Improving patient outcomes and reducing cost – @theU

Rising to the occasion

Choosing to create a Population Health Center in Rose Park had great advantages. Additional space is allowed for expanded clinical and social service programs for IOC’s growing patient population.

Additionally, the University of Utah School of Dentistry has served the community for over two years with a dental clinic located in this building. Rose Park Dental Clinic is a full-service dental clinic for insured, uninsured and Medicaid patients. Dental students and their attending faculty work alongside practicing dentists to improve oral health.

In a unique partnership between clinical and dental programs, the Population Health Center provides unprecedented integrated care.

There were also challenges. Before it was the Population Health Center, the state operated a clinic in this space (Utah Health Clinics) that was responsible for providing primary care to the surrounding community. This included providing more than 75% of health care screenings for newcomers to Utah – for refugees, asylum seekers and parolees.

When U of U Health agreed to move into the space, the state stipulated that we assume responsibility for screenings for the newly arrived population and remain accessible to the existing primary care patient population, regardless of insurance status.

In the spirit of the IOC, which never turns down a challenge, we accepted.