Parker Family Health Center Inc

THE MISSION OF THE PARKER FAMILY HEALTH CENTER IS TO OPERATE A FREE HEALTH CARE CLINIC WHERE MONMOUTH COUNTY RESIDENTS WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE OR THE MEANS TO PAY FOR MEDICAL CARE CAN BE TREATED WITH DIGNITY AND COMPASSION.

INTRODUCTION: PARKER FAMILY HEALTH CENTER (PFHC) OPENED IN 2000. THIS VOLUNTEER-BASED HEALTH CARE CLINIC OFFERS FULL-SPECTRUM HEALTHCARE, FREE OF CHARGE, TO LOW-INCOME MONMOUTH COUNTY RESIDENTS WHO ARE UNINSURED OR WITHOUT THE MEANS TO PAY FOR MEDICAL CARE. PARKER PROVIDES CULTURALLY SENSITIVE, COMPREHENSIVE CARE WITH THE DIGNITY THAT EVERY PATIENT DESERVES AND CAREFULLY COORDINATES PATIENT CARE ACROSS THE BROADER HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. THE MAJORITY OF PFHC PATIENTS HAVE INCOMES NEAR OR BELOW THE FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL, EXPERIENCING SEVERE ECONOMIC HARDSHIP ON A DAILY BASIS. VOLUNTEER MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS COMPRISE THE MAJORITY OF PARKERS HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS, WITH OVER 100 DOCTORS, NURSES AND OTHER CLINICAL VOLUNTEERS DONATING MORE THAN 10,000 HOURS EACH YEAR TO HELP THE UNDERSERVED IN MONMOUTH COUNTY. OBJECTIVE: PFHCS OBJECTIVE IS TO KEEP COMMUNITY MEMBERS HEALTHY, ABLE TO WORK, AND TAKE CARE OF THEIR FAMILIES. HEALTHCARE AT PFHC HELPS LOWER COSTS AND STRESS ON THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE SYSTEM BY REDUCING THE NUMBER OF EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISITS AND HIGH-COST MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS FOR UNTREATED DISEASE. THE HEALTH OF ONE IMPACTS THE HEALTH OF ALL. OVERVIEW: PFHC FOCUSES ON PRIMARY CARE/PREVENTIVE CARE, CHRONIC DISEASE MANAGEMENT, WOMENS WELLNESS, AND CHILDRENS HEALTH, AS THE AREAS OF GREATEST IMPACT. SPECIFIC SERVICES INCLUDE DIABETES, HEART DISEASE, AND HYPERTENSION MANAGEMENT; WELL-CHILD VISITS; ADULT AND CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATIONS; EMPLOYMENT AND SCHOOL PHYSICALS; WOMEN'S WELLNESS VISITS; AND CANCER SCREENINGS. AN AFFORDABLE PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION PROGRAM IS ALSO AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF CARE AT THE CLINIC, AS ARE ON-SITE SOCIAL WORKER SERVICES. NEW SERVICES RECENTLY INTRODUCED FOCUS ON MENTAL HEALTH, A 6-MONTH HOLISTIC HYPERTENSION MANAGEMENT PROGRAM AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE COVID-19 VACCINE FOR THE GENERAL COMMUNITY. IN ADDITION, PHLEBOTOMY SERVICES ARE NOW AVAILABLE ON SITE. DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM SERVICES **CHRONIC DISEASE** MANAGEMENT PFHC FOCUSES ON PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASES AND PROVIDES HEALTHCARE RESOURCES FOR PATIENTS WITH THE GREATEST NEED FOR EFFECTIVE MEDICAL TREATMENT. PARKER DIABETIC PATIENTS CONSISTENTLY REPORT BETTER CONTROL OF BLOOD SUGAR (A1C) LEVELS THAN A COMPARABLE MEDICARE/MEDICAID POPULATION. ASTHMA, HYPERTENSION AND HEART DISEASE ARE ALSO SIGNIFICANT CO-OCCURRING HEALTH PROBLEMS BEING TREATED UNDER THE CHRONIC DISEASE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM. **COMPREHENSIVE WOMEN'S HEALTH** PFHC ENSURES THAT ADULT FEMALE PATIENTS RECEIVE ANNUAL WELL-WOMAN CARE, INCLUDING MAMMOGRAMS AND PAP TESTS. IN 2021, 543 WOMEN RECEIVED CARE THROUGH THE WOMENS WELLNESS PROGRAM. **CHILDREN'S HEALTH** THE PFHC PEDIATRIC PROGRAM PROVIDES COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES FOR CHILDREN AGES 5 THROUGH 18. IN 2021, 138 CHILDREN RECEIVED CARE, INCLUDING WELL-CHILD AND SCHOOL PHYSICALS. 