The Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services of Drexel University stands as a beacon of innovative and holistic healthcare. Recognized nationally for its groundbreaking approach, this center, located on 11th Street, goes beyond treating illnesses; it cares for the whole person. Esteemed organizations such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s LEAP project, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the American Academy of Nursing have lauded 11th Street as a national model for effective ambulatory practices. However, for the team at 11th Street, true success lies in the strong bonds forged with their community and the positive impact they’ve had on countless lives.
At its core, 11th Street employs a transdisciplinary model, ensuring patients receive comprehensive care under one roof. This integrated approach encompasses primary care, behavioral health services, dental care, and a range of health and wellness programs. Each year, over 6,000 individuals, from adults to children, find a single point of access for healthcare that addresses both their physical and psychosocial well-being, as well as the needs of their families.
The Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services is driven by a clear mission: to deliver high-quality, comprehensive health services to its diverse patient population. Special emphasis is placed on serving vulnerable individuals and residents of public housing within the 11th Street Corridor. Beyond direct patient care, 11th Street serves as an exemplary model for nurse-managed, community-based healthcare, playing a vital role in the education of future health professionals and serving as a site for faculty practice.
“The Center takes the nervousness out of asking questions you might not otherwise feel comfortable asking, because it’s easy to open up and talk to the nurses and midwives here. It’s just a magical place.” —Tanesha Palmer, Centering Patient (Prenatal)
Understanding the Community Served by 11th Street
The primary focus of the 11th Street Center is the residents living within the four public housing developments situated in the 11th Street corridor. This community faces significant socioeconomic challenges, with a median family income around $15,000. While the center’s core mission is to serve this immediate community, its reputation for quality care has spread throughout Philadelphia, drawing patients from across the entire city. The residents of the 11th Street housing developments experience a disproportionately high burden of illness, facing elevated rates of conditions like diabetes and the lasting impacts of adverse childhood experiences.
In 2019 alone, the center facilitated over 26,298 patient visits, demonstrating the high demand for its services and the trust placed in its care.
Financial Accessibility at 11th Street
11th Street Family Health Services is committed to providing care regardless of financial status. Their reimbursement structure reflects this commitment:
- 15% Uninsured: Ensuring access for those without coverage.
- 8% Medicare: Serving senior citizens and those with disabilities.
- 60% Medicaid: Providing care for low-income individuals and families.
- 17% Private Insurance: Accepting a variety of private insurance plans.
Core Values Guiding Care at 11th Street
Several guiding principles underpin the operations and patient care at 11th Street:
- Patient-Centered Approach: Prioritizing the patient’s needs above all else, ensuring resources are used effectively to benefit patients, staff, and the community.
- Community Partnership: Collaborating closely with the local community and Drexel University to actively improve the overall health of the community.
- Needs-Based Services: Delivering services that are directly informed by and tailored to the specific needs defined by the community itself.
- Universal Access to Quality Care: Guaranteeing access to high-quality healthcare for every individual, irrespective of their ability to pay.
- Integrity and Trust: Fostering an environment of trust and mutual respect through honest collaboration and open communication among patients, staff, and community members.
- Dedicated and Skilled Staff: Employing enthusiastic, highly skilled professionals who are dedicated to providing exceptional care and service, valuing diversity and individual uniqueness.
- Innovation and Growth: Embracing innovation and proactively seeking new, dynamic approaches to drive positive change and continuous growth in service delivery and community impact.
The Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services of Drexel University is proud to operate in partnership with the Family Practice and Counseling Network, further strengthening its capacity to serve the community.
The Integrated Model of Care at 11th Street
A Partnership Rooted in the Community
The Partnership for Community Based Care (PCBC) serves as the foundational framework for all programs offered by the health center within the 11th Street Corridor. Established in 1998, the PCBC represents a powerful collaboration between the health center and the residents of the 11th Street Corridor. This partnership extends to local schools, churches, and other relevant community groups and agencies, creating a broad network of support and collaboration.
A cornerstone of the PCBC is the health center’s community advisory committee. This committee, comprised of community members, meets monthly to provide invaluable guidance to the center’s staff on program development and to offer direct community feedback on both existing and planned services. For nearly two decades, this advisory board has been instrumental in fostering seamless coordination between the community and the health center. Their input has been crucial in the planning, design, and layout of the health center itself, ensuring it truly reflects and serves the needs of the community.
