The Cahaba Newsletter: October 2022
CAHABA MEDICAL CARE NEWS
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CAHABA MEDICAL CARE NEWS 〰️
CAHABA MEDICAL CARE - UNITED ABILITY NOW OPEN!
United Ability is a nonprofit that provides innovative services connecting people with disabilities to their communities and empowers individuals to live full and meaningful lives. United Ability has for many years provided excellent rehabilitative care for patients with disabilities across the state.
Cahaba Medical Care has partnered with United Ability to expand the services offered on campus to patients with disabilities and their families. This includes the addition of primary care, behavioral health services, social support services, and nutrition services.
This innovative merger offers the opportunity for truly comprehensive high quality primary care, specialty care, and behavioral health care, all on one campus leading to less fragmentation, easier care navigation, and hopefully a better experience for patients and their families.
Cahaba is extremely excited about this awesome partnership! United Ability has done outstanding work and we are here to make sure it continues.
WELCOME NEW NP RESIDENTS
Please join us in welcoming our nurse practitioner residency class of 2022-2023!
Cahaba's Family Medicine NP residency program started in 2018 and was the first of its kind in the state of Alabama. First-year Nurse Practitioners in this 15-month program receive comprehensive training in complex primary care practices. The program features a combination of clinical experience, academics and procedural training. Earlier this year, The National Nurse Practitioner Residency and Fellowship Training Consortium awarded Cahaba Medical Care as the first NP residency program to be recognized in the state of Alabama and one of the first 25 accredited programs in the nation.
FLU VACCINE CLINICS
Each year, Cahaba Medical Care offers free flu shots for all students in the Bibb County School District, as well as faculty and staff. This year, we were able to provide 276 flu shots!
Cahaba was also able to provide 100 flu shots and 60 covid boosters at our health center at Birmingham Southern College!
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: ONEROOF & JEFFERSON COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY
In the Spring of 2022, Cahaba Medical Care entered into a partnership with the Jefferson County Housing Authority and OneRoof to serve as a Contiuum of Care provider for Jefferson County. This means that we can connect our chronically homeless patients who have physical disabilities, substance use disorder, serious mental illness, and/or are HIV positive to housing vouchers through our case management team.
The Continuum of Care Housing Assistance Program is an important source of permanent housing assistance to homeless people with disabilities. The goal of the program is to help Continuum of Care Program participants improve self-sufficiency, foster self-determination, and reach their greatest potential. Together, the partnering organizations are responsible for providing a broad range of services to improve the lives of participants, including:
• Safe, affordable permanent housing
• Ongoing rehabilitation, treatment and counseling
• Food and clothing assistance
• Utility assistance
• Education and employment assistance
RESIDENCY NEWS
ULTRASOUND WORKSHOP
Residents from each of our tracks recently participated in an ultrasound workshop, where they were able to practice various ultrasound techniques, including RUSH, OB Ultrasound, and DVT.
SPECIAL TOPICS WEEK
Cahaba-UAB Family Medicine Residency participated in the UAB Special Topics Week which is offered to medical students. Several of our faculty and fellows led a women’s health workshop at our West End clinic for UAB medical students. The students were able to learn more about some common procedures, and they were able to practice these skills.
WELCOME DR. CARMEN COLLINS
Welcome Dr. Carmen Collins to the Cahaba - UAB Family Medicine faculty team! Dr. Collins is from Manchester, GA. She studied at Emory University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology and a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Behavioral Science and Health Education. After her time at Emory, she completed a health communications fellowship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. She then attended the Medical College of Georgia where she earned her doctor of medicine. She then moved to Tuscaloosa, AL where she completed her specialty training at the University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency. She stayed with the residency program for an additional year to complete a surgical obstetrics fellowship.
In her free time, she loves spending time with family and her goldendoodle (Zemo). She loves to travel and has visited approximately 20 countries thus far with more on her agenda. She also loves watching movies, reading, and craft projects.
Dr. Collins is currently practicing at Cahaba’s Bessemer health center, and delivering babies at Medical West.
We are a community-based non-profit healthcare organization that aims to follow Christ in becoming an incarnation of love, peace, and justice for our patients on their journey towards physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being