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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.

Community Summit Focuses On Women’s Health

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
Flickr Creative Commons
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The Florida Channel
Maternal health is just one of the issues that will be discussed by experts at the summit.

There’s a summit next week in Orlando on how women’s health and well-being affect mental health. 

The summit is aimed at issues from access to health care to domestic violence.

Dr. Shannon Schellhammer will discuss maternal health. She says there could be fewer pre-term babies if high-risk mothers get prenatal care.

“Some other communities have tried different things. Like group prenatal care, working with social workers, working with all different avenues of people within the community to help make sure women have a stable home.”

Event coordinator Avani Desai says making women healthier doesn’t just help them but also future generations.

“We just thought it was time to discuss women. And again looking through all this data. If you can change the life of a woman, you can change the life of her entire family.”

The summit will take place at Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies from 8 am to 1 pm.