To further strengthen community representation, three members of the advisory board also serve on the Family Practice & Counseling Network’s advisory board, ensuring the voices of the 11th Street community are heard at a broader network level.
Integrative Health: A Holistic Approach
The 11th Street Center operates on a model of patient-centered, integrated, and trauma-informed care. Integrative healthcare, by its definition, aims to create a cohesive and seamless experience for both patients and caregivers. This encompasses the full spectrum of factors known to influence health, including physical, psychological, social, preventative, and therapeutic elements, all deemed essential for achieving optimal health throughout life.
At the heart of the center’s approach is the seamless integration of primary care, behavioral health services, and Healthy Living Center programs. This integration allows the development of comprehensive treatment plans that address the multifaceted biological, psychological, and social needs of each patient. This system promotes consistent communication and collaboration between patients and the care team, working together to manage current health issues and proactively prevent future problems.
The center has gained national recognition for its pioneering trauma-informed approach to care and holds the distinction of being Sanctuary certified. It is the first ambulatory care center to achieve this certification. The Sanctuary Model® is a well-defined, trauma-informed, evidence-supported, and whole culture approach. It provides a structured methodology for establishing or transforming organizational culture to be more supportive and healing. 11th Street’s commitment to the Sanctuary Model reflects its dedication to ensuring that staff, patients, and the wider community are all trauma-informed, equipped with a shared framework to promote greater personal, interpersonal, and community well-being.
Community Engagement Beyond 11th Street
The Community Outreach department at the Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services plays a vital role in connecting with the community and disseminating information about the Health Center’s activities and services. The outreach team is available to conduct community health workshops and participate in local health fairs, actively engaging with residents beyond the walls of 11th Street. For further information or to request community outreach services, individuals can contact Lidyvez Sawyer at [email protected].
Collaborative Partnerships Extending the Reach of 11th Street
The Partnership for Community Based Care (PCBC) acts as a catalyst for expanding local initiatives that strengthen and sustain healthy families within the Lower North Philadelphia community. It cultivates mutually beneficial relationships founded on principles of social justice, working to enhance the quality of life for all residents. These collaborative partnerships are instrumental in supporting the research and training of faculty and students across various health professions. The knowledge gained through these activities is then directly applied to address pressing local needs and broader societal challenges.
The Center effectively integrates teaching, research, and service delivery in a way that actively involves community members and directly responds to the specific needs of this historically underserved community. Faculty, staff, and students engage in thoughtful and critical dialogues, both within center teams and with community partners, about complex issues such as racism, power dynamics, and privilege. These discussions explore how these factors influence perceptions, overall health status, and the delivery of equitable healthcare services.
Key Partners of the 11th Street Center include:
- Spring Garden Elementary School
- The Rodriquez Branch of the Free Library (The Romonita Rodriguez Branch – Free Library of Philadelphia)
- Philadelphia Housing Authority Resident Councils
- The Philadelphia Housing Authority
- Nehemiah Homes
- St Paul’s Baptist Church
- Rodelph Shalom Synagogue
- The local Community Development Corporation
- Drexel University
- Boy’s & Girl’s Club (The Fairmount Boys and Girls Club)
- EPIC –Equal Partners in Change
- RCTC Center for Returning Citizen’s
- Mural Arts
- Farms to Families (St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children)
- AmeriCorps-Philadelphia Health Corp
- National Nursing Center Consortium
- Family Practice and Counseling Network
- Fox Chase Cancer Center
- Teens 4 Good
- Philadelphia Eagles Eye Mobile
A History of Redefining Care on 11th Street
The origins of the Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services of Drexel University trace back to 1996. It began when the School of Nursing at MCP/Hahnemann University forged an agreement with the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) to proactively address the health concerns of residents within Philadelphia’s 11th Street Corridor. The vision was to create a comprehensive, nurse-managed health care center specifically targeting a medically underserved population, many residing in the four public housing developments in North Philadelphia.
