have raised our children and grandchildren here. I honor my mother Catherine Harris for modeling what it means to be a mother, a woman of Faith, and active in the community you live in.”

It’s almost Memorial Day.  The weather is warming and the days are lengthening.  We’re all more than ready to head out to the park, the garden, the beach.  But before we run out and play we need to remember to be safe in the sun:

• Cover it up – Clothing, hats, and sunglasses provide great protection
  against UV rays and you don’t have to reapply like sunscreen.
• Play in the shade – Try to find ways to stick to the shade when possible but remember UV rays are still going to get through.
• Know your sunscreen – SPF stands for skin protection factor. if you use an SPF 15
  product exactly as directed it would take you 15 times longer to burn than if you weren’t wearing sunscreen. Be sure to read labels and follow directions.
• Shield the wee ones – Infants up to six months should be kept out of the sun rather than covered with sunscreen. Clothing should cover babies’ torso, arms, and legs, and hats, sunglasses and stroller covers can provide additional protection.  After 6 months you can begin adding sunscreen.  And be sure to speak to caregivers about safety in the sun.
• Look out for windows – Remember that upholstered chair in front of the window that faded over the years? UVA windows can penetrate glass so don’t forget sunscreen and coverups even in the car or in window seats on flights.
• Say no to tanning beds – Just say no. You know they’re not healthy.
• Early detection is key – Skin cancer is the cancer you can SEE. Yet it often goes undetected in the early stages. It’s important that you get to know your skin, check yourself in the mirror and keep these three simple words in mind: NEW, CHANGING or UNUSUAL. It could save your life.

Now get out there and enjoy the great outdoors this summer – safely!

May is Mental Health Awareness month and this year’s theme is “Together for Mental Health.”  We want to eliminate the stigma people too often feel about acknowledging their mental health needs and asking for help.  Here are some things each of us can do:

1. Learn about mental health and share with others. Millions of Americans struggle with mental health challenges and learning the facts about mental illness can help dispel myths and misperceptions and minimize stigma.
2. See the person not the illness. It’s so easy to say “She’s bipolar,” or “He’s autistic.”  1 in 5 Americans has a mental health condition.  Each is a whole person, with a unique story.  Each is so much more than their mental health challenge.  Try to use person-centered language – a person with bipolar disorder, for example – rather than labeling people.  Treating one another with kindness and respect and checking in with friends and loved ones who may be struggling can help them know they are valued and that it’s ok to say they need help.
3. Check your language. We’ve all done it – “He’s so OCD,” “She looks anorexic,” – pick your comment.  But these words have power and perpetuate the stigma of conditions that cause real suffering.  Casual comments and jokes about mental health conditions can be hurtful and you may not know that the person hearing you is struggling.

This is one reason ChesPenn has embedded behavioral health services in our primary care sites.  It’s much easier for patients to receive care when their physician can introduce them directly to the Behavioral Health Consultant.  They can get help on the spot and don’t have to make a separate appointment that could be labeled as seeing a “shrink.”  The BHC model has proven very successful in improving patients’ access to care and mental health.  Paul Renn, ChesPenn’s Behavioral Health Manager, observed that “The BHC is more than a therapist.   They provide solution-focused brief therapies and can also provide a warm handoff to longer term therapists when needed.”

Here are some resources to learn more or get help:

Learn more about mental health | nami.org/About-Mental-Illness

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:  800-273-TALK (8255) to speak with a trained crisis counselor 24/7. Or www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

Crisis text line:  Text HOME to 741741 or www.crisistextline.org

Emotional support for youth:  Call (310) 855-HOPE or (800) TLC-TEEN (nationwide toll-free) from 3pm-7pm EST or Text TEEN to 839863 between 3pm-6pm EST