Do You Know of Community Health Centers in Your Area??

[mondo joe]

I recently spoke to a few people who are uninsured who were unaware of Seattle's system of community health centers that provide primary care to the uninsured on a sliding fee scale.

I was surprised that though they have a need for this sort of service they didn't realize it was right in their neighborhood.

I'm wondering if these clinics are just too low profile, or if the need so far exceeds what they can provide.

Whether you need them or not, are you aware of community health centers in your areas?

[NVMojo]

1. we just got one here in Elko, Nevada and I think the word is getting

out ...

[ncrainbowgrrl]

2. Yes. BUT.

I'm also well connected to the community.
I'm a middle class person who gives advice and helps others to low cost/ community health centers almost daily.

I doubt that my answer here really would give any real help to someone looking to see if awareness of such resources exist.

Perhaps someone else can provide a more realistic answer to your question.

Sorry.

:hi:

[mondo joe]

I'm really just trying to get a handle on whether people even know the

clinics exist. Thanks!

[ncrainbowgrrl]

5. Oh, ok!

Then I hope I helped!
:hi:

[MissB]

3. I am aware of them.

My mother lives in a neighboring state and uses them quite frequently. I've never needed to use one (crossing my fingers here), but one of my good friends uses one to obtain certain services that her insurance doesn't cover.

[IsItJustMe]

4. I know of one where a person has been hired for $60,000, suppose to be the

'go to' on terre. That person sits around all day collecting that check. Ain't that America, something to see baby. Your home land tax dollars at work. Absolutly bankrupt.

[mondo joe]

6. "On terre"?

[sandnsea]

7. There's one 60 miles away

In Eugene. The dental clinic makes itself known; the medical clinic, not so much. My step-son has lived in Washington most of his life and didn't even know there were health clinics, I had to find it for him online when he needed to see someone for an ear infection. I would imagine they're pretty full without a program to make more people aware.

[yorkiemommie1]

8. there's one a couple of miles away

it used to be just a mile away.

[Strangefire]

9. A clinic for the uninsured saved my life.

Back in 2004 I was without health insurance (and still am) with an income below poverty-level. I went to a clinic for the uninsured after the hospital emergency room misdiagnosed my case of prolonged pneumonia. If it hadn't been for the volunteer doctors at the clinic, I probably would have eventually died.

They provided me with antibiotics, x-rays and wonderful doctors. I didn't have to pay a cent, and they only asked for a small donation of $3 IF the patient could afford it. The hospital emergency room, however, charged me close to $2000 for a three-hour stay and multiple tests, which didn't even enable them to diagnose me with pneumonia. They basically gave me an inhaler to help with my breathing and said, "see ya".

[mntleo2]

10. 45th Street Denizen Here!

I have been going there for over 10 years. They are awesome. Know why? Because the docs and staff actually CARE. I realize that a lot of docs have heueueuege college bills to pay and can appreciate their needing to make enough to live as well as pay them, but I think for-profit medical clinics are full of docs who could give a rat's ass about anything but making sure their Mercedes is paid for. I am sure they have people who care, but when something is for-profit, the whole thing is about the bottom line, not the patient and it permeates everything, it is just the nature of private industry.

I heard recently that the wealthy actually do not get much better care than the poor and I am sure that part of the reason is that low income clinics are full of docs who actually care about their work and their patients more than making themselves rich. Guess you can pay for about anything but love, huh? It must be sad to have medical care where the only way you can get anybody to give a rat's ass about you is when you pull out your checkbook, lol. So much for the myth that America has "the best health system in the world" huh?

But this is one good thing about poverty. Your friends are your friends because of you, not because of some position you hold in society. I know someone who is a heir to a large fortune and all he can talk about is his money and he is paranoid that everybody is trying to get it from him. I would not trade his life for mine for anything. He is actually a nice person (tho ignorant as a rock even though he has had the best education money can buy). It is just that he lives under a lot of illusions ~ like the economy is just doing swell, there are too many people on the road (except him of course) and all you have to do is pull yourself up by bootstraps you magically get from the daddy-fairy, and everything would be hunky-dory.

My 2 cents

Cat In Seattle

[mykpart]

11. Check out this website:

http://www.nachc.com/

[Sgent]

12. Find community health centers

and other grantees (RHC's, etc) who provide sliding fee service in exchange for grants / increase in Medicare reimbursement here:

http://ask.hrsa.gov/pc/