Back To School Means Back to Grace Med

Now's the time to get those Back To School vaccinations, sports physicals, and more. Grace Med CEO Venus Lee and Chief Medical Officer Julie Elder tell us what we need to know for a healthy, happy school year. www.gracemed.org

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Welcome to Wichita Weekend, the weeklypublic affairs program from iHeartRadio Wichita ninety one
O two one, the Bull Channelninety six three and seven three. And
our guest on Wichita Weekend come tous today from Grace Med Health Clinic here
in Wichita. We've got the CEOVenus Lee Venus Welcome to Wichita Weekend.

(00:23):
Thank you. And we also havethe chief medical officer from Grace Med,
doctor Julie Elder, is with us. Thanks for being with us, Hi,
Julie. Back to school time.It's a busy time for everybody in
Wichita. Are you guys seeing lotsand lots of families coming in? Yeah,
yeah, we sure are. Itis back to school time and so
we are seeing a lot of kiddoscoming in getting their school physicals, getting

(00:44):
sports physicals, getting their immunizations updated. It is time for all of that,
okay. And where would a familybe right now on the calendar?
Are they ahead of the curve?Are they behind the curve? They need
to come see you now, right, you're right. Well, if they're
getting their school physicals right now,they're doing okay. We have plenty of
openings and open capacity to see kids. Of all ages. They just need

(01:07):
to give us a call, getthem scheduled so that we can get them
in, get them seeing, getthose vaccines updated, fill out all the
forms and the paperwork, and thenthey'll be ready to start school, which
is next week on August fifteenth herein Wichita. Okay, Well, time
is now, and what would yourecommend the best way for a let's say

(01:29):
a family's brand new in town.They've just got in town last month,
and they've got a million things onthere to do list. What's the best
way for them to get a holdof you? Just give us a call.
It's area code three one six eightsix six two thousand, and just
let us know what they need.School, physical, sports, physicals,
whatever it is, we can helpall right. We also can help them

(01:49):
get their eyes checked, get theirdental exams updated. We offer a variety
of services. So they just needto give us a call and we'll get
them in. Okay, three onesix eight six two thousand the number to
call for grace Med. And youknow, we know what grace Med is
about, but perhaps our listeners don't. Venus, could you kind of lay
us lay it out in a paragraphyour elevator speech on what Grace Med is

(02:13):
all about. Mission wise, Well, our mission is to make sure we
take care of the whole person.So if you need a place that just
has a synergy of love, acceptanceand just come in and let us take
care of your medical, your dental, your behavioral needs, we're here for
you. And we also have pharmacyservices that can take care of you as

(02:36):
well. One of the things thatI also want to mention you can also
go to www dot grace meed dotorg because we have twelve locations in which
it also if you're new in town, go to that website, find a
place that's close to you. Thereyou go that's beautifully said. Thank you
venus. So you know, likewe say, back to school time,

(02:57):
everybody's busy, Grace Med still hastime to see you and still has time
to see your student. Vaccine wise, what are you recommending doctor Elder,
Well, Katia puts out a listof the recommended vaccinations, and so we
adhere to that list and we'll makerecommendations based on what the child has already
had or what their age and whatthey might be due for. We also

(03:20):
can catch kids up who might bemissing vaccines or maybe they skipped something during
the pandemic. We can catch themup and get them up to speeds.
So we offer the recommended vaccines accordingto Katah standards. Then we also offer
some additional vaccines that might be optionalfor families, like the human papalona virus
vaccine, COVID vaccines. We haveall of those. So again I would

(03:44):
just recommend coming on in, lettingus take a look at what the child
has or hasn't had. We'll getthem up to speed, and then we
can make recommendations from there. It'sexcellent, okay, and not to put
fear in anybody's mind, but we'veall seen the headlines. Looks like COVID
might be on the rise. Yeah, yeah, that's right. We are
starting to see a little uptick inthat, and so it's just important to
protect everyone in the community, andespecially our kiddos because they tend to be

(04:09):
the most vulnerable. So so getthem in, get those vaccines, and
we can go from there. Andthen you guys off you mentioned already,
but you do the sports physicals andthose are so important. Yeah, yeah,
those are those are actually required forparticipation in sports, sporting but also
any extracurricular activity. Here in thestate of Kansas, KDHI requires that sports

(04:31):
physicals. So so again, ifif students want to participate in activities outside
of the classroom, they really needto get that sports physical completed and get
those forms turned into the school sothere won't be any delay in participation.
So, parents, athletes, coaches, Yeah, keep it beat on the
top of the mind on this andlet's get it done. Let's call grasman.

