Palm Beach County Medical Society Services Receives $62,850 Grant from The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida

The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida, the philanthropic affiliate of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF), recently presented a $62,850 grant to the Palm Beach County Medical Society Services, Inc (PBCMSS). The funding supports the Project Access Enrollment Project, a physician-led volunteer program to provide health care access to uninsured residents of Palm Beach County.

Palm Beach County Medical Society Services receives a $62,850 grant from The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida to fund their efforts to increase access to health care for insured residents. Pictured are (left to right): Tenna Wiles, executive director, Palm Beach County Medical Society; James Howell, M.D., president of Palm Beach County Medical Society Services; Mario Rubio, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida; Ellen Don, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida; and Susan Wildes, assistant director of The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida.

More than 220,000 residents are without health insurance in Palm Beach County, and the Project Access Enrollment Project is a grassroots effort to address this community-wide issue. Project Access partners with local free clinics and more than 217 volunteer physicians to provide primary medical care, lab and imaging services, access to specialty care referrals, and pharmacy services to its enrolled patients. With the increased funding, a staff coordinator will be hired to increase Project Access program enrollment 75 percent each year, reaching more than 720 patients in two years.

“This grant will help sustain and expand the basic health services we provide to the uninsured residents of Palm Beach County,” said James Howell M.D., president of Palm Beach County Medical Society Services. “This support from The Blue Foundation will enable us to continue enhancing individual access to health care.”