Whitney Young

Serving the underserved

By Amy E. Tucker

Forty-seven million Americans, including more than nine million children, are living without health care coverage.1 These numbers are increasing at an alarming rate as individuals lose jobs, or are forced to opt out of employer-sponsored health coverage plans due to rising gas prices and the economic downturn.
In the Capital District, the uninsured have options, thanks in part to Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Services, which has served the area’s underserved since 1941. A community-based, non-profit corporation providing affordable, accessible medical, dental and addiction services, Whitney Young is the leader in providing community health care to culturally diverse populations in Albany and Rensselaer Counties.
In 2007, the organization served 18,000 patients—more than 80 percent of whom who live at or below the Federal Poverty Level (PFL). About 12 percent of the patients have commercial insurance. The rest are either uninsured or have Medicaid or Medicare.
Locations/services
The original location, under the oversight of Albany Medical College until 1978, was in Albany’s “Northside” area of Arbor Hill. Today, there are eight locations in Albany and Rensselaer Counties offering various services to Capital District residents. Patients come to the center based on proximity, because they’re uninsured or because a certain doctor transferred from another county to join Whitney Young and the patient transferred with them.
“We don’t provide services by zipcode,” said Mary Alice Russo, vice president of marketing and executive director of the Whitney Young Foundation. “Anyone can visit our offices. If someone comes to us with a need, and it’s a service we provide, then we can help them.”
Whitney Young offers a “three-legged-stool” of care featuring primary medical, primary dental and primary addictions, with addiction services offered on an out-patient basis. It contracts out its women’s health with St. Peter’s Health Services.
For the uninsured, charges for Whitney Young’s services are based upon a sliding scale, determined by income and family size.
“For example, we don’t offer radiology or orthopedic care,” Russo explained. “So, if your leg needs to be set by an orthopedic surgeon, you’re not going to come to Whitney Young. Similarly, if you need the emergency room to set a bone, they’ll do it. But, any follow up appointments won’t be covered.”
Another big reason people come to Whitney Young is for its cultural competency. Working with Albany’s immigration center, Whitney Young provides translation services in more than 140 languages and dialects through the “language line.” A part-time Russian translator and a full-time Spanish translator are employed at the center.
In addition to translation services, Whitney Young offers one of the largest travel immunization programs in the area providing physicals and vaccinations for students or vacationers going abroad, individuals pursuing missionary work and those desiring naturalization status.
“Physicians find offering some of these immunizations, such as the yellow fever vaccine, cost-prohibitive because they don’t get a lot of calls for them,” said Russo. “You can’t purchase one vaccine; you have to buy it in lots. It’s expensive inventory to have sitting on your shelves.”
Prevention through information
Whitney Young puts heavy emphasis on its pediatric programs since 42 percent of their patients are children. The pediatric asthma program teaches parents about removing carpets from their homes and covering their children’s pillows. Center staff runs two school-based Health Centers in Albany, with a third opening in the near future, teaching students about preventive health and good oral habits.
“When people don’t have the information they need, that’s when things break down,” said Diana Martinez-Holland, customer service coordinator and Whitney Young employee since 1973.
The center administers a Patients Assistance Program (PAP) for people who are uninsured and need prescriptions. Pharmaceutical companies, such as Bridges for Access Pharmaceuticals, provide free or discounted medicines. Whitney Young staff helps patients fill out the paperwork to apply for necessary prescriptions.
Health insurance enrollers from non-commercial organizations such as Child Health Plus and Healthy NY are on site to help people apply and determine eligibility.
Another growing area of Whitney Young’s practice is stressing the importance of taking care of your teeth and educating patients to the reality that poor oral health and gum disease influence their overall health.
“We need to counteract the belief that at a certain age, you have your teeth removed and get dentures,” said Russo. “Oral surgery isn’t cheap and it’s hard to find a practitioner who will help someone without insurance. They’re not usually willing to put someone on an installment plan.”
