Originally called SHOP (Senior Healthcare Outreach Program), the program was launched in 2002 by Dr. Alexander G. Salerno as a return to the traditional house-call program to serve seniors in the urban community specifically. It is the longest-running program of its type in the area, providing fully integrated primary care via house calls. In 2015, the program was renamed CHOP, or Community Health Outreach Program, and expanded services to include patients with mental illness and substance use disorder — populations long underserved in these communities.
The main goal of CHOP is to make quality, affordable healthcare accessible and convenient by reaching patients in the places they reside or congregate. These locations include private homes, senior residences, group homes, adult daycare facilities, and behavioral health centers. We also strive to save patients from unnecessary disease and illness, as well as unnecessary and costly hospital visits — which burden the healthcare system, too.