Sunday, April 27, 2025
4/27/2025
Teaching Health Center Planning and Development Program - Eligible Entity Type: Federally Qualified Health Center Project Director: Jamie Ulmer Phone Number: (239)658-3000 Email Address: julmer@healthcareswfl.org Website Address: http://www.healthcareswfl.org City, State: Immokalee, FL Proposed Residency Type: Family Medicine Funding Preference Statement: Not applicable Population Target Areas: Immokalee Funding Amount Requested (total for two-year project period): $500,000 Projected Number of Residents in the Program: 12 (4-1st year 4-2nd year 4-3rd year) Expected ACGME Accreditation and Residency Matriculation Dates: December 1, 2024 Collier Health Services Inc., d/b/a Healthcare Network (HCN) was founded in 1977 to serve migrant farmworkers and their families in Immokalee, FL. The mission of HCN is to provide quality healthcare accessible to everyone in our community, regardless of ability to pay. HCN provides primary healthcare including internal medicine, family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics as well as dental care and integrated behavioral health care for adults and children. Needs and Barriers: Collier County, Florida has been designated a Medically Underserved Area and a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). The recent Auto-HPSA Preview 5 Report scored Collier County primary care at 21, dental health at 25, and Mental Health at 22, high scores with 26 representing severe shortages. Four census tracts in Collier County have also been designated as a HPSA due to the high level of low-income population. HCN provides care for migrant farmworkers of Mexican, Guatemalan, Haitian, and many other backgrounds. Many patients are insured through Medicaid while many are also uninsured, self-pay patients and are placed under a sliding fee. These patients present for both immediately necessary services as well as comprehensive treatment. In addition to serving the migrant farmworker population, HCN also provides care to a large portion of the greater Collier community. HCN accepts a majority of both public and private insurances. Twenty-six percent of Healthcare Network’s patients are under the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and 74% are under 200% of FPL, qualifying for our sliding fee discounts. Sixty-four percent are Hispanic and 15% are black. Twenty-six percent of our adult patients are uninsured, as Florida has not expanded Medicaid to adults. Thirty percent of HCN’s patients live in Immokalee; ZIP code 34142 & 34143, which has the highest level of uninsured residents in Collier County. Addressing the Need: Healthcare Network, as a patient centered medical home, is the largest primary care provider in the area and serves 2 out of 20 people, 4 out of 10 children, and 4 out of 5 people living in poverty. In 2021, we provided more than $12.8M in uncompensated healthcare to children and their families. The medically underserved postpone necessary care and forego preventive care. These families are more likely to use emergency rooms for treatment and be hospitalized for preventable conditions. At HCN, no patient will be denied access to services due to inability to pay. HCN uses a sliding–fee scale based on proof of income and individual patient’s ability to pay and accepts payment from third-party governmental and commercial payers. Sixty-five percent of our 396 staff members are Hispanic and fourteen percent are Black, and most are also bilingual to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate care which is representative of the service area.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).