The Lacoochee Family Health Center, a Premier Community Healthcare Group satellite location, hosted an open house on April 20 to celebrate the location’s first anniversary.
The event was at the Stanley Park Lacoochee Community Center in Dade City.
The center served nearly 400 patients during 2015, according to a news release.
The Lacoochee health center opened in response to a need expressed by the community, said Cheryl Pollock, director of business development for Premier.
Premier is dedicated to providing high quality, affordable, accessible medical care to Medicaid/Medicare recipients, uninsured and underserved communities of Pasco County.
Premier provides a full range of comprehensive primary care medical services that include family medicine, pediatrics, dental, behavioral health, obstetrics and gynecology.
The center in Lacoochee was opened in response to the community’s request for more accessible health care, Pollock said. Most of its patients walk to the clinic.
It provides a wide range of services, and it can provide bus passes to help people who need to go to other locations for services it doesn’t provide, Pollock said.
The center in Lacoochee is not funded with grant money, so its operations must be paid for through fundraising efforts, she added.
Statistics for the first year of operations show that 47 percent of patients were on Medicaid, 31 percent were uninsured or opted to self-pay, 12 percent were classified with private insurance, 6 percent were on Medicare, and 4 percent were classified as “other.”
Of those served, 24 percent were under age 17, and the rest were adults.
Also, 37 percent of all patients received services through same-day appointments.
The 600-square-foot clinic is staffed by a nurse, a provider and a clerical worker, Pollock said.
The equipment and furnishings were provided by the Florida Medical Clinic Foundation. The clinic space is also provided for free, through a coalition of community organizations.
The anniversary celebration was held to help draw attention to the center and to encourage more people to take advantage of the availability of primary health care services in the area.
Those attending had a chance to pick up information about health care services and enjoy some refreshments.
Premier Community Healthcare has eight offices throughout Pasco County.
Published April 27, 2016
