NASHVILLE, Tenn. The Metro Health Department and Safety Net Consortium of Middle Tennessee (SNCMT) hosted an official launch for the newly revamped My Healthcare Home website – www.MyHCHTN.org – this week. Members of the health department and the SNCMT clinics gathered to discuss the site’s capabilities and plan for its future use.
My Healthcare Home went live in April 2018. Since that time, it served as a tool for citizens of Nashville and the surrounding area to find affordable, accessible, high quality healthcare. It offers a searchable database of more than 50 non-profit clinics, with instructions for making appointments, categorized healthcare options, multiple language translations and more.
‘Labor of love’
“My Healthcare Home has been a labor of love,” SNCMT Executive Director Carol Westlake commented.
Several years ago, she explained, members of the SNCMT believed too many people were unfamiliar with their clinics. The best way to fix that, they felt, was a website similar to what major retail outlets use, offering a way for patients to find accessible, affordable clinics in their area.
“In the future,” Westlake added, “we hope to expand beyond Davidson County.”
About the Safety Net Consortium of Middle Tennessee
In May 2000, the Nashville Consortium of Safety Net Providers was created through memorandums of agreement between all existing primary care safety net providers and six of the nine hospitals in Nashville and the Metro Public Health Department of Nashville and Davidson County (MPHD). The purpose of the Consortium was to provide access to appropriate level of care for the uninsured population of Nashville through the establishment of a system of information and care coordination. By September 2001 the Consortium had expanded to include all dental care, mental health care, and substance abuse care safety net providers. Eventually, all nine hospitals in Nashville also became members.
About the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance
Founded in 1999, the Alliance bridges the institutions of Meharry Medical College and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Its mission is to enrich learning and advance clinical research in three primary areas -- community engagement, interprofessional education and research -- by developing and supporting mutually beneficial partnerships between Meharry Medical College, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the communities they serve. Through community engagement, the Alliance serves a large community of stakeholders including surrounding universities and colleges, community organizations, faith-based outlets and community health centers. Its interprofessional education enhances students' interdisciplinary understanding and improves patient outcomes through integrated care. The research conducted provides access to experienced grant writers and materials supporting the grant application process and facilitates grant-writing workshops.
