Dr. Eric Bansal, Cardiology Fellow is joined by Dr. Miguel Quiñones, former Chair of the Houston Methodist Department of Cardiology and Daniel Montez, CEO of Vecino Health Centers (left to right) at Vecino’s Denver Harbor Family Clinic
Access to specialty care is a significant hurdle facing many patients of Vecino Health Centers, particularly those who are uninsured. A sheer lack of options means patients have difficulty getting timely appointments with specialists, and when they do, they find themselves stuck navigating a complex medical system. Add to this the difficulty of negotiating transportation and time off work to attend appointments at multiple locations, and the hurdles begin to seem insurmountable.
Thanks to the Houston Methodist Community Scholars Program, accessing specialty cardiac care just got easier for Vecino patients in the Denver Harbor community.
The new cardiac specialty care program, housed at Denver Harbor Family Clinic, gives patients access to care from world-renowned cardiology experts at an affordable cost, right in their own medical home.
Launched in late 2016, the program is overseen by Dr. Miguel A. Quiñones, former Chair of the Houston Methodist Department of Cardiology, Editor-in-Chief, Methodist DeBakey Cardiovascular Journal and a member of the advisory board for Vecino Health Centers. It is staffed by fellows from the Houston Methodist Scholar’s Program, which is funded in part by Occidental Petroleum.
Vicki Hollub, President and CEO of Occidental Petroleum, Dr. Miguel Quiñones, former Chair of the Houston Methodist Department of Cardiology and Glenn Vangolen, Senior Vice President of Business Support, Occidental Petroleum (left to right), meeting with others to review the cardiac speciality care program at Vecino’s Denver Harbor Family Clinic
The new program is already making a tremendous impact—improving, and in some cases saving, the lives of Vecino’s most vulnerable patients. Six patients now receive regular care from a cardiology fellow of Houston Methodist, who spends one day per month at Denver Harbor Family Clinic. Without this program, low-income and uninsured patients often have no other viable options for cardiac care.
This in-house approach to care not only gives patients greater access to life-saving cardiac services, but it also increases collaboration among the patients’ medical team, providing patients with the highest quality of care through an accessible, streamlined process.
Dr. Eric Bansal is the cardiac specialist and Oxy Scholar currently on rotation for the program. In addition to bringing quality cardiac care to the Denver Harbor community, the program allows fellows like Dr. Bansal the chance to work with traditionally underserved populations.
Executives from Occidental Petroleum, along with representatives from Houston Methodist Foundation, recently toured the clinic to see firsthand the initial impact of their funding.
“We are pleased to be part of the Scholars program,” says Vecino CEO Daniel Montez. “It is making a unique contribution that means more patients will receive the care they need and Houston will be that much healthier for it.”