A Word of HOPE

By Liz Ferrell, Development & Community Outreach Specialist

​“Take ownership of your own health. How do you do that? Get regular annual physicals. Have preventative screenings. Build a relationship with your primary care provider. Take your health seriously while you’re young and still have it. It’s important at every stage of life."  - Amanda Perry, HOPE Family Health Director of Medical Services

“HOPE is special. Why should it only be here?”

The occasion was a strategic planning meeting of HOPE Family Health’s administrative leadership team in the summer of 2022. And with that one simple, insightful sentence, the Admin Team realized that Director of Medical Services Amanda Perry had forged HOPE’s next step. She had put into nine words the very essence of HOPE’s identity, vision, and mission to make healthcare as accessible and affordable for as many people as possible.

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By Liz Ferrell, Development & Community Outreach Specialist

​“HOPE is about providing hope in a situation where it looks like there is no hope. The health care system does not work for so many people like Don; so many people fall through the cracks. We’re here for everybody. But we’re especially here – God has called us to be here – for those people who fall through the cracks of the healthcare system and who are discouraged and can’t get care anywhere else.”  - Jenny Dittes, HOPE Family Health Cofounder & CEO

On Saturday, April 5th, HOPE Family Health threw a party and invited friends, family and colleagues to come to Westmoreland to celebrate a milestone: 20 years of living out a vision and a mission to make quality healthcare available and affordable to as many people in our service areas as possible, and to provide that care with kindness and love.

Under the able leadership of Kim Akins and Kim Riley, a dedicated team of HOPE staff brought their considerable talents to planning the event. The week of the event, people worked to tidy the landscaping around the building and to ensure offices and exam rooms were neat and clean. They planned décor, menus, room layout, audiovisual and technical needs, programs, and displays to encourage donations.

By Liz Ferrell, Development & Community Outreach Specialist

​“You know the saying, ‘You are what you eat’? This is so true. What we put into our bodies is what the body uses to rebuild itself. Every cell is made up of what we eat. ... Diet is so much more important than people might think. I want to educate people as much as possible so we can become healthier as a community.” - Sara Harris

​Sara Harris has only served a few weeks as HOPE Family Health’s dietitian/nutritionist, but in that short time she has already demonstrated a passion for helping patients (and staff!) find better health through better nutrition.

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Born and raised in Lafayette, Tennessee, Sara graduated from Macon County High School and attended Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin to pursue a career in nursing. But a nutrition course captured her interest, and she soon changed her major to dietetics, receiving an Associates Degree from Vol State in 2019 before graduating with an Bachelor of Science degree in dietetics from Western Kentucky University in 2022. She went on to earn a Masters degree in dietetics from the University of Central Arkansas in 2024.

​The Black Community’s Contributions to Modern-Day Healthcare

By Liz Ferrell, Development & Community Outreach Specialist

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In the early 1700s in colonial New England, a Boston clergyman and slave owner named Cotton Mather sought out an enslaved man in his household, a man named Onesimus that Mather credited as being “pretty intelligent.”

Mather had made an observation: among the local enslaved population, those from West Africa who had undergone a type of inoculation seemed impervious to smallpox even when repeatedly exposed.  Mather wisely listened when Onesimus described the African method of inoculation against smallpox. Because of this dialogue – between an enslaved individual willing to share knowledge brought from his native land and a man of great societal and cultural influence – the smallpox epidemic sweeping Boston in 1721 gave Mather a chance to test the information he had gleaned from Onesimus. Did inoculation help mitigate the ravages of smallpox?

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By Liz Ferrell, Development & Community Outreach Specialist

It’s 1:00 a.m. on Sunday morning of a holiday weekend and you’re partying with your friends at somebody’s home. Every room in the house is packed with people; the music is loud and the conversation and laughter even louder; alcohol and drugs in startling quantities are available for the asking. But you hit your limit sometime back and now you’re worried about your friend. He’s been drinking heavily and a few minutes ago he admitted he had just taken a Roxy. Now his speech is slurred and he says he’s sleepy. Suddenly he stumbles to the door and you follow. He barely makes it outside before you see him puking behind a boxwood hedge. You help him inside and get him to a chair; his breathing is shallow, his skin is clammy and his face is taking on a bluish tint. What do you do?   

HOPE Family Health exists for one reason: to provide healthcare for all. HOPE’s staff works together daily toward our mission of reducing barriers to healthcare so we can offer the best care – sometimes life-saving care – to as many people as possible. That care takes various forms, according to each patient’s need and circumstances. And one all-too-common circumstance is opioid addiction.

Now, thanks to a grant from Tennessee’s Opioid Abatement Council, HOPE can help reduce the number of deaths due to opioid overdose in its service area: by making NARCAN®, fentanyl self-testing strips, and supplies of DisposeRx accessible to the public 24/7 via Public Health Vending Machines.