In part because of the expense, many businesses don’t offer dental coverage, so finding quality care is difficult. Regina Dew, 61, who has Senior Whole Health Medicare coverage, came to Whitney Young after having trouble getting good dental work elsewhere.
“I get my dental work there with Dr. Kim,” Dew explained. “I had some upper bridge work done there two years ago, and that fixed the problems I was having.”
Dew has routine check-ups and sees a hygienist two-to-three times a year for gum problems. She sees Dr. Kim on an “as needed” basis.
“The emergency room has a long wait for dental care,” Dew said. “At Whitney Young, I call them at 8am and they get me in the next day.”
Much of the funding for Whitney Young services comes in the form of federal, state and private grants. Pfiser Pharmaceuticals awarded the center a $50,000 grant for an HIV Self-Management Program to teach people who are HIV-positive about the progression of the disease and how to manage their disease.
“The importance [of educating patients] is to keep people with HIV from reaching the point where they have to be hospitalized,” said Russo. “At Whitney Young, we’re experts in primary care and prevention with the goal of keeping people out of the emergency rooms. If we can teach someone about healthy eating habits, exercise and warning signs, we can hopefully head off chronic diseases before they become chronic.”
The face of the uninsured
The growing number of uninsured in America wreaks havoc with a health care system like Whitney Young, which caters to that population.
“The face of the uninsured is changing, too” said Russo, noting 34 percent of their patients fall into that category. “Anyone can be uninsured at anytime. It does not discriminate; it could be you or I tomorrow.”
Students join the ranks of the uninsured when they graduate from high school and don’t continue to college or when they graduate from college and can’t immediately find work. Even if they find a job, they may not be covered by insurance right away, or can’t afford it when they’re starting out.
Enter Rachel Raydo, a 22-year-old sharing an apartment with two roommates in Albany. Raydo works part-time at a small Albany boutique with three employees including the owner. Having only opened eight months ago, the owner won’t offer insurance until the business is more established. Her co-worker is 18 and will lose her health insurance on her next birthday.
Raydo doesn’t own a car because her license was revoked and she hasn’t driven in five years. She relies on parents and friends a lot to get around.
“My hours fluctuate between 28 to 36 hours per week, so I can’t afford private insurance,” she said. “I live nearby and walk to work. I could take the bus, but it’s quicker and more efficient to walk.”
She visited Whitney Young because a cold she contracted progressed into bronchitis.
“Without their assistance, I would have had to put off treating my bronchitis until it got worse,” said Raydo. “It’s cheaper to go to there and pay the sliding scale. I get better service than if I went to the On-Call Centers that charge $50!”
She added that service is quick and pleasant and the facility is “really clean.” Additionally, the onsite pharmacy is convenient for her since she has no transportation.
Raydo also recently started getting dental work done at Whitney Young. She received a cleaning and 16 X-rays for $26. Without health insurance, a cleaning and one X-ray would have cost her $180 out of pocket. The only drawback, according to Raydo, was the length of time it took between scheduling routine check-ups and appointments.
Like most practices, Whitney Young reserves a few time slots and uses “no show” appointments for emergencies.
Some providers also use a system called “open access” whereby instead of scheduling a lot of advance appointments, they keep their schedules “open” to accommodate emergencies and sudden illnesses.
Future challenges
Funding the uninsured remains a constant problem for Whitney Young because many “wrap-around” services aren’t paid for by the state and government. In addition, the agencies they partner with for grants are non-profit and facing their own budget challenges.
Still, Russo feels the biggest problem facing health care systems across the nation is that the government doesn’t put enough money into primary and preventative services, but adds a caveat:
“You can’t blame [the crisis] entirely on the uninsured, or lay it at the door of the funding sources. Patients need to become involved, and own their health care. People don’t go for an annual physical even when it’s covered by their insurance.”
They’re playing Russian roulette with their health,” she continued, “hoping they don’t get sick or injured. Whitney Young can only do so much. And, let’s face it, COBRA2 isn’t cheap!”
