FOUNDCARE, INC. HOSTS ROUNDTABLE LED BY CONGRESSWOMAN
LOIS FRANKEL IN HONOR OF NATIONAL HEALTH CENTER WEEK
Frankel, Panel Members Highlight “Vital Role” of FoundCare
FoundCare, Inc., a Federally Qualified Health Center located in West Palm Beach, hosted the roundtable discussion Taking the Pulse of Health Care in Palm Beach County on Tuesday, August 9, to highlight National Health Center Week, August 7 through 13. Congresswoman Lois Frankel was joined on a panel by Congressman Ted Deutch, FoundCare Board Member Dr. David Dodson, FoundCare Medical Director Dr. Katina Bonaparte and several FoundCare patients who discussed the critical health care needs met in Palm Beach County by FoundCare’s services.
“Thanks to longstanding bi-partisan support, there are now more than 1,400 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) nationwide,” said Frankel. “What we all understand is that to have a good life, you need good health, and FoundCare provides that for our underserved local residents.”
The panel shared highlights of FoundCare’s “vital statistics,” including:*
- More than 8,700 patients are served annually by FoundCare, for a total of more than 27,000 individual visits.
- 70 percent of whom report their economic status as at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
- More than 65 percent of FoundCare patients are uninsured or covered by Medicaid.
Congressman Deutch noted that besides the health benefits provided by FQHCs such as FoundCare, they create a positive economic impact, as well, including:*
FoundCare had a $16.6 million positive economic impact in Palm Beach County in 2015, and accounts for 168 jobs.
FQHCs create $26 billion in positive economic impact throughout the United States each year.
“We want to make sure that taking care of patients is at the forefront of our community,” said Dr. Bonaparte, who received high praise from three FoundCare patients on the panel. Andrew Kussoy, a former teacher with three masters’ degrees, fought back tears as he described finding himself struggling with neurological and mental health conditions that caused him to be hospitalized and eventually, uninsured and jobless. At his lowest point, he discovered FoundCare through an advertisement.
“I was probably 24 hours away from ending my life when I met her,” Kussoy said of Dr. Bonaparte. “And I was seen by her that same day. She got me in to see four different specialists that day and she literally saved my life. After a few months of treatment, I felt like I had a life worth saving.”
Stories like Kussoy’s are why Frankel, Deutch and FoundCare CEO Yolette Bonnet all noted the importance of the Affordable Care Act, and the effort to expand Medicaid in Florida – an effort that failed to pass in the Florida Legislature last year.
“With Medicaid expansion, we’d be in a position to increase our capacity to serve more patients, especially in the area of mental health,” said Bonnet, “And one of the biggest needs we have is mental health services. The need is so great, but we cannot meet this need at the level we know our community requires.”
Dr. Alina Alonso, director of the Palm Beach County Health Department and a guest at the event, echoed the need for more Federally Qualified Health Centers like FoundCare and expansion of existing services.
“The physicians who come to work at (FQHCs) are the kinds of dedicated people we want to see working with patients,” she said. “This is where medicine needs to go in the United States.”
FoundCare, Inc. is a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center that offers pediatrics, family practice, chronic disease management, infusions, behavioral health counseling, laboratory work, X-rays and dentistry, as well as an on-site pharmacy in two locations in Palm Beach County. FoundCare accepts most insurance, Medicaid, Medicare and self-pay on a sliding fee scale. FoundCare’s hours vary by location and include up to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and Saturday and Sunday mornings. For more information call 561-HEALTHY (561-432-5849) or visit .
*Data from the Florida Association of Community Health Centers and FoundCare, Inc.