The Love in Action of the Tri-Cities Health Clinic has been awarded funding from The Osteopathic Foundation of West Michigan for vital technology upgrades. This news comes as Clinic leadership faces the 2020 elimination of support of the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system. Thanks to the Muskegon-based organization, Love in Action of the Tri-Cities (LIA) will be able to replace six key computers essential for Health Clinic patient documentation and care coordination.
“The Osteopathic Foundation has been an important LIA partner. They helped us with necessary items for our Dental Clinic start-up in 2015,” says Jody Buttery, Clinic Director. “We approached them with a bigger request this time, knowing how our values align and how important the computers will be to the Clinic’s work and community reach. We are very grateful for their support.”
The $6,700 award will be used to purchase computers used by LIA paid and volunteer staff, replacing soon-to-be outdated models that are not able to be upgraded to Windows 10. The computers will be used to continue to support management of electronic patient medical records, track data, and support administrative work vital to the Clinic’s operation. According to Buttery, “Computers are utilized in almost every aspect of Clinic work, including grant writing, volunteer communication, and patient care coordination. The purchase of these computers will allow for a better experience among staff and patients alike.”
The Clinic has been serving people with medical care since 2010. In 2017 the Clinic moved from paper charting to electronic medical records and now accesses almost 900 charts electronically. In 2018 community members accessed healthcare through the Clinic in over 600 visits. The Health Clinic’s goal is to meet the need for no-cost medical services and ultimately help people to transition back into managed care. Last year 34 of those served were successfully connected to a community primary care provider.
According to LIA leadership, the work continues because of support such as this. Josh Bytwerk, LIA’s Executive Director commented, “We are so thankful for the support of the Osteopathic Foundation. These funds will help the LIA Clinic to move forward with improved patient care and record management.”
Health Clinic Receives Grant for Technology to Meet Patient Needs
