Posts Tagged ‘Clinic’
Central Florida Health Care expects to have a primary care clinic up and running in Winter Haven by this time next year. A ground breaking took place Monday on the Winter Haven site where the 10,000-square-foot building will be. More than 60 people attended, including city and county elected officials and area residents.
Central Florida Health Care will lease the building that’s being built at First Street and Avenue O Northwest, across from the Winter Haven Post Office. The new clinic will be near a bus shelter and a senior apartment complex and the Winter Haven Police Department, said Gaye Williams, chief executive officer of Central Florida Health Care.
Construction is scheduled to start in the spring.
“It’s very exciting,” Williams said. “We’ve wanted this for a long time.”
The opening can’t come too soon for Polk Ecumenical Action Council for Empowerment, a grassroots group spearheaded by churches countywide, whose members continue pressing the Polk County Commission for five primary care centers.
This would be the second primary care center receiving funds from Polk County’s indigent care sales tax, which Polk voters approved in 2004. The other is Lakeland Primary Care, also operated by Central Florida.
Lakeland Regional Medical Center paid renovation costs for an existing building to help establish Lakeland Primary Care. Winter Haven Hospital expects to help with the Winter Haven clinic, but the details haven’t been finalized.
“We believe it will move some people who currently get their care in the emergency room to that clinic,” said WHH President Lance Anastasio, adding, “Even with our emergency department and our (hospital-run) primary care centers, there’s unmet need.”
Polk County has a shortage of primary care doctors, who are necessary to give people a “medical home” for coordinated care, he said.
The primary care center in Winter Haven will be less than a mile from the hospital and have some night and weekend hours, Anastasio said. He said he thinks those factors will encourage people to use it for regular care, reducing their need for emergency room visits.
Central Florida, which receives some federal support as a federally qualified health center, celebrated its 37th anniversary this year. It has clinics in Frostproof. Dundee, Lakeland, Wauchula and Avon Park.
As a federally qualified center, Central Florida doesn’t require patients to have health insurance. It charges uninsured patients on a sliding scale based on their income. Its percentage of uninsured patients has increased with the economic slowdown, Williams said.
You finally can get an H1N1 swine flu shot, no matter who you are.
The Pueblo City-County Health Department has scheduled two swine flu clinics for the general public, not just for people with a higher risk for the disease.
The first clinic will be held Saturday and the second will be held Dec. 12.
The health department is offering the vaccine shots and doses of nasal mist for free, according to spokeswoman Sara Bruestle. You do not need to bring identification, an insurance card or anything else. The vaccines are being paid for with federal funds given to the health department. The department has held several clinics since the H1N1 swine flu broke out this fall. But those were available only to people in high-risk groups because of the limited supply of vaccine.
That’s not a problem anymore, Bruestle said. The department can give up to 2,500 doses of the vaccine Saturday, either by shot or by nasal mist.
The department will be getting another shipment of the vaccine next week, so there will be plenty of vaccine for the Dec. 12 clinic too, she said.
Thousands of people turned out for earlier flu vaccine clinics and the health department expects large crowds for the two Saturday clinics, Bruestle said. The department has hired security and organized its paperwork and vaccination areas at the schools to keep people from being crowded together during the cold and flu season. People who want a vaccination should come to the main doors and be prepared to stand in line. There will be no seating. Anyone who needs oxygen or a wheelchair should bring those, although some wheelchairs will be available.
The average wait for a vaccination has been between 45 minutes and an hour, Bruestle said. She suggested bringing a snack or eating something before coming and to remain patient.
She cautioned people against lining up too early, saying some people have come as early as 7 a.m.
“We don’t open the doors until we are ready at 10 a.m.,” she said. “We ask that they don’t show up that early (at 7 a.m.), because it’ll be very cold.”
The lines usually have tapered off after lunch, Bruestle said, so she suggested not coming until later.
Jennifer Ludwig, head of the health department’s prevention and preparedness department, said some people have opted for the nasal mist to avoid the pain of a shot. Others have asked for a shot because of concerns that the nasal mist contains live flu virus, though it is very much weakened.
People with asthma should not have the nasal mist, she said, because it can trigger an asthma attack.
Neither vaccination is recommended for people who are ill, who have certain underlying medical conditions, who have had a live vaccine in the last 30 days or who are allergic to eggs.
The clinics would be a good time to get the second dose recommended for children 9 and younger who already have received one dose. Parents also can call and make an appointment to get a second dose at the health department’s office, 101 W. Ninth St., by calling the Public Health Flu Hotline at 583-4440 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.
Bruestle said the department will have signs at schools reinforcing the message.
The swine flu has hit children the most, but Ludwig said you should bring your children even if they’ve been sick with something this fall or winter. There have been too many varieties of colds and flu going around to know for sure if your child has had the H1N1 flu and “it won’t hurt anything to get vaccinated even if they had the flu.”
Ludwig said the flu has started to affect more older people, according to informal local and state reports. This is the first chance for those people to be vaccinated.
Above all, health officials asked people who come to be patient. There will be plenty of vaccine and the lines will move along, even if it doesn’t always feel like it.
Silais health clinics are government competency for the low income population. These clinics are located throughout the country. Their main objective is to provide basic health care, standard first aid, and providing continuation through pregnancy and post-delivery women, since 50% of pregnant women are under age. They also attend to newborns on follow up of their vaccines, and illness. Coordinate day’s journey on vaccination for the entire population, and provide the medication for different illness such as diarrhea, flu, lung infection, minor cuts and surgery. Another interesting fact is that the hospital offers pre-natal counseling on how to go through a healthy pregnancy, since in Carazo is the highest range of pre-natal death in Nicaragua
Volunteers can assist by doing following tasks:- 1- to assist doctors in hands-on work with patients. 2- help the population to understand the importance of preventing disease. 3- psychologist: we need seminars for the staff. 4- nurse training for the staff. 5- training in computer data base design and general programming. Volunteers must be of age 24 or above with minimum education of Undergraduation.
What is the purpose of this organization? Silais Health Clinics are run by the Ministry of Health and cater to the low-income population.
These clinics are located throughout the country but the main location is in Diriamba. Their main objective is to provide basic health care, standard first aid, pre- and post-natal care to pregnant women (usually teenagers) and their infants. They also provide vaccinations and medications and serve as an emergency room for minor injuries and surgery.
What community(s) does this organization assist? The main clinic is in Diriamba but they also run small clinics in the rural areas of La Trinidad, Casarez, San Gregorio, and Buena Vista. In addition they have 25 homes that they visit once a month to provide all of the services mentioned above. They have 50 certified midwives and 54 volunteers.
olunteers with the following special skills are preferred : Nurse Medical Student HIV/AIDS Awareness Training Public Health Sexual & Reproductive Health Training
Basecamp International Centers welcomes all the interested volunteers from around the world to volunteer and make a difference. If you are interested in this placement then please contact us for the details:
Email: info@basecampcenters.com
Website: www.basecampcenters.com
Mailing Address :-186 Princess Street Kingston, Ontario Canada, K7L 1B1
Phone: 613.541.7862
Toll Free : 866.646.4693
Fax: 613.541.1604