(04:54):
There's no excuse. Really, that'sright. And if you don't get
it done, you can't play,that's right. And even even participating in
band and you know some of thoseactivities that you don't maybe don't equate a
sports physical with. I mean,that's important to have that physical completed so
that they're eligible to be in themarching band, or play in the orchestra
or you know whatever it is,cheerleading, all of those extracurricular activities.

(05:15):
Never even thought about that, butyeah, there's there's a million things that
students can get involved in in highschool and junior high and even elementary school.
They want to be sure they're inabsolute tip top shape and all cleared
and ready to go and have agreat school year so they can focus on
the important stuff, that's right,you know. Yeah, well, you
guys, you are the busiest bunchthey're at Grace mad you said, we

(05:41):
have multiple locations around Wichita, sothere's no excuse ever for not going in
to see the doctor, right,right, And then if you just want
some peace of mind, just rememberwe now have medical legal services that can
take care of those pesty, littlecivil issues that can later affect your health.
We don't want that getting in theway of you and your you know,

(06:05):
your healthy future in your life.So it's just one of the things
Grace met it's it's it's all encompassing, right from the legal to the medical,
to the dental, to the visionto the psychological. Right. Ah,
you guys have it covered. Ithink the other thing that's important to
remember we often get asked, well, what if I don't have health insurance?

(06:26):
You know, so we see everybody, whether they're insured, whether they're
uninsured. We're here to take careof the community, and we have programs
in place that can help offset thecost of care for folks who don't have
insurance. And so we also havestaff that who who proactively help people see
if they're eligible for insurance. Andthey can help them enroll in different benefits,

(06:48):
insurance benefits. So again, justwin in doubt, just give us
a call. We've got people inplace that can help them navigate those those
waters. There's no reason for youto feel as though your family had fallen
through the cracks. Absolutely if youcouldn't make those you know, those premium
payments or whatever, or just whateverthe reason might be, right, You're

(07:09):
not without hope and hope. Careis a word that I see a lot
on the GRACEMD website there at gracemeed dot org. And hope care is
a lot about what you guys areall about. It's just giving everybody hope
and health and keeping the community together. That's right. You know. Our
number one goal is to make surethat we come out of this better for

(07:30):
it, that we have a healthycommunity. Yes, so that means surrounding
people with all the services that theyneed and the services that we can't provide.
We know where to refer you,Okay, I get those services,
taking cares right, great resources right, and there's so many programs in place,
so many resources available. I thinka lot of times people don't realize

(07:53):
what's out there and what's available tohelp them, and we can help them.
Like I said, we help them. We use these programs all the
time and we're happy to educate andimpart that information to them. So so
we can just come see us,talk to us. All begins with a
simple phone call. Don't be intimidated, don't be shy. Call grace Med
three one six eight six six twothousand and if you want to learn some

(08:16):
really cool stuff, go online tograce meed dot org if you get a
chance, and you'll get a greateducation about what grace med is is all
about. In the Wichita in Kansas, you know, all over Kansas.
So you're listening to Wichita Weekend,we're visiting with Venus Lee, CEO of
grace Med, and doctor Julie Elder, the chief medical officer of grace Med.

