The Health Care District of Palm Beach County has been awarded a U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant that will support the District’s new role as a provider of primary care services at the Palm Beach County Health Department’s four public health clinics. This is the first step in a collaborative process between the Health Care District and the Health Department that will allow nearly 64,000 adult and pediatric patients each year to continue to receive primary care at these Federally Qualified Health Centers.
The transition process will take approximately six months to implement and involves adult and pediatric services at the health clinics in West Palm Beach, Lantana/Lake Worth, Delray Beach, and Belle Glade. The Palm Beach County Health Department will continue to provide these services at the sites during the transition period. The other services provided at these facilities, including WIC, Dental, Family Planning, Homeless Care, Communicable Disease testing and counseling, maternity, immunizations, health coverage counseling, and Legal Aid services, will continue to operate as normal in the current clinic locations.
Many of the patients served at the health centers are members of the Health Care District’s health coverage programs. The Health Care District’s Eligibility Offices and Pharmacies are also located at the four sites.
Transition plans include the implementation of an Electronic Health Record system as well as the hiring of a 78-member medical team, including doctors, nurses and related support personnel, to serve the primary care needs of existing and future patients.
