May is designated as Hepatitis Awareness Month, which helps raise awareness of the disease and encourages those to learn their status. Swope Health started the Hepatitis C program in 2019, which has seen a significant increase in patient-count over the years.

Rachel Melson, DNP, FNP C is the Director 

of the Swope Health Outreach Clinic and has been a key contributor to the program’s creation and success. It started as a pilot program in 2019 and went on to become a key health program in line with other chronic disease management programs at Swope Health.

“There was such a backlog of people who didn’t have access to care that we saw 50 patients in the first 90 days,” Melson said. “A few patients didn’t need treatment or needed to go to a specialist to treat advanced liver disease, but out of the 42 who were left, 100% of them were cured.”

Due to the success of that trial, Swope Health has continued to treat Hepatitis C and spread it to multiple providers and clinical sites across the Kansas City region.

“Now, we are getting close to 700 patients who have started treatment since 2019,” she said.

The CDC recommends that every adult over the age of 18 get tested for Hepatitis C at least once in their lifetime. Swope Health offers Hepatitis C testing, treatment, and screenings with rapid results. The services are provided at the Swope Health primary care  clinics, along with different locations with the Mobile Unit that travels to shelters for people who are unhoused or in recovery spaces.

“We have point of care testing, which means you can get a Hep C test result within 20 minutes, right along with an HIV test that takes 15 minutes. We can do that with a finger poke, which every clinic has access to,” she said. “If someone has a positive test, we get them in for an appointment with one of our treating providers within two weeks.”

Accessing a cure for Hepatitis C is simpler than ever. To treat Hepatitis C, most patients either take three daily pills for eight weeks or one daily pill for 12 weeks. Swope Health takes a final set of labs with the patient once they finish their treatment, to determine if they’ve been cured. If so, they’re cured from Hepatitis C forever.

“The only way to know if you have Hepatitis C is to get tested,” Melson said. “Since Hepatitis C doesn’t have many obvious symptoms, routine testing is the only way we know if someone has been exposed and needs treatment. Left untreated, Hepatitis C can cause liver failure, liver cancer, and even death.”

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, an estimated 2.4 million are people living with Hepatitis C. Do you need to know your status? Make an appointment at Swope Health today by clicking here.

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“Open Enrollment” is a window of time that happens once a year when individuals sign up for health insurance and other benefits, as well as adjust or cancel current plans. It is usually limited to a few weeks, and individuals often have to wait until the next open enrollment period to make changes.

Here are the important Open Enrollment dates:

• Individual & Family Affordable Care Act Marketplace plans: Open enrollment is November 1 through January 15. (Affordable Care Act, or ACA, is often referenced as “Obamacare”.)
  • If you enroll by December 15, your coverage begins on January 1.
  • If you enroll between December 16 and January 15, your coverage begins on February 1.
• Medicare: Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) is October 15 to December 7. The Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) for Medicare is around age 65.
• Medicaid: People can enroll anytime.

At Swope Health, we have a team of insurance navigators who help guide people through the process of enrolling in Marketplace insurance, Medicaid, and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program).

This service is free and open to everyone. Your information is confidential.

If you’d like help with enrolling in any of these programs, you have options:

• You can walk in and request assistance from our navigators at Swope Health Central.
• You can call and schedule an appointment for a time that’s convenient – call (816) 599-5590.

When you come in, please be sure to bring your ID. This can be a Driver’s License, Passport or Permanent Resident’s card. If you have an income, bring one month’s worth of proof of income, such as pay stubs. If you or family members you are enrolling were not born in Missouri or Kansas, please bring a birth certificate as well.

What can I expect in a plan?

According to the Healthcare.gov website, all Marketplace plans cover:

• 10 essential health benefits, including prescription drugs, emergency services, hospitalization, laboratory services, pregnancy, maternity and newborn care, mental health services, and substance use disorder services.
• Preventive healthcare services for adults, women, and children. These services are provided free if they are delivered by a provider or doctor in your insurance plan’s network.
• Coverage for pre-existing conditions: once you are enrolled, no insurance plan can reject you, charge you more, or refuse to pay benefits for any condition you had before your coverage started.

What will a plan cost?

Your costs will depend on your expected household income for the year. There are options for low-cost, Medicaid and CHIP programs, as well as tax credit options. A Navigator can help you estimate your income, compare plans, and get exact prices when you fill out an application.

Learn more about the federal Health Insurance Marketplace:

• Quick Guide
• A PDF Checklist of everything you’ll need to apply
• Preview plans available in the Health Insurance Marketplace
• Estimate costs

If you know of anyone in the community – yes, anyone – who needs assistance with enrollment in these coverages, please encourage them to call our insurance navigator team at (816) 599-5590.

