WHOLE FAMILY HEALTH CENTER INC

Whole Family Health Center (WFHC), a 501(c)(3) organization, is designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as an 'Essential Community Provider' and earned Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) look-alike status in 2017. WFHC's goal is to provide access to quality affordable healthcare to the most at-risk populations in our community. WFHC is a federally designated provider of healthcare services for individuals with limited access to care and resources. WFHC strives to provide compassionate, affordable healthcare services to those in our community. Through an integrated healthcare model, WFHC provides services to patients who otherwise may not have access to healthcare in Indian River and St. Lucie Counties. WFHC receives no annual regular federal funding. WFHC accepts most insurance and offers a sliding fee discount program. It is our policy to provide care to every individual regardless of their socioeconomic status and ability to pay.

WFHC began as ‘AIDS Research and Treatment Center of the Treasure Coast’ (ARTCTC) in 1997, founded by Dr. Gerald Pierone, Infectious Disease Specialist. Dr. Pierone currently serves WFHC as the acting Chief Medical Officer, overseeing all clinical initiatives and directing our infectious disease program. WFHC offers testing, treatment, and care of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C (Hep C), and common STIs. As a community healthcare provider of HIV/AIDS services for over twenty years, the organization was well poised to become a medical home for members of the community who were not currently accessing healthcare.

In 2020, we established The Pierone Research Institute, the research arm of Whole Family Health Center. Given our previous focus on infectious diseases and HIV/AIDS treatment, this put us in a perfect position to be on the cutting edge of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the 346,338 total target population, 35%, or 119,533, are low income. More than 85% of these individuals have Medicaid, other public insurance, or are uninsured. (UDS Mapper, 2019). Given the population growth and the negative effects of the pandemic on our target community, there is a clear need for additional safety net providers and WFHC has worked diligently to become part of this solution.

Our goals for the coming years, center around our intention to continue expanding access to health care to our community. Additionally, we are looking for opportunities to expand into our medical care specialties including but not limited to vision and dental.

At Whole Family Health Center, we strive to provide a health care home from birth through adulthood. We do this through a comprehensive array of medical, mental health, and social services for anyone that needs access to quality, affordable healthcare. We will continue to grow our patient base through outreach, advertising, and patient referral.

WFHC established itself as the go-to medical facility for COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccines throughout the pandemic. As of January 2022, we administered over 31,000 COVID-19 vaccines and 20,000 tests. WFHC also partnered with the NIH & NIAID to conduct clinical trials for various treatment options, including monoclonal antibodies. This initiative made us the only dedicated monoclonal antibody treatment center in Vero Beach providing this lifesaving treatment to over 600 people. This additional exposure has played a large role in our patient growth for 2021.

WFHC continues to increase its outreach within the community so more underserved patients gain access to care. Additional funding dollars have been used to increase our office capacity and expand services that WFHC offers to its existing and potential patients.

Outreach is also critical to our expansion. WFHC participates in health fairs and other community events to provide education and promote our services. Our target population is often plagued with transportation barriers, access to care, and patient compliance issues, so WFHC also makes every effort to make patients aware of available services when they are present in the office. Social services staff is housed at each location to assist clients with eligibility screening, verification, and identification of valuable community resources.

Whole Family Health Center has a dedicated team of providers that specialize in Adult & Primary Care, Behavioral Health, two on-site 340B Pharmacies, Social Services, On-site Lab, Transportation, Clinical Research. WFHC is also nearing the end of a full renovation of both main medical facilities in Vero Beach and Fort Pierce, FL. This has allowed WFHC the ability to grow our physical footprint along with our patient numbers.

Additionally, we will achieve our goals for the expansion of access to care through recruiting additional providers as well as clinical and support staff to provide the best possible care to our patients. In 2021, we expanded our Human Resources team to include additional support staff. This allows us to focus on bringing on and training quality candidates for our open positions.

Most importantly, we are continuing to hire additional providers and clinical staff for our adult & pediatric primary care, behavioral health, and pharmacy departments. This will allow us both to meet the current demand for patient care and continue to grow along with our community.

According to UDS, Whole Family Health Center treated over 11,500 patients in 2021. This reflects a 40% increase from the previous year’s totals. Additionally, WFHC has acquired additional facilities that in time will allow us to expand both our existing facilities as well as add additional clinical locations.

WFHC has also more than doubled the number of providers to meet the demand in patient growth that we have seen year over year.

We feel that our approach to testing, vaccinations, and treatment for COVID-19 has played a large role in our 2021 patient growth. As of January 2022, we administered over 31,000 COVID-19 vaccines and 20,000 tests. The increased exposure to our services as well as the influx of donations has allowed us to continue to advance our goals in the future.