Stephanie Nelson Garris, CEO of Grace Medical Home
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CATIE PETERSON/OBJ; RICH JOHNSON/SPECTACLE PHOTO
By Ryan Lynch – Staff Writer, Orlando Business Journal
Dec 5, 2022 Updated Dec 7, 2022, 4:41pm EST
Editor's note: This is part of a series on the 2022 Community Impact: Heroes, stories that highlight Central Floridians who are pushing for positive change in health care, workforce development/education, transportation and affordable housing. This story focuses on health care. Read more in OBJ's Dec. 2-8, 2022, weekly edition.
Stephanie Nelson Garris has been focused on addressing needs through her organization’s health care services.
The CEO of Orlando-based nonprofit Grace Medical Home said her organization cared for more than 1,200 unique patients with a total value of care of $10.36 million. Plus, the group addresses other social determinants of health, including mental health and food insecurity.
Food was the most common need, and through a partnership with the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation, Grace Medical Home provides healthy food every other week to pediatric patients and, more recently, for adult patients.
Another recent move: Grace Medical Home added Dr. John Sanderson and Carisa Jones to address mental health needs, Garris said.
"We provided 1,710 mental health encounters and anticipate this number will increase. More than 18% of all Grace patients received mental health services, a 36% increase from the prior year. On average, our counseling patients visited with their mental health counselor more than seven times this year."
Here’s more from Garris:
What was your unfinished 2022 business on health care access gaps? We are excitedly looking forward to introducing Grace’s Mobile Medical Unit to the community. Grace received a $250,000 appropriation from the state of Florida to purchase a mobile medical unit. It will enable us to reach patients who don’t have access to transportation for their appointments and provide outreach opportunities to underserved communities.
What partnerships have helped bridge health care access gaps in the area? The most significant were those forged long before we opened our doors. AdventHealth and Orlando Health are sustaining partners through donations, much-needed services and ongoing support. Both hospital systems understand the value of providing access to health care, as many of the uninsured go to local emergency rooms for non-urgent treatment or go without care completely. Grace provides an alternative to the emergency room which helps lower health care costs not only for patients, but also the community at large. We have deferred more than $2.5 million in hospital costs for Grace patients since 2015.
How can businesses help contribute to fighting these issues locally? Volunteer. Volunteers play an integral role in advancing Grace’s mission. Last year, over 681 volunteers served Grace, donating more than 37,000 hours of service — the equivalent of 17 full-time employees. We especially need clinical specialists to provide specialty clinics for our uninsured patients. Also, donate. Grace is completely funded by donations and every gift counts.
How has the demand for the health services you provide changed from last year? We saw an increase in demand for mental health services this past year. Trauma-informed care also became a foundation at Grace; it shifts the focus from “What’s wrong with you?” to, “What happened to you?” These practices potentially improve patient engagement, treatment adherence and health outcomes, as well as provider and staff wellness. It also can help reduce avoidable care and excess costs for both the health care and social service sectors.
Stephanie Nelson Garris
