June 8 2022 – Homeless patients can receive primary care at the Health Care District of Palm Beach County’s new clinic at St. Ann Place, a daytime outreach center at 2107 N. Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach that offers social services to our neighbors without homes. The clinic, which opened in December, is staffed by a registered nurse with the Health Care District‘s C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics and is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., when clients visit St. Ann Place for meals, showers and employment assistance. Recently, newly-homeless patients impacted by rent increases are coming for medical care.
“We’re seeing newly-homeless families, younger clients and senior women with advanced health conditions who’ve lost their spouses and don’t know what to do,” said Robert Glass, Associate Director of St. Ann Place and member of the C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics’ Board. “Having a nurse here on a daily basis allows her to see the dynamics of each client and connect with them, which is invaluable as they often don’t have anyone who cares about them in a compassionate way.”
“The Health Care District’s mobile medical clinic was visiting St. Ann Place monthly when we saw this exciting opportunity to partner and expand access to care,” said Belma Andrić, MD, MPH, the Health Care District’s Chief Medical Officer. “Our registered nurse provides physical exams, wound care and other services five days a week. Patients can also be seen by a physician and mental health provider who help coordinate their care. Our goal is to build relationships and trust with clients when they visit St. Ann Place for services so they choose to make the clinic their medical home.”
If ordered by a physician, prescription medications can be delivered to the clinic the same day as the patient’s visit. This is a huge benefit as the patients often have no transportation to pick up their medications.
“Medical and psychological assessments along with access to prescriptions are necessary to help our clients move from the streets into housing,” said John Pescosolido, Executive Director of St. Ann Place. “Having the Health Care District’s primary care clinic within our outreach center staffed by a nurse who is seen as a trusted, familiar face are key to our clients’ road to recovery and a sustained healthy lifestyle.”
50-year-old Marie (who did not wish to use her last name) says St. Ann Place has been a lifesaver since an $800 rent increase this year forced her to live in her car with her service dog. She visits several days a week to take a shower, get food stamps and see the nurse to treat her asthma with a nebulizer, which helps her breathe.
“When I’m outside, it’s hard to use the nebulizer machine because of the high cost of gas to run the car; I can’t afford it,” said Ms. Sanchez. “It’s difficult. Living on the street’s not easy when you need medicines and things like that and places like this are a big help, especially the health care here.”
“I love the work that I do,” said Michelle Cambridge, RN who cares for Marie and other patients without homes at the C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics’ site at St. Ann Place. “Every single day I have an impact on someone’s life.”
For more information, call 561-642-1000 or visit BrumbackClinics.org.
About the Health Care District
The Health Care District of Palm Beach County provides primary medical care and dental services for adults and children at the C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics, a coordinated and lifesaving Trauma System that includes two FAA-certified Trauma Hawk air ambulances, registered nurses in nearly 170 public schools, short and long-term skilled nursing at the Edward J. Healey Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Riviera Beach, and acute care at its teaching hospital, Lakeside Medical Center, which is accredited by The Joint Commission and serves the rural Glades’ communities.
About the C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics
This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number H80CS25684 for Health Center Cluster in the award amount of $7,278,563. Of the total project, 83% is financed with nongovernmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. The C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics were granted Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) deeming status effective January 1, 2022.
