Health News: Free and Low Cost Health Care in Palm Beach County

Hi Everyone!
As an middle aged, uninsured woman, I’m always researching affordable health care resources available to me here locally.

I found a helpful article, “Help for the Uninsured,” by Phil Galewitz and Christine Stapleton, in the Palm Beach Post on March 9, 2009.  [March 29, 2013: Unfortunately, the link directly to that page is now gone.  Please see the information below, sourced from that article]:

*Health Care District (HCD) of Palm Beach County
Apply for low-cost or free health coverage if you are a county resident.
(561) 659-1270

There is a local HCD of PB County Lantana-Lake Worth Center located here in Lantana:
1250 Southwinds Drive
Lantana, FL 33462
(561) 547-6800
Hours: 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday
2nd Saturday of each month
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Website: http://www.pbchd.com/centers/center_lakeworth_lantana.html

Directions:
If going west on Lantana Road, turn right on Andrew Redding Road, at the Florida Highway Patrol Office/Dept. of Motor Vehicle Registrations.
If going east, turn left onto Andrew Redding Road.

*Palm Beach County Medical Society’s Project Access
A program of volunteer doctors who treat the uninsured.
(561) 433-3940

*Florida Department of children and Families’ ACCESS Florida
Apply for Medicaid.

Galewitz and Stapleton  also list a number of clinics in our area, and programs with sliding/varying fees:

Other Free Clinics

*Caridad Center
A free health clinic based in West Boynton Beach.
(561) 737-6336

*Community Health Center
A free health clinic on 2823 N. Australian Ave in West Palm Beach.
(561) 840-8681

*Carelink International
Free health clinic in Jupiter at 412 Center Street, located immediately east of Beacon Baptist Church.
(561) 818-4937

Sliding Fee Scale

*Palm Beach County Health Department
Provides primary and dental care on a sliding fee scale. Family planning and prenatal care also available, as are testing and treatment of communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDs, hepatitis C. Clinics are located at various locations within Palm Beach County, including Belle Glade, Delray Beach, Jupiter, Lantana/Lake Worth, Pahokee, Riviera Beach and West Palm Beach.
(561) 840-4500

*Florida Community Health Centers
Provides primary care on a sliding fee scale. Centers are located throughout Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast, including Ft. Pierce, Pahokee, Port St. Lucie.
In Palm Beach County, there is a center located at
4450 South Tiffany Drive
West Palm Beach, Florida 33407
Phone: (561) 844-9443

*FAU Wellness Centers
Provide primary care services on a sliding fee scale. Locations in Delray Beach and West Palm Beach below….

Delray Beach Full Service Center
(Satellite at Carver Estates)
S.W. 14 th Avenue
Delray Beach, FL 33444
Phone: (561) 243-1573
Fax: (561) 279-1765

West Gate Community Wellness Center
1650 Osceola Drive
West Palm Beach, FL 33409
Phone: (561) 616-4101
Fax: (561) 616-4179
Director: Susan Beidler, PhD, Mbe, ARNP, BC
 Specific Types of Health Care

*Palm Beach State College Dental Health Services
4200 Congress Ave, Lake Worth 33461
Ph: (561) 868-3757
“…a  teaching  facility in which students enrolled in the Dental Hygiene program provide preventive dental care to the community.”
PBSC also has other helpful community dental services listed on its site at
http://www.palmbeachstate.edu/programs/dentalhealth/documents/CommunityDentalResources.pdf

*H.O.P.E. Project Mobile Mammography Van
To schedule a free mammogram, call (561) 659-4278

*Hanley Center
Hanley offers free substance abuse screening for adults and adolescents and a free program for children of addicts and alcoholics. (561) 841-1000 or 866-4HANLEY.
Call(561) 841-1000 or 866-4HANLEY.

*Pparx.com
Pparx.com, a partnership between doctors, pharmaceutical companies and other health care providers, patient advocacy organizations and community groups to help qualifying patients who lack prescription coverage get the medicines they need through the public or private program that’s right for them. Many will get them free or nearly free. 1-888-4PPA-NOW (1-888-477-2669).

There are also low cost/free health insurance programs listed in the article.   I’ll provide more information on some of these in another upcoming posting.

Take a look also at Lantana Public Library’s Help in Hard Times web page!