(08:39):
Let's take a quick break, ladies, and we'll be right back with
more Wichita Weekend. Can you believeit is already back to school season.
We know that all of your parentsout there are rushing around in preparation for
the new school. Here we wantto remind you of one of the most
important things you can do for yourchildren before they head back of the classroom.
Which is making sure they are upto date all of their vaccinations,

(09:01):
including their COVID vaccinations. So makesure your kids are protected by making a
vaccination appointment with Grace Man. Youcan even have their eyeshacked and make sure
they're smiles were ready for school pictures. Called three one, six, eight,
six six, two thousand to makean appointment. Hi which taughts DJ
Mikey inviting you to Hartsfing care Festtwo thousand twenty three Saturday August twenty sixth,

(09:22):
will have the care Walk, Catalfest, bikewides a five K one and
live music from Annie up Pats andDJ Carbin Assists, the Virals Chewy,
plus food trucks and fun for everyone. Come help us weighs money for the
kids of Anne families of Hartswing It'scare Fest Saturday, August twenty sixth.
Where Are You starts today at wichitakcrefestdot org. The landmark Wichita East High

(09:45):
School Tower at Douglas and Grove turnsone hundred this October. Maybe you went
to school there or know someone whodid. Maybe yours is a multigenerational East
High family, or maybe you justdrive by every so often. You have
a connection to the city's original highschool, and Saturday October seventh, we're
invited to come celebrate one hundred yearsof the Tower. We'll have a parade,

(10:05):
a block party, food trucks,guest speakers, school tours and more.
Save the date Saturday, October seventhfor one hundred years of the Tower,
Wichita East. You'll be swept awayby the power and beauty of Ragtime
August sixteenth through twenty fifth century twoconcert Hall. Experience the energy and passion

(10:26):
as characters lives intersect against the backdropof a changing America. Here their voices
rise, feel their hearts beat,and let the music transport you to a
world of boundless dreams. Tickets forRagtime start at just twenty five dollars.
Reserve yours now call three one six, two six five thirty one oh seven
or visit mt Wichita dot org.And we thank you for joining us for

(10:46):
Wichita Weekend. Today, we havetwo of our absolute favorite Wichita Weekend guests
from Grace med here in Wichita.We have CEO Venus Lee, and we
have Chief Medical Officer Julie Elder.Doctor Julie elders here with us today and
we're talking about all things grace Med, including back to school. We kind
of touched on that in our firstsegment this morning, but you know a

(11:09):
little earlier in the program today,Venus, you touched on something that's relatively
new to grace Med and that ismedical legal services. Expand on that a
little bit for us. Well,one of the things we started to notice
that there are things that affect yourhealth is legal issues because if you have
legal issues and I'm not talking aboutcriminal legal issues, and I'll explain a

(11:33):
difference. You know, if youhave a criminal issue and you can't afford
an attorney, one is appointed toyou. So that's what separates that from
civil legal services. So these arethe services that are not provided to you,
and we're talking about things like dealingwith your landlord, disability, eligibility,

(11:56):
all those different things. So oneof the things that we wanted to
do at grace med as we wantedto even the playing field. You speak
of social drivers of health, thisis a huge one and not too many
people are tackling it. So atgrace MEID we wanted to make sure find
a way where people can receive theirlegal services at the same rate they receive

(12:20):
their medical services. With us basedon their ability to pay. So that
is so important to us that peoplehave that opportunity. It levels the playing
field for us. Now you haveyour own in house legal We do one
of the things that we wanted todo because there's beautiful services, the Kansas

(12:43):
Legal Aid Services of Kansas. Theyreally take care of people. The issue
with that is that there's a waitinglist because there's just not enough people to
go around. It's not enough attorneysto go around, is how I say
it. That's my opinion, andso there's this waiting list. We wanted
to We looked at collaborating with them, but we find ourselves in the same

(13:05):
situation that there would be a continuedwaiting list. By us hiring our own
attorney, Martin Keenan, he's ourattorney, and our own paralegal, Lys
Shawn, they take by us beingable to do that means there's no waiting
list. Our patients can come offa waiting list and be served by us.

(13:30):
So that was just another piece ofthe puzzle in us doing what our
part to take care of the wholeperson. Does any other health clinic besides
Grace Med offer such a such aservice with medical well out of about over
a thousand f q ECAs in theUnited States, so I believe the last

(13:50):
count was one hundred and sixty fiveof them did wow, right, And
so that is a service that wewanted to provide because back in I believe
it was twenty fourteen, then thefederal government or we say HERSA, realize
that legal services is a huge partof your health, and so we wanted

(14:13):
to be among the first here inKansas in which it all to be able
to offer that services because we cansee where it is a big obstacle when
you have legal services that you feellike you have no control over, you
can't afford it. You're talking aboutlegal that can end up being becoming a

(14:37):
mental health issue or behavioral health issue, which as you know, can manifest
itself physically, and so now youhave health issues. So we need to
be able to address the address thewhole person, to take care of the
whole person, and this is anotherway that we feel that we can do
that. For the same reasons we'reworking to provide our patients with food vouchers.

