Vecinos reflects on first few months at Franklin Health Hub
Vecinos provides equitable, culturally-centered healthcare and wellness in Western North Carolina.
File photo
Vecinos, Inc. has humble origins. First founded through the Jackson County Health Department, the nonprofit, which provides “equitable, culturally centered healthcare and wellness services in Western North Carolina,” transitioned in 2004 to providing bilingual healthcare to migrant farmworkers through mobile clinics.
While Vecinos continues to operate these clinics 22 years down the line, the group’s capacity significantly expanded in early May with the opening of its 16,500-square-foot Franklin building. Four months into operations at the Franklin Health Hub, Vecinos CEO Marianne Martinez characterized its impact with a single word: “transformational.”
At its new brick-and-mortar office, Vecinos offers integrated, bilingual primary care at no cost to low-income, uninsured residents, which Mountain Area Health Education Center reported is about one out of every six individuals in WNC ages 18–65.
“We do whole diagnostic blood work. We have a pharmacy. We have a team of care providers, nurses, nurse practitioners, medical doctors, health coaches,” said Martinez.
With the addition of the Franklin Health Hub and its expanded hours of service, Vecinos was able to hire another full-time medical provider. Its patient capacity increased from 800 to 5,000 — more than five-fold. Martinez said enrollment numbers are far from the nonprofit’s upper limit, so Vecinos is actively seeking more patients for its Franklin office.
The Franklin Health hub fills an urgent and pressing need in the region. According to MAHEC data, North Carolina’s 16 westernmost counties are a healthcare professional shortage areas, but the four counties in The Smoky Mountain News’ coverage zone are more considerably impacted than the likes of Henderson and Buncombe, which rank 1 (lowest need) out of 5 (highest need) on the shortage scale. Swain County’s 5 rating is closely trailed by Jackson County’s 4. Macon and Haywood counties both have a score of 3, indicating moderate need.
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Vecinos’ services, while labelled as primary care, surpass those typically offered by primary care providers.
“We do chronic care management, individualized care plans, health coaches, exercise classes, nutrition classes, social health support services, food security work,” Martinez explained.
What’s more, the building is home to other nonprofits also working with folks who are low income and/or uninsured, including Mountain Projects, Pisgah Legal Services and WNC Alliance. The reasoning behind the colocation, Martinez explained, is that “it facilitates a firm handoff, and it helps people understand that healthcare is not just seeing the doctor.”
The CEO added that, “It also helps our staff understand the resources that are available in the community too, and helps other organizations on the flip side. They can make easier referrals to us.”
Martinez said Vecinos is on the lookout to add more nonprofits to the hub.
Addressing health outcomes
Poverty impacts health outcomes by influencing various social determinants of health, such as the ability to buy nutritious food, secure stable housing and live in a toxin-free environment. Latino and Black populations experienced significantly higher levels of poverty than White individuals in their region, as per a WNC Healthy Impact 2018-2022 survey.
Unfortunately, those most in need of healthcare assistance tend to face considerable barriers to entry. Vecinos is trying to change that.
“Vecinos is really focused on addressing health care for the people that really feel like there’s not a place for them in the health care system,” Martinez said. A fully English-Spanish bilingual staff means that Spanish-speaking patients do not have to worry about trying to express themselves in another language.
“And that really impacts health care and impacts, actually, health outcomes,” Martinez added.
On a typical day, she explained, a patient will enter the reception area, where they’ll be greeted by staff — and a fruit stand. “We have set up a stand of free food, fresh produce … from local farms that have donated it for our patients to take home. We have some dried food as well,” Martinez said, noting that there are books and dietary supplements, as well. Patients can take as much as they need; no forms required, and no questions asked.
“The pharmacy is right there [by reception]. So if [patients] need just a pharmacy refill, they can go and be seen at the pharmacy,” she said.
Someone might drop by the Franklin Health Hub to visit a partner agency housed in the building. If they’re seeking services at Vecinos, “they’ll be roomed, they get behavioral health screenings and then they’re seen by the medical provider.” Martinez said. A visit also includes free lab work, regular checkups and an individualized chronic care management plan — all based on a patient’s particular healthcare needs.
Sense of belonging
While Vecinos serves low income and uninsured individuals regardless of race or ethnicity, Spanish-speaking Latino migrants make up a notable percentage of its patients.
Today’s political climate of mounting hostility toward immigrants has alarmed some of these individuals, Martinez said. “They’re feeling stressed. They’re feeling scared. And we’re seeing that in no show rates … [and] in other ways as well. Behavior, health encounters are reflecting that sentiment.”
There’s a silver lining, however, the Vecinos CEO said — and it’s the community of this region.
“We all know somebody who is low income and uninsured … We all know someone who has been left behind by the health care system,” she said. “In Western North Carolina, we are proud to support one another in that way.”
Martinez said the Vecinos building brings out a sense of belonging in anyone who walks through its doors. On the staff side, it allows for “more effective patient care” as a result of the care team “being in person together.”
As for the patients, Martinez spoke of a moment she’d witnessed on day one at the health hub. A therapist had shown a behavioral health patient around the building, and she asked what he thought of it.
“The patient actually started to have tears in his eyes,” Martinez said. “And he said, ‘the building is just amazing. It’s incredible that it makes me feel validated, it makes me feel seen, it makes me feel like me.’”
“That’s just one example,” she added. “But I can tell you about 15 more.”
Vecinos is located at 19 Smoky Mountain Drive in Franklin. It is open Tuesday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Call 828.293.2274 or WhatsApp 828.200.6469 to make an appointment. Visit vecinos.org to make a contribution.
