Parker Family Health Center

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 150 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, eyeglasses at no cost to patients through a partnership with New Eyes for the Needy 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 2023, 586 women received care through the Womens Wellness program. **Children's Health** The PFHC Pediatric Program provides comprehensive services for children ages 3 through 18. In 2023, 214 children received care, including well-child and school physicals. Children ages 5 through 14 are also provided with free dental services off site by PFHC volunteer pediatric dentists. **Nutritional Education** In 2023, PFHC continued its nutritional educational programs by providing counseling for patients from a trilingual nutritionist. Parker's 342 diabetic patients receive counseling from a bilingual Certified Diabetic Education and Care Specialist **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 Gynecology, Optometry, Ophthalmology, Gastroenterology, Endocrinology, Pulmonology, Cardiology, Rheumatology, Podiatry, Orthopedics, Hematology, Neurology, Nephrology, and Wound Care. **Cancer Education, Prevention and Screenings** Parker provides a comprehensive program of cancer education, prevention and screening for both men and women. In 2023, over 440 breast and colorectal cancer screenings were performed through the NJ CEED program with over 120 HPV and Pap tests also administered for female patients ages 21 through 65. **Mental Health** Through a partnership with the Mental Health Association of Monmouth County, mental health services have now expanded to over 40 hours a month. Utilizing a goal therapy platform, the number of patients receiving counseling has nearly tripled over previous years. **Food Insecurity** PFHC continues to offer a monthly mobile pantry in collaboration with Fulfill of Monmouth and Ocean Counties and Pilgrim Baptist Church of Red Bank, 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 2023, over $850,000 dollars in prescription medications were distributed through the Pharmacy Assistance Program. Additionally, diabetic patients requiring insulin receive free insulin through a partnership with the Ritesh Shah Charitable Pharmacy. **Social Worker** To help address those social determinants that impact health for under-resourced 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 obtain health insurance if they become eligible. **COVID-19 Response** The Covid-19 pandemic continued to transform PFHC in 2023 in ways that could not have been imagined. Parker continued to partner with the Monmouth County Health Department, ensuring the vaccine reached not only Parker patients, but also other county residents attending various community events. The clinic continues to offer Covid-19 vaccinations to the uninsured and to partner with other organizations for vaccinating those with insurance. 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.