About the Lattimore Clinic
The Waymon C. Lattimore Practice is the provider of tuberculosis patient care and TB control services in the counties of Essex and Union located in northeast New Jersey. These counties include Newark, NJ’s largest city, Elizabeth, the third largest city and the major cities of East Orange, Irvington, Orange, Plainfield and Union. The clinic is a regional site for the NJ Department of Health to provide services in other counties that do not have the expertise in medically managing complicated cases. Our physicians also see patients in the other high morbidity counties of NJ, Middlesex and Hudson as well as provide expert consultation throughout the State.
The primary goal of the Lattimore Practice is to decrease morbidity through state-of-the-art diagnostic, treatment and prevention programs. This is done through the rapid identification, treatment, and epidemiologic investigation of infectious TB. The clinic also is the home for research related to host immunity and pathogenesis of TB. With its affiliation to NJ Medical School, the clinic is a major teaching site for medical students, residents and fellows.
Outpatient clinic services are provided at the Lattimore Practice for persons with TB, presumed TB, those in contact with persons with TB (contacts), and high-risk individuals with TB infection per the Standards of Care for Active Tuberculosis Disease and Latent TB Infection. Services are also provided to recent immigrants and refugees referred by Division of Global Migration and Quarantine. Patients are assigned to physicians for the length of care to promote continuity. The clinic is operational 5 days per week, and patient care is delivered on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Outreach services, such as directly observed therapy (DOT) and transportation are provided on weekdays (Monday-Friday).
Patient care is delivered through a case management system. Patients are assigned to one of our teams, each supervised by a TB nurse case manager with experienced public health outreach staff. The TB nurse case manager is responsible for coordinating and managing total patient care. This includes: (1) chart review, (2) monitoring of smear and culture results and sensitivities (3) ensuring monthly clinician evaluation (4) monitoring adherence to regimens through review of DOT records and (5) contact investigation. Team meetings are held to discuss new patients and any challenges in care. The multidisciplinary model of care in the Lattimore Practice has been shared for replication nationally and internationally.