DAVENPORT, Fla. — According to the nonprofit KFF, more than 700-thousand Floridians have been removed from our state's Medicaid program since the state revised its eligibility requirements earlier this year.
According to healthcare advocates across the state, many of those folks will fall into a "healthcare gap" —meaning they may not qualify for private insurance or they may not be able to afford enough coverage to meet their needs.
It's a gap that Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) often work to fill. Monday, ABC Action News got a look at one of those centers at work in Davenport.
"Central Florida Health Care, being a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), is considered a safety net care provider. So, we provide care for the uninsured, the underinsured [and] the Medicaid patient population," said the organization's CEO, Ann Claussen.
It's a safety net that the organization said served more than 70,000 people of all socioeconomic backgrounds in 2022.
From dental checkups to pharmacy needs and other specialties, the organization provides care to folks at 15 sites in Polk, Highlands, and Hardee counties.
But Claussen added that as Florida's population grows, the number of people who need access to affordable health care is also growing by the thousands.
And Central Florida Health Care (CFHC) is working to meet that need.
"We're adding a brand-new health center in Frostproof, Florida, that's where we originated in 1972, and we're expanding our services in Winter Haven and in Lakeland. And [in] our Davenport location, we just acquired additional space to be able to provide some specialty care."
CFHC is now focused on raising money to get those projects funded.
"Any health center all in is going to be between $3 and $4 million dollars to build that will all services. So we have embarked on a capital campaign," said Claussen, "We have hired Senior King, who is our Chief Development Officer, who is going to take that on [and] who is going to take that on to raise funds for us to have the capital to expand into our larger health center in Lakeland, [and] a larger health center in Winter Haven and then from there we will just continue to look at the needs of the community."
But in the meantime, they're encouraging those who need care to give them a call.
"We don't turn anybody away. We're not a free clinic but want to be able to see if they're eligible for Medicaid, if they're eligible for whatever coverages that are out there, and if not, then they can go on a sliding fee scale," said Claussen.
