FEBRUARY EDITION, VOLUME 2022, NO. 2
WE CARE NETWORK: FULFILLING THE MISSION FOR 30 YEARS By Diana Bixler, We Care Network Program Coordinator We Care Network’s mission: To provide a safety net to low-income, uninsured adult patients most in need in our community through the coordination of donated specialty medical and dental healthcare. The Capital Medical Society Foundation created the We Care Network program in 1992 to effectively and collaboratively serve the underserved community in Leon County. Later, the program expanded to include Jefferson, Wakulla, and Gadsden County patients. In 2003, the program expanded yet again to include specialty medical and dental patients. We Care Network patients must meet specific qualifying criteria for program eligibility. The criteria include having a household income at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Level. The Federal Poverty Level is updated annually by the Federal Department of Health and Human Services. Eligible patients must also reside in Leon, Gadsden, Jefferson, or Wakulla County, have no health or dental insurance, and need specialty healthcare. The We Care Network does not provide primary healthcare services. Primary care services are most often provided through Federally Qualified Health
Centers (FQHC). These FQHCs serve a similar target population as the We Care Network, and they play a vital role in referring patients from primary healthcare services to specialty healthcare services. Since its inception, the We Care Network program has coordinated over $120 million in donated specialty medical and dental healthcare. With a local network of over 300 physicians and 40 dentists, the program can serve nearly 2,000 patients each year for various specialties. Medical specialties participating in the program include Anesthesiology, Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Gynecology, Nephrology, Oncology, Orthopedics, Pathology, Physical Therapy, and Radiology – to name a few. Dental specialties include Endodontics, General Dentistry (such as extractions and fillings), Oral Surgery, Periodontics, and Prosthodontics (partials and full set of dentures). The providers in our network offer urgent, often life-saving care to those in our community who have no other means to receive the healthcare they need. Access to healthcare is a significant barrier to seeking medical treatment, locally and globally. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
CAPITAL MEDICAL SOCIETY 2022 MEETINGS CALENDAR February 15, 2022 Virtual CME (1-Hour) Topic: Update in Gynecologic Oncology Speaker: Margarett Ellison, M.D. 6:30 pm
March 31, 2022 Celebration Awards Dinner 6:30 pm Venue: TBA
