The Importance of Preventive Health Care

For many decades, health care in the United States and elsewhere focused on treating patients afflicted by certain diseases. This started to change in 1984 when the US Preventive Services Task Force was formed to provide health professionals with advice about prevention.

Preventive healthcare refers to measures taken to prevent diseases instead of treating them. It’s premised on the findings from various studies that many of the major causes of death or disability in the United States can be prevented. Preventive care can help you stay healthier for the rest of your life, and avoid the pain and costly treatments that often come with chronic and acute diseases in advanced stages.

Preventive health care is two-fold – primary prevention and secondary prevention

Primary prevention

Primary prevention refers to preventing or arresting chronic and acute diseases in their earliest stages through immunizations and a healthy lifestyle that includes:

  • A good diet
  • Regular exercise
  • Avoiding tobacco, alcohol, and too much sugar and salt
  • Getting enough sleep

Secondary prevention

Secondary prevention refers to detecting and treating a disease while it is still asymptomatic or at its earliest stages, when the body is most receptive to treatment. For early detection, it’s crucial to get regular check-ups, counseling and screening for various diseases, including:

  • Tests for blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes
  • Cancer screenings, including colonoscopies and mammograms
  • Well-baby and well-child check-ups
  • Counseling on healthy diets, weight loss, quitting smoking and reducing drinking

Affordable preventive healthcare

Despite its many known benefits, many Americans still ignore the call to get preventive healthcare, mainly because of the high costs involved in laboratory tests and screenings, as well as doctor visits. Even with insurance, the costs of copayments and deductibles have discouraged many from investing in preventive care.

The Affordable Care Act has made preventive care affordable by requiring certain insurance companies and Medicaid to make a number of services available without any cost to the consumer.

Included in these services are:

Preventive healthcare for adults:

  • Alcohol misuse screening and counseling
  • Blood pressure screening
  • Cholesterol screening
  • Diabetes (Type 2) screening
  • Diet counseling for adults at higher risk for chronic disease
  • Immunization vaccines
  • Lung cancer screening
  • Tobacco use screening

Preventive healthcare for women:

  • Breastfeeding comprehensive support and counseling
  • Contraception
  • Expanded tobacco intervention and counseling
  • Urinary tract or other infection screening
  • Breast cancer generic test counseling and mammography screenings
  • Osteoporosis screenings
  • Well-woman visits for women over 65

Preventive healthcare for children:

  • Alcohol and drug use assessments for adolescents
  • Autism screening
  • Behavioral assessment
  • Hearing screening
  • Vision screening
  • Obesity screening and counseling
  • Immunization vaccines

See the full list of free services for adults and children and how you can obtain them at https://www.healthcare.gov/coverage/preventive-care-benefits/.

Preventive healthcare at Hurtt Family Health Clinic

Those without insurance can receive affordable preventive healthcare from a community health center or low cost health clinic. In Orange County, Hurtt Family Health Clinic provides the homeless and low-income families with preventive care services, including:

  • Immunizations
  • Physical exams
  • Breast and cervical cancer screenings
  • Laboratory exams (except drug testing)

Hurtt Family Health Clinic is a Federally Qualified Health Center that receives funding from the US Department of Health and Human Services. As the center of Orange County Rescue Mission’s medical program, we also receive donations and volunteer services from the community.

To find out how we can help you obtain preventive healthcare, get in touch with us at our Contact Us page, or call our main line at (714) 247-0300.

Our mission: Provide the best, low cost health clinic services for underserved families

Hurtt Family Health Clinic is a low cost medical clinic that provides safety net services to the underserved of Orange County. It anchors the medical program of Orange County Rescue Mission (OCRM), the largest faith-based, non-profit organization in the United States. We are able to provide Orange County free clinic and low-cost services through the following:

 

Federal funding

Hurtt Family Health Clinic is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that receives funding from the Department of Health and Human Services. FQHCs have to meet strict eligibility requirements, including providing a sliding fee scale and having a governing board that includes patients.

Community partnerships

Hurtt Family Health Clinic is the product of genuine community spirit. We work in partnership with individuals, families and companies, including pharmacies and health service providers, who generously donate funds, services, and other forms of assistance to the clinic. We were named after the Hurtt family, a long-time donor of OCRM. Volunteers regularly provide their free time and effort to help us achieve our goals.