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By Liz Ferrell, Development & Community Outreach Specialist

"I’m just so humbled. … I’m just going to sit in my car and cry because I don’t know what to say. I thought it was going to be a little food box and it took three of you to get it out here to the car." - A recipient of HOPE's 2024 Christmas Blessings Project

For many years HOPE Family Health has allocated a portion of the HOPE Assistance Fund (HAF) for one of its most rewarding endeavors: the HOPE Christmas Blessings Project, which provides food, clothing, and toys for patients nominated by providers and other staff to receive extra help during the Christmas holidays.

Long-time HOPE employee Jessica Gregory (or Jessi, as we know her) has participated in this “extracurricular” Christmas project for five years and served as the project team leader for the past three years – an often difficult but always rewarding endeavor.

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By Liz Ferrell, Development & Community Outreach Specialist

"According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 64 percent of those who suffer from some form of mental illness report worsening symptoms during the holidays. ... Increased feelings of stress, sadness and loneliness during the Christmas season can worsen feelings of isolation and symptoms of depression, anxiety, substance use disorder or other mental health conditions.” 

The days between Thanksgiving and Christmas shimmer with warmth and holiday cheer.  Children adorably recreate the Nativity in the church Christmas pageant. Workplaces throw holiday parties. Ads teem with family and friends making merry, exchanging gifts, drinking cocoa by the fire. Christmas carols play over grocery store intercoms. Downtown streets twinkle with fairy lights. People genuinely seem to wish peace and goodwill toward all.

What’s not to love, right? But the truth is much more complicated. Social media posts that make every family look wholesome, happy, functional, and financially comfortable are often carefully curated. And nobody feels like making merry all the time.

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By Liz Ferrell, Development & Community Outreach Specialist

"Some factors beyond your control, such as family history, age, race and ethnicity, can play a role in your risk of developing diabetes. But by making changes to your diet and increasing your physical activity, you can control, reduce or even eliminate some risk factors.” 

No holiday season embodies the important role food plays in our holiday traditions more than November’s traditional Thanksgiving feast leading into December’s excess. It can seem like five solid weeks of carbohydrates and sweets with an occasional vegetable thrown in.

If you’re living with diabetes or at risk to develop diabetes, it’s important to pace yourself: eat in moderation, drink plenty of fluids, get enough sleep, and try to get in some physical activity during the hustle and bustle. Your body will thank you!

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By Liz Ferrell, Development & Community Outreach Specialist

"Call 988! Call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline  at 988 (para ayuda en español, llame al 988). The Lifeline provides 24-hour, confidential support to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Call 911 in life-threatening situations. If you are worried about a friend’s social media updates, you can contact safety teams at the social media company . They have processes to reach out to connect the person with the help they need.” 

Suicide seems like the ultimate tragedy. Learning of a person’s death by suicide brings a chill to the most casual of acquaintances. For close family and friends, no loss brings more trauma, guilt and grief than that of a loved one who actively brought about their own death. The weight of emotions for those left behind seems unbearable, in part because in the aftermath it feels so unresolvable.

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By Liz Ferrell, Development & Community Outreach Specialist

"Food, housing insecurity, and unemployment are some health-related social needs that impact HOPE patients,” said Jenny Dittes, HOPE’s CEO. “While HOPE does not provide these services directly, we understand their impact and we are proud to work with Feed Sumner, Macon Helps, Mobile American Job Centers and other area partners to help address these issues.”” 

HOPE Family Health is celebrating National Health Center Week this week and we invite you to join us – there’s something new every day! In line with the 2024 theme of “Powering Communities Through Caring Connections,” HOPE is partnering with several community nonprofit agencies starting Monday, August 5, and going through this Friday, August 9, to share resources beyond healthcare.

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By Liz Ferrell, Development & Community Outreach Specialist

"Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Tennessee women. According to information from the federally funded Tennessee Breast and Cervical Screening Program (TBCSP), every day 14 women in Tennessee will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and three women will die from it.” 

HOPE Family Health is proud to announce we now offer mammography services at our HOPE Westmoreland facility! Women aged 40 and above, and women under 40 with certain risk factors, can now come to HOPE Westmoreland for routine annual mammography screenings regardless of income or insurance status.

Why is this important?

This is important because early detection saves lives! Studies show that early detection and treatment greatly increases the likelihood of successful treatment outcomes.

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By Liz Ferrell, Development & Community Outreach Specialist

"Anything is easier to treat if it’s caught early. Treatment options are better and have a better chance of success, and treatment is less disruptive to life, less expensive and invasive. That’s the whole point of preventative medicine.” - Amanda Perry, PA-C and Director of Medical Services, HOPE Family Health

Sunday is Father’s Day – a great way to cap off Men’s Health Week and celebrate all the men in our lives and the good they bring. This year HOPE Family Health observes Men’s Health Week by sharing important information with our readers that can help men stay on top of their health and enjoy long, full lives.

HOPE’s integrated, team-based approach to healthcare emphasizes prevention. Both new and established patients undergo standard medical and behavioral health screenings, at intake and annually thereafter, that are crucial to preventing and managing some of the most common health risks that men face.

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By Liz Ferrell, Development & Community Outreach Specialist

"Self-care is the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote and maintain their own health, prevent disease, and to cope with illness – with or without the support of a health or care worker." - The World Health Organization

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and as we head into summer, the Behavioral Health Team at HOPE Family Health wants to remind you of some ways you can enhance your own mental health. How? With some tried and true methods of self-care: a healthy diet and nutrition, physical activity and good sleep habits.

