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Every day, hundreds of sick and injured patients walk into free and charitable clinics around the Tampa Bay area in need of a doctor.Many are suffering from chronic conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. Some patients were referred to the clinics by staff at hospitals where they landed after years of neglecting to care for treatable conditions.The clinics allow the patients to pay what they can, or nothing at all. They are staffed by doctors and nurses who volunteer their time. They survive off donations and small grants.Many of the patients have jobs but they are living paycheck to paycheck. None have health insurance, either because they do not qualify for Medicaid or can’t afford private coverage. For these patients, the clinics are often their only option for primary care.

Sheriff to Launch Mental-Crisis Hotline

In the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting, the sheriff in Palm Beach County wants to launch a violence-prevention unit that includes a hotline staffed by deputies and mental health personnel, the Palm Beach Postreports. The Legislature likes the idea, earmarking $1 million for it, but mental health advocates worry about the potential for misuse of the hotline, as well as an “erosion of...civil rights.”  

 

Originally founded in December 2006 as an independent grassroots publication dedicated to coverage of health issues in Florida, Health News Florida was acquired by WUSF Public Media in September 2012.