Everything About My Quality Of Life Has Changed”, Florida Is Increasing The Availability Of Free Healthcare

STUART, Florida — John Ostrout has spent years battling health problems.

“I had a mild heart attack and they had to put a stint in my heart and I was informed at that time that I needed ongoing care from a cardiologist,” Ostrout recalled.

Although he works in construction, he claimed he has never been employed by a company that provides health insurance. Ostrout went to Volunteers in Medicine, a free clinic in Stuart that serves the uninsured, three years ago when he was having trouble paying for his medical requirements.

“This is the first time in my life that I’ve had ongoing medical care,” he stated. “My whole quality of life has changed.”

Following adjustments that increased low-income eligibility from $60,000 per family to $90,000 per family, the clinic is one of dozens across the state that may now assist more patients.

Rebecca DeLorenzo, CEO of the Florida Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, said, “[While it] seems like a lot unless you start looking in communities like South Florida, southwest Florida, Tampa, these big urban centers where the cost of living is higher but the wages don’t always match.”

Currently, Volunteers in Medicine sees roughly 9,500 patients annually. They are hopeful that those who have been without care will benefit from the new policies.

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We are currently probably at about 50% capacity, so we can manage more patients,” said Dr. Jordan Bromberg, medical director of Volunteers in Medicine and an internal medicine expert. “It makes access to us simpler for many more individuals.”

The free clinic serves those who meet the requirements for low-income status and lack health insurance for everything from general care to cancer screenings.

“Eighty percent of our patients come from working families so the people who put the roofs on your houses, who build your houses, who wait on you in restaurants — these are our patients and they have nowhere else to go for healthcare,” Bromberg said.

They are now taking applications with a maximum income of $78,000 per household.

Ostrout could only have hoped to afford this medical attention.

Ostrout declared, “They’ve completely changed my life.”