Treasure Coast Community Health (TCCH) started out 30 years ago, in 1993, as a small medical health center in Fellsmere serving rural citrus and ranching populations. But it didn’t stay small. Instead, the widely admired organization has experienced phenomenal growth over the past three decades.
There now are eight full-service health centers – and a ninth on the way – providing pediatric and adult medical care, behavioral and mental health support, dental and vision services, and women’s health and gynecology. It even has its own pharmacy and has become an essential piece of the healthcare fabric in Indian River County.
“We’ve grown to meet the needs of the entire community,” said Vicki Soulé, CEO of TCCH. “We now have 57 providers and a team of 295, making us one of the largest employers in the county.
“In the early 2000s, TCCH was granted money from the state of Florida and the organization expanded the original building to provide dental. A few years later a psychiatrist stepped forward and offered to help set up a mental health division. In addition to our primary care services, we’ve expanded to include specialty services to address substance use abuse, gynecology, diabetes, pediatrics, infectious diseases and remote patient monitoring to name a few,” said Soulé.
“The service area we were granted as a federally qualified health center is Indian River County, but TCCH will accept patients from adjoining counties that don’t have health centers near them.
“TCCH started as a safety net for people who were uninsured or underinsured or those with large deductibles and casualty insurance only,” Soulé continued. “The reality is that we now depend on patients with insurance to balance out those folks who do not give us full payment. We accept most insurances including Medicare and Medicaid.”
As a federally qualified health center, TCCH is held to higher standards than private practices. In order to get their AAAHC accreditation, there are 780 standards to meet. Last year alone they provided services for more than 111,000 patients for medical, dental, vision and behavioral health, and their pharmacy filled 48,000 prescriptions. The FQHC status allows them to offer the best medicines in the county, although prescriptions can only be filled for TCCH patients, and they are not open to accepting scripts from other doctors.
“Many people are seeing their physicians move to concierge models and are looking to switch doctors,” Soulé noted. “Many don’t realize that TCCH is open for everyone in all income levels. Those below the federal poverty level are treated for free and those with higher incomes are treated on a sliding scale fee or billed through their insurance.
“We schedule regular appointments so there is little wait time and we keep slots open daily with every provider for emergencies. Another benefit is having all your primary care and specialty services in one system which enables us to provide better overall care for the patient,” said Soulé.
“It’s important to understand that an insured or higher income patient is not taking an appointment away from someone who may need it more. We have room for all. New patients can schedule a private free interview to determine what their needs are, what their income level is, and what their sliding fee will be. We emphasize customer service for all, regardless of income, and we hold our staff accountable to it.”
Should a situation arise where an outside specialist is required, TCCH staff will refer the patient to the appropriate physician. Unfortunately, in our community a lot of the specialists have limited opportunities for the uninsured, but TCCH has patient advocates who have connections with doctors all the way up to Orlando and down to Miami and they will find one that will welcome you with your specific insurance or accept you without insurance.
The health navigation staff, referral specialists, and medical records specialists at TCCH all understand how difficult it can be working within the medical arena and are there to help you navigate through the healthcare system.
Since dental and vision care is not covered by many insurances, lots of people rely on TCCH for those services. Basic dental services are offered to maintain healthy teeth. Those services include dental checkups, cleanings, sealants, extractions and fillings. More advanced procedures are addressed on an individual basis weighing in the need and circumstances. It is one of the few dental facilities in the county that accepts children on Medicaid.
Vision services at TCCH include 3D imaging exams and diagnostics. There is an optometrist who will order glasses and fit them as well. Advanced eye care is referred to outside specialists.
TCCH’s pharmacy offers medicine at excellent rates because of the federally funded program, which really helps on some of the more expensive drugs. They also have a prescription assistance program where patients can get medications directly from the manufacturers.
TCCH recently received a grant for remote patient monitoring that pays for about 200 people to be equipped with remote monitors that doctors can access. The staff sets the patient up with a device in their home that takes an electronic reading and sends it to a TCCH nurse. If there is anything outside of the norm, they work with the physician to get it under control.
It’s no coincidence that all of the TCCH locations are on public transit routes. “We select our locations carefully and make sure they are accessible for all,” Soulé said. “We also collaborate with the Senior Resource Association if someone requires a pick-up service by community coach. We recently bought the Clifford Furniture building on Route 60 west of town and hope to have it open by fall of 2024 to better serve the growing population in western Indian River County.”
For 30 years TCCH has stayed true to the mission of providing accessible, cost-effective, high-quality, comprehensive healthcare to Indian River County residents, regardless of their socio-economic circumstances. To learn more and find a location near you, visit tcchinc.org or call 772-257-8224 to schedule an appointment.