 

Our history

Orange County Rescue Mission was founded in the 1960s by Tech Sergeant Lewis Whitehead, through donations from the community to support the homeless in Orange County. OCRM’s flagship transitional living facility, the Village of Hope in Tustin, has expanded over the years to a 5-acre complex that includes 150,000 square feet of shelter, 262 beds, and the 6,000-square-foot Hurtt Family Health Clinic.

Hurtt Family Health Clinic was established in 2000 as a mobile clinic, and had its first permanent site at the Village of Hope in 2008. The mobile clinic remains operational, reaching out to the homeless and low-income families in various parts of Orange County. 

Our locations

We have three permanent sites:

Tustin clinic

Village of Hope

1 Hope Drive

Tustin

(also the location of the original OCRM campus)

Santa Ana clinic

1100 B. North Tustin Avenue, Suite A

Santa Ana

Anaheim clinic

947 S. Anaheim Boulevard

Aneheim

In addition to these, we also have a medical mobile clinic that goes around various parts of the county for medical programs. We also hold regular clinics every Thursday (except on a fifth Thursday of a month) at the Civic Center parking lot at the corner of N. Ross and Santa Ana Boulevard.

 

Our services

We provide low-cost and free medical, dental and pharmacy services. Our medical services encompass the following:

  • General medicine and primary care, including pediatric care and OC urgent care
  • Acute and chronic care
  • Health screenings for children and adults
  • Cancer screenings
  • Adult immunizations
  • Child immunizations
  • Laboratory and pharmacy services on site
  • Health education

Our dental services include:

  • Dental examinations
  • Fillings
  • Extractions
  • Oral hygiene
  • Dental x-rays
  • Root canals
  • Crowns and dentures
  • Oral health education

Our pharmacy services include:

  • Providing certain medications free-of-charge
  • Providing up to 75% discount at various local and national pharmacies through our free discount card
  • Free assistance in completing applications for Prescription Assistance Programs

Get in touch with Hurtt Family Clinic at our Contact Us page, or call our main line at (714) 247-0300.

Our Partnership with Orange County Rescue Mission

The Hurtt Family Health Clinic originated in 2001 as a mobile clinic providing free medical care to the homeless of Orange County. It is one of the most significant initiatives of the Orange County Rescue Mission – considered the most comprehensive private homeless services provider in the United States, as well as the largest non-profit, faith based organization in the country.

About Orange County Rescue Mission

The OCRM was founded in the early 1960s by Tech Sergeant Lewis Whitehead. His awakening to the homelessness problem in Orange County was spurred by an altercation he quelled among a group of people living under a bridge in an “undesirable part of the town”. TSgt. Whitehead, who was at that time managing the mess hall at the nearby Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, found use for the waste food at the mess hall and gave it to the people living “under the bridge”.

From thereon, Sgt. Whitehead took the cause of the Orange County’s homeless to heart, bringing awareness about their plight wherever he went. He rallied support for their cause and his efforts culminated in the birth of the Orange County Rescue Mission.

The OCRM’s flagship transitional living facility, the Village of Hope, is located just minutes away from the Tustin Marine Base and was built solely from private funds donated to the OCRM.

Orange County Rescue Mission Programs

Of the donations received by the organization, 81% goes to programs benefitting the homeless, and only 19% goes to administration, fundraising and communications costs.

The OCRM has adopted several programs in support of the homeless in Orange County, including:

  • Shelter
  • Housing
  • Feeding
  • Clothing
  • Spiritual
  • Veterans support
  • Medical

OC Rescue Mission Medical Services

At the center of the OCRM’s medical program is the Hurtt Family Health Clinic. Established in 2000, the clinic started providing healthcare services to the homeless and uninsured of Orange Country through a mobile clinic. In 2008, the OCRM relocated the clinic to the Village of Hope, which remains one of the clinic’s three permanent sites to this day.