(15:03):
Yeah, so in the same manner, we have to be able just
to address the whole person's need ifwe want to fully take care of what
we say, the communities we livein. Yeah, and you hate to
think about the days when folks thatmight have come to you for healthcare were

(15:24):
kind of lost and left out totwist in the wind with their own legal
issues. This is fantastic that youguys are able to offer this in the
way that you do. So intimes past that was heavy on our heart,
and we started we have a communitycarriage department which would work with people

(15:45):
who had issues outside of what wecould take care of, and one of
those were legal services, and sowe would do our best to refer out.
But there are some things that cannotwait. I mean, if you
have mold in your house that nowcontributes to asthma, and you are having

(16:07):
these conversations with the landlord and you'reon an extended waiting list, every moment
that you're waiting is affecting the healthyour health, so those outcomes aren't going
to be what they should be.This is another way that we could address
whole person care all right. Medicallegal services just one of the many facets

(16:30):
that Grace med Health Clinic provides,and you can learn a bunch about it
at Grace meed dot org. Youcan also give them a call any time
with any type of a question atthree one six eight six six two thousand.
When I say any type of aquestion, any type of medical question,
you know, obviously, But VenusLee and Julie Elder, thank you

(16:53):
so much for being with us onwhich Doe weekend. I'm learning a bunch
today and again that medical legal servicesis something that grace Met clients patients should
really take full advantage of because it'sthere for you. And you know,
if you go to the website atgrace met dot org, that opening page
you're going to see a kind ofa cool graphic that encompasses pretty much everything

(17:17):
that grace Met is about. Podiatry, medical spiritual care, pediatrics, pharmacy,
insurance navigators, prenatal care, schoolbased clinics. It's all happening sixteen
locations here in Wichita. And yes, we've been visiting with CEO Venus Lee
and doctor Julie Elder, the chiefmedical officer. We're going to take another

(17:41):
quick break and then when we comeback, we want to talk about another
unique offering that I think grace Methas and that's your mobile units. So
all right, please stay with us. We'll take a quick break and we'll
be back with doctor Julie Elder andVenus Lee of Grace met This is Wichita
Weekend which hods DJ Mikey inviting youto heart Spring care Fest two thousand,

(18:03):
twenty three Saturday August twenty sixth willhave the Carewalk, cuddle Fest, bike
rides, a five K one andlive music from any Up Pats and DJ
Carbin Assist the Virals, chewing plusfood trucks and fun for everyone. Come
help us weighs money for the kidsof the ant families of hart Swing.
It's care Fest Saturday, August twentysixth. What are you starts to day
at Wichitak Carefest dot org. Canyou believe it is already back to school

(18:27):
season. We know that all ofyour parents out there are rushing around in
preparation for the new school. Herewe want to remind you of one of
the most important things you can dofor your children before they head back of
the classroom, which is making surethey are up to date on all of
their vaccinations, including their COVID vaccinations. So make sure your kids are protected
by making a vaccination appointment with GraceMan. You can even have their eyeshacked

(18:48):
and make sure they're smiles, wereready for school pictures. Called three one,
six, eight, six, six, two thousand to make an appointment.
Maybe you, your mom, yourdad, our grandparents went to Wichita
East. Maybe you know someone heredid. Then again, maybe you only
drive past the landmark corner at Douglasand Grove every once in a while.
Everyone has some connection to the city'soriginal high school, and Saturday, October

(19:10):
seventh, you're invited to come celebrateone hundred years of the town. We'll
have a parade down Douglas at tenam, followed by a block party with
food, truck, speakers, andtours of the school. To enter your
float or group in the parade.Carl Cliff Baye at three one six nine
seven, three seven, two eightfour Dogs, Cats and Cowboy Hats Saturday,
August twenty six is a fur raiserbenefiting the Wellington Humane Society, a

