NHSC Makes a Difference, Deep in the Heart of Texas

Allen Patterson is the Chief Financial and Operating Officer at Heart of Texas Community Health Center, the clinical wing of the McLennan County Family Practice Residency Program near Waco. These days, Patterson is singing the praises of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) for the vital role they have been playing in meeting his organizational objectives and, at the same time, bringing critically needed health services to Waco's underserved populations.

"The NHSC has been largely responsible for taking us from 0-60 in a very short time and at an economy of scale that cannot be beat," Patterson states enthusiastically. He believes that the money saved, in recruiting alone, justifies the extra effort needed in applying for designation of the Heart of Texas clinic as a Federal health professional shortage area (HPSA).

In fact, it was NHSC, and the caliber of their graduating Scholars that were the determining factors in Patterson's decision to seek HPSA designation in the first place. He had been impressed by a rising NHSC Scholar who participated in the McLennan County Residency program. Patterson was keen enough to go the extra distance to accommodate the Scholar's fervent wish to remain in the positive atmosphere of Waco and the clinical center for her NHSC commitment period and beyond.

Since that time, Heart of Texas clinic has returned to NHSC numerous times, using the agency's Web-based Jobs Opportunities List to recruit an OB/GYN, who started at the clinic in July 2003. He is currently recruiting a family nurse practitioner (FNP) through NHSC.

"Our intent has always been to recruit rock-solid people for the long-term, to work in tightly-knit, interdisciplinary teams of committed clinicians," Patterson explains. "As a result, our average length of employment is just over 8 years, better than twice the national average." For Patterson, this translates into quality and continuity of service for all patients. "In short," he continues, "we set our standards and expectations very high in order to do the best job for our community."

Referring to his most recent experience with recruiting from the ranks of the NHSC, Patterson notes that, "The OB/GYN, another NHSC Scholar, more than exceeds our standards and is enthusiastically preparing to start what that doctor believes will be a long-term relationship with the people of Waco and with us."

But the greatest satisfaction in the recruiting process came when Patterson decided to list a FNP position with the NHSC. The response to the listing was overwhelming, Patterson recalls. "And the quality of the candidates made it difficult to whittle down the original list of 50 applications to 10 for telephone interviews and finally 4 for onsite interviews."

Once hired, the new FNP will work out of four newly instituted, school-based community clinics to extend the outreach of Heart of Texas even more deeply into the communities that need access to quality health care, he adds.

In addition to providing recruitment opportunities and services for his organization, Patterson is quick to recognize the contribution made by the NHSC in terms of providing coordination and technical expertise through its system of regional site consultants and their inter-relationship with State organizations, like the Texas Department of Health's Primary Care Office, the Texas Primary Care Association, and the Texas Association of Community Health Care Centers. "In a time when turf wars can hamstring any effort, these folks actually work well together for the benefit of the entire system of community health care clinics in Texas," Patterson observes.

From this auspicious beginning with NHSC, Patterson predicts a long-term relationship of mutually beneficial strength and success developing between the Heart of Texas Community Health Center and the Federal agency. "We foresee moving into the provision of dental services and expanding on our mental health care with the assistance of NHSC recruits," he says. "At the same time, the NHSC can highlight us as a good example of the type of working environment their Scholars and Loan Repayors can look forward to joining."

Learn about other NHSC success stories.