A letter from Ralph-

It seems like time accelerates whenever the Holiday season arrives. There is more to be done in our personal lives and with more people taking vacation, time to catch some memorable moments with their families - who are often arriving from far-away places - the pace at work seems to accelerate as well. Of all of the times of the year, this should be the one where life slows so that we can do a little meditation on the meaning of it all. However, life does not work like that.

Life at TFS has been challenging during 2019, although nothing is new here. As the old year draws to a close I am meditating a little bit on our accomplishments: Most of the challenges have been good challenges, and they represent growing pains as we struggle to fulfill our Mission.

We opened our first medical clinic (and psychiatric clinic) in 2013. In May of this year we launched what we intend to develop into a full-time Specialty Clinic concentrating on services to the ID population. We negotiated a contract with a company with expertise in medical startups and are now credentialed by 11 different insurers. We have had meetings with Blue Cross/Blue Shield and look forward to collaborating with them and the other two Managed Care Organizations to provide special primary care to our special folks. In our meeting we found ourselves on the same page in recognizing the need to provide special care for these special folk.

We have been spending time exploring a possible collaboration with a psychiatrist who is interested in partnering with a primary medical provider to provide medical and behavioral healthcare to those with a dual diagnosis. This has long been something lacking in community healthcare for the doubly disabled.

A special thank you to our dedicated staff who have continued to rise to these challenges and who will continue to do so in 2020! Here’s hoping you have a Merry Christmas and wishing you a prosperous New Year.