(19:32):
rural nonprofit serving rescue dogs and catsin Sumner County. Enjoy barbecue, dinner,
cash bar, silent auction and possand raffles with live music by local
talent Kirk Crussell, MICHAELA. Brownlieand Braden Struple dogs, cats and cowboy
hats. August twenty six. YAPRstarts at five pm inside the Mayfield Community
Center in rural Mayfield, Kansas.Tickets are fifty dollars online at Girl with

(19:53):
Black dot com. Welcome back toWichita Weekend our of course today come to
us from Grace Med Here in Wichita. We have CEO Venus Lee and the
Chief Medical Officer, Julie Elder.Welcome ladies. So good to have you
here. I always I feel healthiersomehow talking with you, or at least

(20:15):
I feel a little bit smarter,and I've got a long way to go,
so I appreciate your helping to educateme. One of the things about
Grace Med that you guys offer isa mobile health clinic, Doctor Elder,
can you tell us a little bitabout that? Yeah, you bet.
This is one of our newest ventures, and it is just that it's a
mobile health clinic. It has twofully equipped exam rooms if you will,

(20:38):
inside this mobile unit, and wecan really take it anywhere. We've recently,
most recently partnered with the Wichita BlackNurses Association and our local firefighters to
take this mobile unit out into areasof the city where they may not have
had the opportunity to receive COVID vaccines. And so yeah, so these grewp

(21:00):
have obviously partnered with us, butthey've been super busy going out multiple weekends
every month taking vaccines out to peoplein our community. And so we've been
able to vaccinate more folks for COVIDthan we would have without these mobile units.
And so that's that's how we're starting, and we've got big plans for
it in the future. We hopeto expand services to include regular immunizations for

(21:23):
children and and we'll just see whereit takes us. But for right now,
it's COVID vaccines and flu vaccines thisfall. So do you have a
schedule posted aware on social media?Yes, right, it is on social
media, and they can go toour website and they can see the exact

(21:44):
schedule in the days and the locationof these events and there's no appointment needed.
They just need to show up duringthe times specified online and they can
receive their COVID vaccines right now,and then once flu vaccines are available,
typically toward the end of September,then they can actually receive both if they
need both at the same time.Excellent. I'm bringing the health to the

(22:06):
neighborhood. Yeah, it's It's agreat way to reach folks in need.
You know. One of the otherservices we also will plan to include is
just routine health screenings like blood pressurechecks, you know, a spot check
for glucose, things like that thatagain might help people who aren't aware of

(22:27):
their baseline vital signs or their baselineglucose or maybe their overall risk for diabetes.
These are ways that we can goout and just have that touch point
with the community and then if thereis a need that arises or something's abnormal
that we can identify, then wecan bring them back to the clinic and
do maybe a more thorough evaluation andthe more thorough work up. That's an

(22:48):
excellent idea. How has the responsebeen to that so for so good?
I mean, we're really excited aboutit. We've been really pleased with our
turnouts, and I think as moreand more people are aware of this opportunity
unity, they're they're gonna latch ontoit and be excited just as excited as
we are. I'd like to think. I think one of the things that
happened as a result of the pandemic, there were and I can say this

(23:11):
four thousand, one and eighty nineof our patients who were pretty much at
home, and we decided to gowhere the patients were, even though that
was doing telehealth or whatever and puttingequipment in patients homes or out of that
breeds that you need to be wherethe patients are. So the next evolution

(23:33):
of that making sure that we havethese mobile units so that we if they
can't come to us. Even thoughwe make sure that we're located every one
of our locations here are located ona bus line so people can get to
us, there are times we needto go to where some where the people
are. You bring up a goodpoint venus, because I think a lot

(23:53):
of things came out of the pandemic, and I think on the piggyback on
that, one of the other thingsthat we saw was just the collaboration within
our communities. And so this hasbeen an amazing opportunity to collaborate with the
Witchtall Black Nurses Association and our firefighters, you know, and to come together
to reach out and to help thecommunity as a collaborative, because this is

