AVONDALE — La Comunidad Hispana announced its Fortyforward initiative on Tuesday evening at a reception for community leaders, supporters and staff.

“Today we celebrate a number of major accomplishments as we also honor (La Comunidad Hispana’s) 40 years of service to the community,” said Aice Moorhead, chair of the board of directors of the organization.“The federal government has approved our increased patient care proposal.We are expected to expand our services, and we will.”

The Fortyforward initiative, which will include expansion of services and a $4 million fundraising campaign, will also restructure governance, programs, operational, finances, marketing and philanthropy for the organization.

La Comunidad Hispana hopes that, as a federally qualified health center, it will double its patient volume to 4,400 by 2014. The organization is also recognized as a level 2 patient-centered medical home, which recognizes the high quality of care and favorable patient outcomes.

Specifically, the group offers healthcare, social services, and adult education affecting the health and well-being of Latinos, vulnerable individuals and families living and working in southern Chester County.

“There is a great need for our services, especially for the Latino community,” Moorhead said.“Latinos are half of Kennett Square’s population and more than 30 percent of the population of southern Chester County.Poverty is growing as 15 percent of county Latinos are below the poverty level.A third of Latino adults lack regular healthcare and 32 percent are uninsured.Also 77.3 percent of Latinos in the county are linguistically isolated, a significantly greater number than the nationwide rate of 19.6 percent.”

The organization’s health center cared for 2,289 persons last year, 86 percent of them without health insurance.They have also provided services for almost 5,000 individuals through its core services of healthcare, education, and social services.

“(La Comunidad Hispana) has been providing much needed services for decades,” said Moorhead. “We are looking forward to the contributions by our generous community.We are also looking forward to establishing a volunteer program to assist the fine service given by our staff members.”

The $4 million fundraising effort will be co-chaired by Moorhead and Elizabeth Moran.The goal is to raise the money in the next four years with $2.5 million going to program funding and $1.5 million to sustainable funds.

“We are strengthening the quality of life for the community as a whole,” said Margarita Queralt Mirkil, chief executive officer of La Comunidad Hispana.“We are a bilingual and bicultural organization that is sensitive to the needs of our population.Our nurse-managed healthcare creates a comfortable, familiar environment that encourages honest communication with our health providers.”

The reception on Tuesday night was also a celebration of the retiring of La Comunidad Hispana’s mortgage on their new facility at 731 West Cypress Street, Kennett Square.

The group’s mission is to empower immigrants and low-income residents of southern Chester County to stay healthy, build strong families, and lead productive and fulfilling lives.

The organization was established in 1973 as a community-based nonprofit organization, in an effort to empower immigrants and low-income residents in Chester County to stay healthy, build strong families, and lead productive and fulfilling lives.Present at the reception was one of the organization’s founders, Margarita Quiñones, who has worked at La Comunidad Hispana for about 40 years.

KENNETT SQUARE – The University of Pennsylvania’s Medical Center and La Comunidad Hispana’s health center are partnering to create a nurse practitioner program starting Monday.

“LCH’s goal is to expand our health care services to our constituents,” said Margarita Queralt Mirkil, CEO of La Comunidad Hispana.

The Nurse Practitioner Residency Program was developed in an attempt to educate, mentor and develop new nurse practitioners. The focus of La Comunidad Hispana’s clinic is primary care, including pediatric and adolescent care, and complimentary services.

“LCH and Puentes de Salud serve similar communities,” Mirkil said.

Adriane Tuttle, a board certified family nurse practitioner, who joined the Penn Health Center earlier this year as part of the university’s inaugural Nurse Practitioner Residency program. She will be part of the rotation at the Puentes de Salud (Bridges of Hope) clinic in South Philadelphia, through the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Emergency Medicine.

“(Tuttle’s) experience working in South Philadelphia and southern Chester County will benefit the patients at both facilities,” said Mirkil. “Having Adriane Tuttle with us biweekly for clinical rotations is a big step towards meeting our goal.”