Russo and center staff wants clients to view Whitney Young as their “Regular Health-Care Home (RHCH)” and to not wait until their body tells them that there’s a problem to seek help. They should develop a relationship with their primary care provider, not wait until they think they have asthma, they’re developing diabetes or feel something is wrong with their kidneys or liver.
“People don’t go to the doctor unless they feel they need one; in some instances, that’s too late,” said Russo. “We want them to come see us on a regular basis and show up for their appointments. Then, we’ll know what’s going on with them so that we can provide the best care and resources and they can make smart decisions about caring for themselves.”
She noted that many women don’t go for regular mammograms, men don’t get colonoscopy screenings and prostate exams and young, sexually-active women refuse to get annual gynecological exams and pap smears.
Having an RHCH is as important for families with young children as it is for seniors. Children need regular immunizations, in addition to school and sports physicals. Doctors need to get to know the patient and their family history in order to determine the appointment frequency or to inform you that you’ve reached a health-care milestone and need a particular procedure.
“Some people take better care of their cars than they do themselves,” Russo explained. “They get an oil change every 3,000 miles, rotate their tires and get regular tune-ups.”
A neighborhood center
Nearly 70 percent of Whitney Young’s patients reside in Albany County. Happily divorced, Dew lives among them in her north Albany townhouse with her two cats. She’s an active senior who performs Reiki on persons living with HIV at the Damien Center and does Latin dancing shows at senior-citizen homes though the “Dancing with Our Elders” program.
She also serves on the Senior Advisory Board at Whitney Young and helps arrange programs for the elderly.
“The government is cutting program funding for the people who can least afford them,” said Dew. “The director knocks himself out to provide the best care with what they’re operating with. They’ve been serving the community for 37 years and they’re certainly not getting rich off of it.
Martinez-Holland has seen Whitney Young grow over the last 35 years. Children who were patients, brought their children, who are now bringing their grandchildren. Her own two daughters and four grandchildren are patients at the center.
“We broaden the community, and service people beyond Arbor Hill,” she said. People are losing their jobs or their health insurance; they may be diabetic or have a chronic illness and need care. We have a wide variety of clients that benefit from our services.”
Martinez–Holland believes that it’s the ‘personal’ touch that sets Whitney Young apart from other health care providers. Things like providing a taxi ride to a hospital or when a client from Africa recognized her in a grocery store and thanked her for arranging a translator when his mother emigrated years before.
“We’re very neighborhood friendly, and we’ve grown with the neighborhood,” she said. “It’s a generational thing; we’re there to take care of each other.”
1 Cover the Uninsured, a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Health Care Resources

For additional information and application procedures regarding federal and New York State health care options contact the following resources or visit.
COBRA Continuation Coverage – for coverage cancellation due to loss of employment, change in family status (i.e., a student graduating, etc.) or call toll-free (866) 275.7922
NYS Insurance Department – for NYS coverage continuation rights or (800) 342-3736
Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) – for early retirement or loss of employment due to trade
policy) or toll-free (866) 628.HCTC (4282)
Children’s Health Care Coverage
Kids Now – or (877) KIDS-NOW (5437.669)
If you can’t afford insurance:
New York Medicaid – 800) 541.2831 or (800) 662.1220 TTY
Family Health Plus – (877) 934.7587
If you don’t qualify for Medicaid or Family Health Plus:
Healthy NY or toll-free (866) 432.5849
Serious medical conditions or disabilities:
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) – (800) 772.1213 or (800) 325.0778 TTY
Medicare – or (800) MEDICARE (633.4227)
Low-Cost Primary Health Care:
Community Health Care Association of NYS, Inc. – (212) 279.9686
State Pharmacy Assistance Programs:
Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) Program (age 65) – or (800) 332.3742.
Free or Discounted Prescription Drug Programs:
Pfi zer Helpful Answers – or (866) 706.2400
Merck Patient Assistance and Prescription Discount Programs –
Veterans’ Assistance:
VA Health Benefits Service Center or toll-free (877) 222.VETS (8387)