285 VACCINATIONS WERE ADMINISTERED. CHILDREN AGES 5 THROUGH 14 ARE ALSO PROVIDED WITH FREE DENTAL SERVICES OFF SITE BY PFHC VOLUNTEER PEDIATRIC DENTISTS. **HYPERTENSION** IN 2021, PFHC CONTINUED WITH ITS SPECIALIZED SIX-MONTH INTEGRATIVE HYPERTENSION PROGRAM. THIS PROGRAM, WHICH INCLUDES COUNSELING FROM A TRILINGUAL NUTRITIONIST, HELPS HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS ACHIEVE BLOOD PRESSURE GOALS THROUGH AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH, WHICH EDUCATES PATIENTS ON TECHNIQUES FOR REDUCING STRESS, EXERCISING, AND SLEEPING BETTER TO IMPROVE HEALTH. **SPECIALTY SERVICES** ALMOST ALL SPECIALIST VOLUNTEERS PROVIDE THEIR SERVICES ON-SITE AT THE CLINIC, WITH A LIMITED FEW SEEING PATIENTS AT OFFICE LOCATIONS. SPECIALTY SERVICES INCLUDE ENT SERVICES, GYNECOLOGY, OPTOMETRY, OPHTHALMOLOGY, GASTROENTEROLOGY, ENDOCRINOLOGY, PULMONOLOGY, CARDIOLOGY, RHEUMATOLOGY, PODIATRY, ORTHOPEDICS, HEMATOLOGY, NEUROLOGY, NEPHROLOGY, AND WOUND CARE. **MENTAL HEALTH** UTILIZING PFHCS TELEHEALTH PLATFORM, A VOLUNTEER LICENSED COUNSELOR WORKS WITH PATIENTS THROUGH TALK THERAPY. **FOOD INSECURITY** PFHC CONTINUES TO OFFER AN ON-SITE MONTHLY MOBILE PANTRY IN COLLABORATION WITH FULFILL OF MONMOUTH & OCEAN, PROVIDING NUTRITIOUS GROCERIES AND OTHER FOOD ITEMS FREE OF CHARGE TO THOSE IN NEED. **PHARMACY ASSISTANCE** PFHC ENSURES ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL MEDICATIONS BY ASSISTING PATIENTS WITH APPLICATIONS TO THE PHARMACY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND BY DIRECTING THEM TO OTHER DISCOUNT PROGRAMS OR LOW-COST MEDICATION SOLUTIONS. IN 2021, OVER $800,000 IN PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS WERE DISTRIBUTED THROUGH THE PHARMACY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. **SOCIAL WORKER** TO HELP ADDRESS THOSE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS THAT IMPACT HEALTH FOR LOW-INCOME PATIENT POPULATIONS, PFHCS ON-SITE SOCIAL WORKER CONNECTS PATIENTS WITH COMMUNITY-BASED RESOURCES FOR INCOME SUPPORT, INSURANCE NAVIGATION, HOUSING OPTIONS, FOOD BANKS, AND OTHER CRITICAL SERVICES, AS WELL AS HELPS PATIENTS TO TRANSITION TO OTHER MEDICAL PROVIDERS. **COVID-19 RESPONSE** THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC CONTINUED TO TRANSFORM PFHC IN 2021 IN WAYS THAT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN IMAGINED. OUT OF NECESSITY, THE DELIVERY OF HEALTHCARE VIA A RAPIDLY ADOPTED TELEHEALTH SYSTEM ALLOWED PFHC TO SEAMLESSLY CONTINUE TREATING PATIENTS WHILST OPTIMIZING COVID-19 SAFETY PROTOCOLS. VERY QUICKLY, THE ROLE TELEHEALTH PLAYS IN HELPING PFHC EXPAND ITS SERVICE DELIVERY AND GEOGRAPHIC FOOTPRINT IN MONMOUTH COUNTY HAS BECOME APPARENT. ADDITIONALLY, AN ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS (EMR) SYSTEM, IMPLEMENTED IN 2020, COMPLEMENTS THE TELEHEALTH DELIVERY PLATFORM AND DELIVERS EFFICIENCIES IN PFHCS INTERACTIONS WITH THE OTHER COLLABORATORS. LATE IN 2020, PFHC WAS APPROVED AS A COVID-19 VACCINE DELIVERY CENTER AND CONTINUES TO ADMINISTER VACCINES TO PATIENTS AND COMMUNITY RESIDENTS ON A REGULAR BASIS. TO DATE, OVER 7,500 VACCINATIONS HAVE BEEN ADMINISTERED THROUGH THIS PROGRAM. **EDUCATION** PFHC IS COMMITTED TO PROVIDING A HANDS-ON CLINICAL EXPERIENCE FOR QUALIFIED PRE-MED UNDERGRADUATES, MEDICAL AND NURSING STUDENTS, AND OTHERS PURSUING THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS, THEREBY CONTRIBUTING TO THE FLOW OF NEW MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS INTO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.