Tuttle has also been managing the Chronic Care Initiative program at Project Salud, the nurse-managed clinic of La Comunidad Hispana.

Tuttle graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology and Spanish from Claremont McKenna College in 2003. She was a Fulbright Scholar and performed her Fulbright Fellowship in Bogotá, Colombia, where she worked with the Health Outreach Team and Sexual Health and Gender Program. She has also worked as an HIV Research Coordinator for the PACT Project in Boston, Mass., and as a Health Coordinator in New York. She subsequently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

La Comunidad Hispana was established in 1973 as a community-based nonprofit organization in an effort to empower immigrants and low-income residents in Chester County to stay healthy, build strong families. LCH is a culturally aware, bilingual, bicultural agency that reflects the community it serves.

For more information, go to www.lacomunidadhispania.org or call 610-444-7550, ext. 243.

KENNETT SQUARE - La Comunidad Hispana has received a federal grant of $582,472 to continue and enhance its health care services.

"This award will allow La Comunidad to expand services and meet our goals of providing health care for immigrants and low-income residents in Chester County," said Alice Moorhead, chairwoman of the group’s board of directors. “We have proved over the years that we give quality service. Our staff is commended for all of its great work in securing this award."

The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration made the allocation. 

According to Margarita Queralt Mirkil, executive director of La Comunidad, the organization will now be able to operate as a Federally Qualified Health Center. The designation will allow La Comunidad to significantly expand services to a greater number of low-income and vulnerable populations served in Southern Chester County. La Comunidad is expected to double patient volume by 2014.

“Furthermore, the designation also serves as the catalyst for increased operational efficiencies that will enhance all aspects of our care and services in Southern Chester County,” said Mirkil.

The award is for the period from June 1, 2012 to April 30, 2014 will be for project costs. The second year of the award will be $643,986, subject to the availability of funds and satisfactory progress of the project, the award notification stated.

“The (award) is a major boost to (La Comunidad),” Mirkil said. “We will utilize the funding to reach out and serve a segment of the population that needs assistance.”

¿Que pensaron de las elecciones este año? ¿Para quien votaron?

¿Y que les paso ese día - púdieron votar? Alguien les dijo que no deben votar? Alguien les demando el ID con foto? Cómo estuvieron las filas para votar en donde estaron? Tuvieron problemas con las machinas? ¡Dinos!

O mejor el día era especial para ti. ¿Fue esta ves tu primera ves votando en los Estados Unidos? ¿Cuales diferencias notas entre estos elecciones y los de antes viviste?

Hemos tenido bastantes noticias sobre el ley de Voter ID, entonces para ciudadanos que van a votar hoy, queremos notificarlos que cuando van a votar, te pueden pedir identificación con foto, pero no lo necesitas. 

Identificaciones que puedes enseñar, si ya lo tienes, incluyan identificaciones con foto del gobierno de Pennsylvania o el gobierno federal, como su pasaporte del EEUU.

Para el información completo de identificaciones que aceptaran, pueden visitar www.votespa.com.

WEST CHESTER - Un hombre de West Chester dijo la policía que robo una bolsa de una latina por que no le gusta mexicanos.
Policía mandaron el hombre, James Lee-Steven Beckett, 23 años, al Chester County Prison. Beckett se declaró culpable de dos crímenes separados donde robo en febrero. Fue condenado a una pena de prisión para 11,5-23 meses.
Con la mujer, reporto que alguien tomo su bolsa cuando estaba en la biblioteca de West Chester, en North Church Street.  Su bolsa tenía una tarjeta de crédito, un teléfono celular, y $40.
Un día antes, otra mujer reporto a la policía que alguien había robado joyería de su casa, y también las tarjetas de crédito de una amiga. La persona también había tomado dos cámaras, un teléfono celular, y pastillas de prescripción.