Message From The President
One of the most exciting solutions to a pressing national problem is
right here in Red Bank—the Parker Family Health Center, the marriage
of a concerned and generous community with selfless, expert medical
volunteers, working together to provide superlative health care to
hard-working community members who do not have medical insurance.
During my 35 years of medical practice, I could not help noticing the increasing numbers of the medically uninsured and the resulting strain on the health care system. National figures on the uninsured fuel the headlines almost daily, but the problem is no different on the local level.
Here in Red Bank, community leaders went door-to-door in the late 1990’s, asking residents about their insurance status. Their findings grabbed our attention: almost half of the families on the west side of town lacked health insurance.
Statewide, over 200,000 people lost insurance over the past four years, according to a recent study. But the issue of the uninsured goes beyond the raw numbers.
The uninsured are much less likely to have a usual source of health
care and to have seen a doctor during the previous year than people
with insurance. Ultimately, the issue of the uninsured is a question
of access—of providing a way into the health care system for
everyone, regardless of insurance status or income level.
And that’s where the Parker Family Health Center comes in. The clinic is the family doctor for over 7,000 of our uninsured neighbors, offering access to the best health care our dedicated medical volunteers and the clinic staff can provide.
Dr. Eugene F. Cheslock
President
Parker Family Health Center
April 2007