The medical board waives one continuing medical education hour for every four hours of work at a charity clinic up to 10 hours.

If you are interested in volunteering at PCC please download the attached application and fax it to Carole Fortenberry at 404.501.7199. Carole can be reached at 404.501.7960 if you have questions.

Since that time, the clinic has been providing comprehensive health care to the low-income, uninsured residents of DeKalb County for a $10 fee, or at no cost if need be.

In the year 2008, approximately 1,500 patient visits were recorded. Our patients were assisted to better health with consultations with physicians, any necessary lab or x-rays, and a total of over 3,800 prescriptions being dispensed from the pharmacy.

Physician groups such as DeKalb Anesthesia, DeKalb Radiology, and DeKalb Pathology also donate their services. DeKalb Medical Center donates patient testing services along with any other health care service needed by our patients, and DeKalb County Health Department donates clinic space.

Approximately seventy-five nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, and front desk receptionists coming from physician offices and area hospitals such as Emory, Piedmont, and DeKalb Medical Center donate their time to care for the patients.

The clinic is also available as an internship site for nurses working on advanced degrees , for student nurses, and to pharmacy students from Mercer University School of Pharmacy.

The Physicians' Care Clinic has given support to Georgia Partnership for Caring by being a referral source for their network of indigent health care providers.

Awards for the DeKalb Medical Society's volunteer effort have been received from the Georgia Hospital Association, the Medical Association of Georgia, Georgia House of Representatives, and the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners.

Universal American’s Collaborating for Good Health Giving Back Program will support the Physicians Care Clinic in its mission to serve limited income residents of Dekalb County, Georgia.

“We are delighted that Universal American has selected our organization for this donation,” said Gary Botstein, MD, Chairman of the Board. “We recognize that the health and wellbeing of our patients is dependent on support from generous community partners like Universal American.”

The funding from Universal American will be used to enhance the services that the Physicians’ Care Clinic provides.  All patients of the Physicians’ Care Clinic have a family income at or below 150% of the federal poverty level ($33,075 for a family of four) and are predominately people of ethnic and racial minorities one third of which are over age 55. The funding will allow the PCC to focus on serving this older population by creating appropriate elder issue referrals and to hire an additional nurse to work with this population. 

The number of patients served by the Physicians’ Care Clinic increased 6 percent from 2008 to 2009 and continues to rise. An escalation in the county unemployment rate up to 35 percent in the last 12 months has added to the number of uninsured adults who need a medical safety-net.  Universal American’s Giving Back Program supports PCC to meet this growing need.

According to Paul Walker, vice president and general manager of Georgia for Universal American, “Our Healthy CollaborationSM model demonstrates Universal American’s approach to healthcare in recognizing that the key to an older adult’s wellbeing is their relationship to the community. It is an honor to support organizations like the Physicians’ Care Clinic that shares this same commitment to embracing older, limited income adults and helping them access the benefits they deserve.”

Universal American, through its family of healthcare companies, is focused on providing comprehensive and affordable healthcare for people with Medicare. Universal American’s Medicare plans are based on A Healthy CollaborationSM, which is a dedication to working collaboratively with its members and their healthcare professionals in order to improve their overall health and wellbeing. 

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About Physicians’ Care Clinic.
Formed in 1992, PCC was founded by the DeKalb Medical Society as a volunteer driven initiative focused on providing medical care to the working poor of the county.   Today, PCC remains an initiative of DMS and operates under the Physicians Alliance’s 501C (3) determination letter.  DMS management provides financial reporting and support to PCC.  In addition, DMS members have historically volunteered at PCC weekly clinics and via specialty care through the hospital.  DeKalb Medical has a strong linkage with DMS through its physician pool and has historically supported the program by providing space, pharmaceuticals, facility resources and time, such as operating rooms, labs and tests among other items.   For 17 years PCC has remained true to its purpose of providing access to quality health care for those who cannot afford it due to financial hardship such as a loss of employment/insurance.  

According to the US census’ 2008 American Community Survey, DeKalb county ranks second in metro Atlanta for the highest concentration of uninsured (28% of its total population of 740K equals an uninsured population of 207,200). Today, PCC serves over 1600 low income people in DeKalb County annually, with chronic disease management and non-emergent symptomatic health issues.   With the help of our partners and skilled volunteers, the PCC has broadened its capabilities to include a comprehensive array of health services delivered through the mechanism of weekly health clinics that serve as a stable short or longer term medical home for clients; an organizing mechanism for the philanthropy and volunteerism of skilled health professionals and health resource providers; and serves as a community asset and valuable resource for the County and major business partners who would otherwise be impacted financially, programmatically or socially by the population for which PCC provides services.  Our services include the following:

Weekly Health Clinics: 
Currently, the PCC weekly clinics are conducted two times per week at which an average of 25 patient appointments are completed.   Clinics involve a team of skilled volunteers and staff including, but not limited to, the following:  Physicians, RN’s, lab technicians, pharmacists, student pharmacists, and administrative volunteers.

Through Clinics, patients access ongoing care or symptomatic care.  Importantly, clinics are the gateway through which patients are assessed for and provided an array of health resources.  Together, the provision of a stable medical home paired with robust health resources and services allow PCC to provide a high quality and comprehensive continuum of health services aimed at empowering patients to manage their health and ultimately to improve their quality of life. 

About Universal American
Universal American (NYSE: UAM), through its family of healthcare companies, offers benefit plans designed to promote collaboration among our members and their healthcare professionals. This Healthy CollaborationSM improves the health and well being of more than two million people with Medicare every day. For more information on Universal American and its Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans, which include: Today’s Options® PPO, Today’s Options® PFFS, Community CCRxSM PDP and PrescribaRxSM PDP, offered in the Richmond area, visit our Web site at www.UniversalAmerican.com.
   
About Universal American’s ’Collaborating for Good Health’
Giving Back Program
Through its Giving Back Program, Universal American supports local organizations that are dedicated to helping older adults and people with Medicare maximize access to services and increase their quality of life.

There are several ways to volunteer. Internal Medicine and Family Practice physicians can volunteer at the clinic itself on Wednesday or Thursday evenings. Many physicians come to the clinic once every two to three months, which is sufficient to keep the doors open two evenings per week.

Specialty physicians have offered to see patients in their office on a volunteer basis for a consultation that has been requested by the primary care physician.

Pharmacists, nurses, medical assistants, phlebotomists, and medical receptionists are also needed to volunteer at each clinic.

Download Volunteer Application

The clinic is under the auspices of the Physicians' Alliance for Community Services, a 501(c)(3) organization within the DeKalb Medical Society.

A tax deductible financial contribution can be made to the clinic to help support the part time staff that administers this program. This can be mailed to the DeKalb Medical Society at P.O. Box 2048, Tucker, GA 30085-2048.