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Swope Health is proud to educate patients, clients, associates, and community partners on the importance of providing support to breastfeeding families. We are committed to the well-being of every person in every community we serve.

We are hosting a virtual program on “Enabling Breastfeeding: Making a Difference for Working Parents” from noon-1 pm, Thursday Aug. 31.

The program will feature information about Missouri’s breastfeeding rates, and the laws and initiatives that are designed to support lactating families.

The program can help nursing employees understand their rights in the workplace.

Hosted by Swope Health’s Women Infants and Children (WIC) Office, this event will feature presentations from two special guests:

• Stephanie Pruess, RD, LD, IBCLC, State Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Coordinator for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, WIC and Nutrition Services; and
• Lisa Schlientz, MPH, IBCLC, State of Missouri Breastfeeding Coordinator, who works with programs in WIC and Nutrition Services, and Maternal and Child Health.

Registration for the free virtual event is open now. Click here to sign up! (Once you’ve registered, an appointment will be sent to your e-calendar.)

Additional activities in support of Breastfeeding Month:

• Providing “Snack Bags” to WIC pregnant and breastfeeding families (while supplies last).
• In partnership with Healthy Blue, a benefit info session will be held 10 am to noon on August 25 at Swope Health Central. 
• Holding two raffles during the month to provide families with items that support breastfeeding.

Ongoing breastfeeding support:

• Nutrition and Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Staff
• Breastfeeding warmline 816-799-1428
• Breastpumps for WIC program participants as available
• Quarterly breastfeeding support group, next meeting is 1 pm August 24. This is a virtual meeting on Zoom, www.us06web.zoom.us, meeting ID: 892 0503 5735

Why Breastfeeding?

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee notes that mother’s milk is the optimal food for babies, as it plays a critical role in building and supporting an infant’s immune system. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that breastfeeding can reduce risk for certain conditions for mothers and babies.

For more information, explore these resources about breastfeeding:

• CDC— Infant and Toddler Nutrition
• Office on Women’s Health—Breastfeeding
• American Academy of Pediatrics—Healthy Children
• United States Breastfeeding Committee—State Coalitions Directory 
• US Department of Agriculture—WIC Breastfeeding Support

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The new space is now located on the west side of the main lobby at Swope Health Central. It’s bright and open, and at twice the size of the previous space, easy to find.

The drive-through lane allows clients to drop off a prescription and return for pick-up 30 minutes later. The service is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

“It’s all for patient convenience,” said Michael Hattaway, Chief Pharmacist. “You don’t have to get out of your car and come inside, and that can be especially helpful if you have kids with you or if you’re not feeling well.”

Swope Health Central has completed a major redesign of its Pharmacy facility, including a new drive-through lane for fast and easy prescription services.

The new space is now located on the west side of the main lobby at Swope Health Central. It’s bright and open, and at twice the size of the previous space, easy to find.

The drive-through lane allows clients to drop off a prescription and return for pick-up 30 minutes later. The service is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

“It’s all for patient convenience,” said Michael Hattaway, Chief Pharmacist. “You don’t have to get out of your car and come inside, and that can be especially helpful if you have kids with you or if you’re not feeling well.”

The drive-through lane was designed during the COVID-19 pandemic and envisioned as a way to provide quality care while minimizing direct contact. The drive-through lane is for vehicles only, and for safety reasons, it is not available for walk-up service.

Making Care Visible

In addition to the drive-up service, the new pharmacy now has a bank of windows and a large open layout.

“Now our pharmacists are visible, not hidden away behind a wall, and we have space to offer a variety of over-the-counter products too,” Hattaway said.

Products include first aid supplies, vitamins, treatments for cough, cold, allergies and minor stomach upset. All are from the Swope Health pharmacy wholesaler, which keeps their prices competitive. “It’s very cost effective for our patients,” Hattaway added.

New Delivery Service Pilot

More service changes are planned, too. The Pharmacy is currently trialing a prescription delivery service to the 64130 ZIP code. The service provides afternoon deliveries daily Monday through Friday for pre-paid prescriptions. If you live the in the 64130 ZIP code and would like to try the service, ask the pharmacy for details.

In addition, the pharmacy also will add a consultation space later in the year. This will be a private room to allow pharmacists to meet with patients to demonstrate use of medical devices or answer questions about medications.

Pharmacists are always available for patients, Hattaway said, noting the new design encourages more engagement.

“Interaction is much better now,” he said. “All three of our pharmacists are available and accessible. We love talking with all of our patients and helping them understand their prescriptions.”

Swope Health invites you to visit the new pharmacy and drive-through and let us know what you think.

“There’s been a lot of excitement about the new drive-through and we have heard quite a few people comment on how nice the new space looks,” he said.  “We’re also open to your suggestions of other ways we can add services or products.”

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