Initially, the services offered at 11th Street were focused on health promotion and disease prevention. The Center’s Community Advisory Board, composed of residents from the neighborhood, played a crucial role in securing a temporary space for primary care health services at the Harrison Plaza Community Center. A significant milestone was reached in 1998 when a $3.3 million grant was awarded from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), in partnership with the PHA. This funding enabled the construction of a dedicated, freestanding 17,000 square foot state-of-the-art health center. This new facility was strategically located within the PHA’s Richard Allen Homes, providing central accessibility to the four public housing developments in the 11th Street corridor. The doors to this new building officially opened in September 2002, marking a new era for healthcare in the community.
In June 2002, the Center established a “linkage” agreement with the Family Practice and Counseling Network. This partnership provided 11th Street with access to cost-based reimbursement and grant funding for uninsured patients through their Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) status, further enhancing the center’s financial sustainability and ability to serve vulnerable populations.
In recent years, 11th Street has pioneered an integrated and transdisciplinary model of care, grounded in the principle of creating a “…health care process to create a seamless engagement by patients and caregivers of the full range of physical, psychological, social, preventative and therapeutic factors known to be effective and necessary for the achievement of optimal health throughout the lifespan,” as defined by the Institute of Medicine in 2009. 11th Street is committed to providing evidence-based prevention, wellness programs, and patient-centered care that is personalized, preventative, and participatory for underinsured and uninsured individuals.
A further expansion of services became possible in 2010 when Drexel University acquired the land adjacent to the Center. This acquisition paved the way for increasing the Center’s physical space through an addition to the existing building. This expansion aimed to substantially increase the number of patients served and broaden the range of services available to the thousands of vulnerable patients seen annually. It also aimed to support enhanced educational initiatives for undergraduate and graduate health professions students, preparing the next generation of caregivers in an evolving nurse-led healthcare environment.
On June 6, 2014, Drexel University broke ground for a 17,000 sq. ft. addition. This expansion was made possible through the generous support of Stephen and Sandra Sheller, co-founders of the Sheller Family Foundation, who have demonstrated a deep commitment to the Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services of Drexel University.
The Shellers’ transformative gift funded a two-story expansion designed to better serve patients and create additional space for Drexel students engaged in educational and clinical training. The expanded facility includes dedicated space for integrated primary and subspecialty care visits, behavioral health services, couple and family therapy, and new studios for art, dance movement, and music therapies. This additional space also created opportunities to develop enhanced and innovative healthy lifestyles programming and services, adapting to the evolving needs of the community. The expansion project was completed in June 2015, culminating in a Ribbon cutting celebration on November 11, 2015 (11.11.15), a date symbolically reflecting the center’s address on 11th Street.
The Sheller Family Foundation was established by Stephen Sheller, a Drexel trustee and prominent Philadelphia attorney, and his wife Sandra, a Drexel alumna with degrees in art therapy (’04) and couple and family therapy (’05). Their personal connection to Drexel and their philanthropic vision have been instrumental in the growth and impact of the 11th Street center.
Beyond its profound impact on the community, 11th Street provides invaluable hands-on clinical experience for Drexel students from across various health professions. This experience shapes their understanding of patients as individuals striving to improve their lives, exposes them to the complexities of patient needs, and highlights the health system’s potential to effectively address these complex needs. It is also a unique setting where students from Drexel Colleges and Schools, participating in Co-op programs, can practice experiential learning, a hallmark of a Drexel education. Patients at 11th Street directly benefit from this educational exchange by gaining access to services that might not typically be available in a standard primary care setting.
Supporting the Mission of 11th Street
The Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services relies on the generous contributions of individuals, corporations, foundations, and other organizations to sustain its vital work within the Philadelphia community. Donations of any size can help 11th Street continue to provide essential services and expand its reach. To make a gift or learn more about supporting the center, please contact James Harding at 267.359.5925 or [email protected].
Ways to Give to 11th Street:
By Mail:
Drexel University P.O. Box 8215 Philadelphia, PA 19101-9684
Please make checks payable to “Drexel University” and clearly write “11th Street Family Health Services” on the subject line to ensure your donation is directed appropriately.
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When giving online, please specify in the “Additional Instructions” section that your gift should be designated to the Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services.
