Health Access Clearinghouse - 376-6128
The Health Access Clearinghouse is an information, case management and referral system created to help residents of the City of Amarillo and Potter County in determining eligibility for and successfully applying to Medicaid, Medicare and the Amarillo Hospital District's Wyatt Health Plan. The HAC was funded in October 2001 and opened for business on November 5, 2001.


The HAC works in several ways. Families contact the Health Access Clearinghouse through the hotline, the website, or by walking into the Tyler Street Resource Center Help Desk. An information and referral specialist, employed by the United Way, specializes in health insurance questions and calls. She assists people to complete applications over the phone, mails it to them with a stamped envelope and a simple list of documents to attach. If a family does not complete the verifications required to enroll, an outreach specialist from the Coalition of Health Services is dispatched to help them. In the case of elderly persons who may qualify for Medicare subsidy programs, a Benefits Counselor at the Area Agency on Aging provides specialized assistance o families and outreach assistance with verification as required.


Partners involved in making the HAC work include: The Department of Public Health; The United Way of Amarillo and Canyon; the Coalition of Health Services; the Amarillo Independent School District; the Potter/Randall County Medical Society; the Texas Department of Human Services; Texas Panhandle Mental Health/Mental Retardation; the Area Agency on Aging; and District Clinic Financial Needs Assessment Center. These partners meet monthly to discuss ways to improve access to existing health programs for citizens.

www.healthaccessamarillo.org

Specialized Pediatric Services

The Amarillo Hospital District contracts with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) and Amarillo Area Healthcare Specialists, LLP (AAHS) to provide and/or coordinate pediatric services for children with special healthcare needs. Care is coordinated with specialists, intensive care doctors, and primary care pediatricians using a case management model. After-hours care in emergency situations is coordinated seven days a week, twenty four hours a day.

The pediatric sub-specialty programs at AAHS and TTUHSC utilize a multi-disciplinary team approach to provide comprehensive healthcare services for children with acute and/or chronic illnesses. The collaborative programs offer community-based care with access to regional and/or statewide resources. Together, AAHS and TTUHSC currently provide the following multi-specialty service components:

  • Pediatric Adolescent Medicine
  • Pediatric Behavioral Medicine
  • Pediatric Cardiology (Joint Program)
  • Pediatric Critical Care (PICU / NICU)
  • Pediatric Developmental Medicine
  • Pediatric Endocrinology (Regionally based)
  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Pediatric Genetics
  • Pediatric Hematology / Oncology (Joint Program)
  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases
  • Pediatric Nephrology (Regionally based)
  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Pediatric Otolaryngology (ENT)
  • Pediatric Primary Care
  • Pediatric Primary Care for Children with Special Healthcare Needs
  • Pediatric Surgery
  • Pharmacology/Toxicology

1600 S Coulter F-600
Amarillo, TX 79106
(806) 468-4300

www.aahsllp.com

Tobacco Free Amarillo

The American Cancer Society coordinates a comprehensive tobacco control plan to decrease tobacco use in Amarillo. The FY02-03 plan involves: 1) intensive media promotion, 2) programs in schools, worksites and key community locations, 3) increased enforcement of existing laws 4) cessation programs and 5) an evaluation component to measure the effectiveness of the total program.

The goals of the program are:
1. Decrease the overall rate of tobacco use by sixth graders in Amarillo by at least 30%.
2. Decrease the overall rate of tobacco use by middle school and high school students in Amarillo by at least 10%.
3. Decrease the adult smoking rate in Amarillo by 5%.
4. Garner an 85% awareness level of the anti-tobacco campaign.

Partners in implementing the plan include the Texas Department of Health, West Texas A&M, Amarillo College, Amarillo Independent School District, the Region 16 Educational Support Center, the Amarillo Police Department, Potter and Randall County Sheriff's Departments, the Amarillo Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, the Wesley Community Center and the Don and Sybil Harrington Cancer Center.

www.tfreeamarillo.com


Community Dental Clinic

The Community Dental Clinic (CDC) opened for business on November 15, 2000. It is located at 206 N.E. 7th in Amarillo in a building owned and donated for use by BSA Health System. The CDC was established to provide dental care services, including dentures and partials, to district clinic clients. Persons interested in this service must first establish themselves as a qualified district clinic patient (see Wyatt Health Plan link).
Prior to the opening of the CDC, district clinic clients could receive care for acute pain and infection. The dental team at the clinic provided over $1,000,000 in dental services during the first year of operation.

www.catholicfamilyservice.org

Jan Werner Adult Day Care Center

The Amarillo Hospital District supported the development of the Windy Nicklaus Clinic within the Jan Werner Adult Day Care Center, in 2001. The Windy Nicklaus Clinic is located at 3108 S. Fillmore and exists to serve only the clients at the Day Care Center who are eligible to receive Medicaid support from the Texas Department of Health and Human Services and who also receive Medicare benefits. The clinic's physician support is offered to those day care clients most in need of this service and makes it possible to coordinate their medical and day care services. For more information, call 374-5516 or toll free 888-266-6401.