[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 18879-18880]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING FOUNDCARE HEALTH CENTER AS THE FIRST FEDERALLY QUALIFIED 
            HEALTH CENTER LOOK-ALIKE IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 2, 2010

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
FoundCare Health Center (FoundCare) in West Palm Beach, Florida, which 
recently received Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Look-Alike 
status. As you know, the FQHC Program is administered by the Health 
Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the Department of 
Health and Human Services and designates health centers that provide 
essential primary and preventive health care services to low-income, 
medically underserved, and vulnerable populations that traditionally 
have limited access to affordable services and face the greatest 
barriers to care. FoundCare's mission to provide health care services 
to all people, regardless of their ability to pay, is to be lauded.
  The designation of FoundCare Health Center as the first FQHC Look-
Alike in the State of Florida is a true testament to health care reform 
and expanding access to affordable, quality health care for all. At a 
time when millions of Americans are unemployed and uninsured, FoundCare 
provides an invaluable service to the community and is a vital 
component in our nation's health care network. The sad reality is that 
more than a quarter million children and adults in Palm Beach County 
are uninsured. To make matters worse, 60 percent of the uninsured are 
eligible for some type of insurance program but are not enrolled. It is 
unconscionable that so many families and individuals continue to suffer 
when help is available to them.
  FoundCare provides essential primary and preventive health care 
services to those who might otherwise forgo medical care for themselves 
and their children. To best meet the needs of its patients, it operates 
with expanded hours to accommodate families, provides multilingual 
services in English, Spanish, French and Creole, employs efficient 
electronic medical records systems of care, and will soon also provide 
dental and pharmacy services. Furthermore, FoundCare helps individuals 
navigate the application process for Medicare, Medicaid, Florida 
KidCare, and other programs, and, together with Project Access 
partners, makes sure that patients can also access the specialty care 
they need. When fully funded, FoundCare has the capacity for more than 
10,000 unduplicated patients per year. This is truly remarkable.
  I have had the privilege of being involved with this visionary 
project from the start and am continually amazed by the extraordinary 
dedication and compassion of the men and women who work at FoundCare. 
Since it opened its doors in January 2009, FoundCare has provided 
access to quality health care for over 2,400 new uninsured and 
underinsured Palm Beach County residents. Currently, 77 percent of 
FoundCare's patients, who range in

[[Page 18880]]

age from infancy to 84 and are nearly two-thirds female, do not have 
health insurance. In addition, more than 70 percent of patients have 
incomes below the federal poverty level. They visited FoundCare an 
average of nearly three times per year for various health concerns, 
including hypertension, diabetes, infectious disease, asthma, obesity, 
and women's health.
  Madam Speaker, FoundCare's commitment to improving community health 
is an inspiration to us all. There is no doubt in my mind that, at this 
rate, it will soon become a Federally Qualified Health Center. As we 
recognize FoundCare's tremendous success, I would like to take this 
opportunity to thank each and every member of the FoundCare team for 
all the hard work that they continue to do on behalf of their community 
and the health of our nation as a whole.

                          ____________________