Free Healthcare in Monmouth County
The Parker Center started out in a donated trailer in an empty parking lot on Shrewsbury Avenue, Red Bank. The first three patients were seen on the night of July 31, 2000. From the first night on, the clinic has depended on hundreds of volunteers and generous community support.
Three years later, the clinic moved into a permanent facility that houses a waiting area, five exam and treatment rooms, offices and space for patient education. Today, the Parker Family Health Center is the family doctor for a significant segment of the community, with over 8,600 patients—children and adults—on the rolls. Close to 200 patients with serious chronic disease—primarily diabetes and hypertension—are under care and learning to control their health, and 800 children each year receive well-child exams and immunizations to stay healthy.
At present, the Parker Family Health Center is open six days a week, including two
evenings and Saturday morning, to provide a consistent, accessible
source of community health care. Care is provided by a network of
volunteer doctors, dentists, nurses and many others who together
donate 10,000 hours annually, supported by a small paid staff.
Volunteers keep the Parker Center cost-effective. A visit, including lab tests and prescription drugs, costs $80 on average, compared to $300 and up in emergency rooms for the visit alone.
When the Center was founded, 95 percent of Latino families and 30 percent of African-Americans on Red Bank’s west side lacked any health insurance. Today, uninsured patients come to Parker from all parts of Monmouth County in growing numbers, with close to 10,000 patient visits a year. Most patients are employed, but in small businesses that cannot afford the rising cost of employer-paid health insurance.