Celebrating Life Community Health Center

‘HOPE PLEDGE’ Behavioral Health - Heart Screening - Primary Care Outreach

A) Behavioral Heath - CLCHC is focused on access to behavioral health and pediatric care. Adolescent mental health continues to worsen. In 2021 more than 1 in 5 students seriously struggled with anxiety, PTSD, suicidal ideation, and other health concerns. Greater than 25% of people in the United States are experiencing some form of it. That’s approximately 50 million people and 55% have not received any treatment. Good mental health helps individuals develop resilience to cope with life events and greater socio and economic stability. B) Heart Health - screen, detect, and manage structural and cardiovascular conditions, and preventative educational heart health programs. It is a threefold tactical plan of heart screening for newborns through young adults and adult wellness exams; and behavioral health assessment that evaluates individuals at risk with heart disease. The first concern is childhood health. Socioeconomically disadvantaged children have greater exposure to cardiovascular risk factors and undetected structural heart disease. This status affects levels and trajectories of life expectancy, income, and wealth during adult years. The second concern is mortality rates of Asian, Black, and Hispanics populations post covid-19. In underserved groups there is a disproportionate rate of individuals that lacked access to structural and cardiovascular heart screening by licensed clinicians. Cardiovascular related deaths jumped from 874,613 in 2019 to 928,741 in 2020, the largest year increase since 2015, and greater than 50% of the US population has some type of heart disease. Not only is this a health crisis. It is an economic crisis that costs the US about $219 billion yearly with no end in sight (01/25/2023 American Heart Association Journal). Thirdly, a large and growing body of research shows that mental health is associated with risk factors of heart disease. Mental health research studies of bi-polar, anxiety, posttraumatic stress and chronic stress disorders are associated with risk factors for heart disease that developed before a diagnosis or during treatment. The extended period associated with mental health illnesses may increase cardiac reactivity of increased heart rate, reduced blood flow to the heart and brain, and heighten levels of cortisol. Specific population including veterans, women and ethnic minorities are at greatest risk (May 6, 2020, Heart Disease cdc.org). The practice of identifying individuals with heart disease or at-risk individuals will be an aspect of behavioral health screenings. C.) Primary Care Outreach - Community expansion of health care as a primary medical practice expanding into the most vulnerable neighborhoods, Costa Mesa, Santa Anna and Irvine. it is possible to transform the healthcare system to rein in costs, improve quality, and expand access. CLCHC’s long-range business goal is expansion into the most vulnerable and neglected communities. The short-term goal is recent acquisitions of medical clinics in Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, and Irvine. Immediate operational need is to improve these neglected deteriorating buildings; and hire more doctors with specific specialties in mental health, pediatric and neonatal care. The most recent data shows there’s a student mental health crisis; and a heart health treatment gap, resulting in needless death and disabilities. Closing these gaps in mental health care and heart health takes appropriate, preventative, actionable processes. Please join us in the vison to manage these treatment gaps. With your help we can improve the standard of healthcare and quality of life in the communities we know and love. Expanding into the most vulnerable neighborhoods with compassionate quality medical care: • Lift Up struggling communities with Quality Medical Clinics • Lift Up youth and adults in Behavioral Health and Mental Wellness Services • Lift Up women in Neonatal Care • Lift Up children in Pediatric Care • Lift Up children and adults in Heart Health Screening • Lift Up children and adults in Dental Care