The concept of self-care has gotten a lot of attention recently. In the context of casual conversation, it can sound like self-indulgence. But what does it mean?

While self-care might include an occasional self-indulgence, it actually means the opposite. In fact, self-care is a medical concept that appears as a theory of nursing.*

"The earlier a medical condition is detected, the better the treatment options and the better their chances of success."

Every year during the month of May, HOPE Family Health celebrates and promotes Women’s Health Awareness. At HOPE, we understand that women have unique health risks and needs, and we offer services to address those needs, provided by a highly qualified and caring staff.

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Adulthood and cancer risks. As a woman grows into adulthood, navigates her childbearing years, then enters menopause, she faces certain cancer risks...

"HOPE’s job is to provide our patients with a healthcare home, a place of belonging, comfort and safety." - Jenny Dittes, CEO, HOPE Family Health

When good things happen, we like to celebrate and share our joy!  Recently HOPE Family Health celebrated our newest location, HOPE Gallatin, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new facility, located in Sumner Medical Plaza at 300 Steam Plant Road, Suite #210.

HOPE Gallatin opened its doors to community and government leaders in Gallatin and beyond, to hear HOPE’s story, learn about our services, and see firsthand the vision and sense of mission that makes HOPE so special. Thanks to a lot of hard work from a lot of folks, the happy event proved to be a great success for HOPE. Here are some highlights.

"The Tennessee Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program allows women with low incomes who are either uninsured or underinsured to receive the breast and cervical cancer screenings and diagnostic services that can save lives. ... At HOPE, we offer breast cancer and cervical cancer screenings at no cost to qualified patients."

Cancer. The “Big C.” Chances are, you or someone you love has received this frightening diagnosis and grappled with the aftermath.

Early detection is a significant factor that can contribute to surviving a cancer diagnosis. But many Tennesseans struggle to afford health insurance and out-of-pocket costs of the diagnostic screenings that enable early detection.

To recognize Cervical Cancer Prevention Week January 22nd-28th, 2024, we at HOPE Family Health want to remind those in our service area that HOPE is a proud participant in the Tennessee Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program (TBCSP).

“The Pharmacy at HOPE is available to everyone, whether or not they are an established patient at HOPE."
 

The staff of the Pharmacy at HOPE honored our staff pharmacists this week in honor of National Pharmacist Day on Friday, January 12. The close-knit staff, which refers to itself as “the Pharmily,” used HOPE’s monthly staff appreciation time to give each pharmacist a gift bag and a Pharmacist’s Word Search Book.

The Pharmacy at HOPE opened in 2016 and has grown to ten staff members, consisting four pharmacists and six pharmacy technicians. It soon outgrew its original location in the building and moved across the lobby to a larger space. While HOPE patients enjoy the benefits of having pharmacy staff involved in their care plans, the Pharmacy at HOPE is available to everyone, whether or not they are established patients at HOPE.

Here are a few helpful things to know about The Pharmacy at HOPE.

“HOPE Gallatin officially became a reality on Monday, December 18th, 2023, when we opened our doors to our first patient."
 
HOPE Family Health has expanded to Gallatin!
 
After nearly two years of hoping, praying, and exploring options – and with the generous support of community partners including Highpoint Health-Gallatin and Sumner Regional Medical Center, the Memorial Foundation, and the Carolyn Smith Foundation – HOPE Gallatin officially became a reality on Monday, December 18th, 2023, when we opened our doors to our first patient.
 
HOPE Gallatin is now the proud occupant of Suite #210 of the Sumner Medical Plaza at 300 Steam Plant Road, adjacent and connected to Sumner Regional Medical Center. It’s hard to believe that after almost a year of working toward this goal, we finally made it a reality!

“ There’s an epidemic of hopelessness and people who don’t think their lives can get better. So our first job was to spark some hope that their lives could get better. And that’s why we called it HOPE."

ELF: How did you come up with the HOPE name?
JD: As a medical provider I recognized that before healing can take place you have to give somebody their hope back again. A lot of the people who come to us are very discouraged. They’ve tried and failed so many times, and for whatever reason, they have given up. And I almost think that in this area – and many rural areas I our country – there’s an epidemic of hopelessness and people who don’t think their lives can get better. So our first job was to spark some hope that their lives could get better. And that’s why we called it HOPE.
 
We just started out as a small nonprofit faith-based health care clinic. We were not under anyone’s umbrella; we did not get federal funding. We had an independent board of directors. We weren’t affiliated with any church or any larger entity. We were truly our own organization, with our own board. We started out with four employees: a receptionist, a nurse, myself and a nurse practitioner.

ELF: Can you share some of the directions of growth that you envision for HOPE?
JD: I don’t know how long this will take, and I don’t know the way we will get there yet, but some of things that I believe HOPE will provide eventually include access to specialty care. We have some incredible primary care providers, physician assistants and nurse practitioners, and two physicians. Our providers give excellent care but there are times that we need to consult with a specialist.