The clinic was named after the Hurtt family, who are longtime donors of the OCRM. The range of Orange County free clinic services it offers includes:

  • Primary medical care
  • Pediatric care
  • Chronic illness management
  • Health screenings
  • Women’s health care
  • Cancer screening
  • Nutrition counseling
  • Health promotion and education
  • Optometry services
  • Diabetes treatment

In addition to medical care services, the Hurtt Family Health Clinic also offers the following services:

  • Dental services
  • Mobile clinic for sick day treatments, health screenings, acute care, clinical evaluations and others
  • Laboratory services
  • Pharmacy services

As a no health insurance clinic, our low cost laboratory and pharmacy services are vital to the community. They help patients get the medications they need at low or zero costs through various programs, including:

  • Prescription drug assistance through the clinic’s free discount drug card which allows up to 75% savings on prescription drugs
  • Free medications through various grants and community partnerships
  • Assistance in completing applications for Prescription Assistance Programs

Over the years, the OCRM has helped thousands of the homeless in Orange County find new hope, rebuild their lives, and give their families a brighter future. The Hurtt Family Health Clinic has been one of its pillars in achieving its mission.

If you wish to donate to the OCRM or learn about how you may help the homeless of Orange County, visit the ORCM website. You may also call (714) 247-4300 or send an email to info@rescuemission.org.

GET IN TOUCH

Quality Healthcare for People with No Insurance

The cost of family healthcare today can be staggering, and this has become one of the biggest concerns in the country. Medical insurance provides a solution to the problem, easing some of the financial burdens for people in need of healthcare. Sadly, not everyone can afford to buy insurance, particularly those who belong to the lowest income groups, or are unemployed or homeless.

One of the most common remedies resorted to by uninsured patients is to go to hospital ERs to get treatment. Unlike in doctors’ offices where upfront payment is required, hospital ERs bill patients only after treatment has been given. However, the cost of ER services is generally much higher than doctors’ offices.

Additionally, looking after your health should not be confined to getting medical attention only when it is urgently needed. Healthcare should be a continuing and encompassing exercise, and must include management of acute and chronic illnesses, as well as preventative care to reduce the risks of acute diseases.

Not having insurance does not mean that you can’t have access to quality healthcare. There are several solutions that you can explore. One of the most viable ways to access affordable healthcare is by going to a community health clinic.

Finding a ‘No Health Insurance’ Clinic in Orange County

Community health clinics are found throughout the United States. Hurtt Family Health Clinic is one such provider, serving the Orange County community in three fixed locations (Tustin, Santa Ana and Anaheim) and several medical mobile sites.

Federally Qualified Health Centers, also known as FQHCs, receive funding from the US Department of Health and Human Services, as well as contributions from the community and civil society. These community health clinics are created primarily to serve low income groups, the uninsured or underinsured, the homeless, and anyone who has limited access to healthcare. Everyone, however, is welcome at these clinics.

Although federally funded, many FQHCs are the result of a true community effort. Hurtt Family Health Clinic started providing free medical care throughout Orange County in 2000 as part of the Orange County Rescue Mission. It got its present name in 2009 in honor of the Hurtt family, who was one of the OCRM’s longest running donors. In addition to federal funding, the clinic also works in partnership with various grants and community organizations to provide vital safety net services to the underserved and uninsured of Orange County.

Low Cost But High Quality Healthcare

A clinic such as ours provides an encompassing range of services at highly affordable costs to uninsured and underinsured patients. Hurtt Family Health Clinic has adopted a comprehensive care model that includes long term and full continuum programs. Some of the services offered at the clinic are:

  • Primary and preventative medical care
  • Dental services
  • Mental health services
  • Optometry services
  • Chiropractic care
  • Health education
  • Care and disease management

Low Cost Pharmacy Services

Among the benefits you can get from community health clinics are affordable pharmacy services. These include low cost and free medications, which the clinics are able to offer through coverage benefits from pharmaceutical companies, the federal 340B drug pricing programs, and various grants.

Hurtt Clinic’s free discount drug card allows up to 75% savings on prescription drugs. You can also get assistance in completing applications for Prescription Assistance Programs, which allow patients to obtain free or low-cost medicines directly from pharmaceutical companies.

If you want to know more about any of our services, make an appointment at any of our clinics in Tustin, Santa Ana or Anaheim.

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