(24:15):
certainly not something we could have doneon our own without their help. So
it's just been an incredible collaborative effortand we're constantly staying up with what's going
on in our community. And oneof the things is, and that's how
we get our ideas if somebody cando it, we don't need to do
it. We can collaborate with them, and just watching a news program and

(24:37):
saying, those are firefighters we havea work for shortage, but they may
want to drive for us, andthat's how that came out. And then
we have a shortage in nurses.So now we have the witch atall Black
nurses. So just because we can'tdo it doesn't mean there's other people out

(24:57):
there who we can't do it.And then together we can turn around the
community. And that's going to alwaysbe our goal. So you guys are
really good at bringing folks together inthis kind of a way. You're good
at sort of you know, assessingthe need and then figuring out a way
to get it done, whether it'swith Grace Med staff or an additional agency

(25:18):
or however the case maybe first responders. Wow, you think a lot.
You think a lot, and youwork a lot at Grace Med and you
think about what the community truly doesneed. And I think that is not
only Admiral, that's just heroic inall of Wichita. So when you were
talking a little earlier, doctor Elder, I heard you mentioned flu shot.

(25:41):
Now that's not we were talking backto school at the very start of our
program. That's not required for backto schools. No, no, it's
not, but it's definitely recommended.Yeah, absolutely, And so so that's
gonna be available typically towards the endof September October ish, you know,
fall time. And we definitely recommendedbecause you know, doesn't guarantee that you

(26:03):
won't get the flu, certainly,but but we know that that if you're
vaccinated, if you get sick,it tends to be a lighter course of
illness and maybe a shorter duration.So absolutely get the flu shot. And
that applies to children, that appliesto adults of all ages. Definitely get
the flu shot. Well, youknow, there's there's a kind of a
current level of anti vax thought outthere among a lot of folks, and

(26:27):
I sure wish that we could turnthat around a little bit for folks to
be a little more open to it. And I did not get a flu
shot last year. I'm going toget one this year, and uh,
it's it's important. Like you say, yeah, well we can bring it
to you. You can only youcan bring it to me, you can

(26:47):
give it to me. And thatis what Grace met Again is all about,
is bringing healthcare to the community andgreater which it taught to all of
Kansas, really, and it's assimple as picking up your telephone and dialing
three one eight six six two thousandto get in touch with the angels at
Grace med. Of course, youcan also learn a bunch about them online,
like I say, at gracemd dotorg. Beautiful website with a ton

(27:11):
of info and a lot of greatresources there. And do not feel as
though you are the lone ranger withregard to your health and your family's health.
You have a ton of support righthere in Wichita, and it's so
easy to get and you have noexcuse. You really have no excuse.

(27:32):
Just pick up that phone or goonline and get in touch with our good
friends, doctor Julie Elder or doctorVenus Lee. Now we may not Venus
might not answer the phone that day, but if you needed to visit with
her about something, I'm sure youcould get through her or maybe they could
give you an email address. Andyour ladies, and plus your entire staff
is really here to help us,and we appreciate that. Just out of

(27:56):
curiosity. How many staff members doyou have here at Grace Med Oh I
think you're round three a little Yeah, yeah, we have a full crew.
Yeah, how'd you find that manypeople who really care? In Wichita?
There are so many people who care, Like doctor Elder said, just
the pandemic brought out even more folkswho were just willing to roll up their

(28:17):
sleeves and just be about healing thiscommunity. Yeah, that's so good to
hear. And again we want tothank you for coming out to Whichtall Weekend.
Like I say, I always feelhealthier just visiting with well. Thank
you, thanks for the opportunity youbet doctor Julie Elder, chief Medical Officer
and Venus Lee, CEO of GraceMed Health Clinics in Wichita. One more

(28:41):
time for the phone number three onesix eight six six two thousand or online
at grace smid dot org. Ladies, thanks for being with us on which
Toall weekend. Thank you, thankyou for having us, Thank you for
listening to Wichita Weekend a service ofiHeart Radio stations one O two one,
the Bowl channel of nine six three, one O seven three and ninety nine
B ninety eight. You'll listen everySunday or Wichita on a weekend