The HANDS Clinic is more than you would ever expect. They offer medical AND dental. They also added women's health services and mental health recently. They already offer free primary and dental care to people in Saint Lucie County who are low-income and without insurance. On top of providing that, they continue to expand their services and acquire new equipment.The staff is also amazing. It's the type of environment where people seem fulfilled in what they are doing instead of trying to get their hours in. They go out of their way to help patients in need. They get my insulin for diabetes through a patient assistance program. In addition, they give me free syringes when they receive donations.I highly recommend HANDS to anyone needing health or dental care. The facility is clean, smells great, and is a nice environment.
I have been volunteering at HANDS clinic as a nurse practitioner for 10 years. I work one day a week and have my own patient load. What the clinic offers is amazing. We offer a multitude of services. Some examples include:
--a patient who could not get a job because her teeth were a mess. The dental clinic gave her a whole new smile and she immediately got a job. Amazing.
--we have routinely picked up on surgeries that definately need to be done and our volunteer general surgeons treat them for free. The hospital and anesthesiologist work with us and the surgery is pro-bono.
--every week we diagnose someone with high blood pressure or high cholesterol, or diabetes that has been out of control for years. We order medications, follow up with the patients and conditions just as a heart attack or stroke, or complications from diabetes like an amputation are averted.
--the hospitals working with us volunteer their services such as blood work, CTs, MRIs, Ultrasounds, etc.
--a wide variety of specialist MDs work with us and see patients pro bono in their offices.
--The Moffitt Cancer Center works with us and any patient diagnosed with cancer-- all the treatment is free.
--patients who could not afford a mammogram, now can get a yearly one for free.
We appreciate all the donors who make these services available and feel that our county is healthier because of them.
I was not happy at retiring when I was 70, but my contract was over and I had to go. Within a few months, I had discovered HANDS Clinic was looking for a few volunteer doctors. I decide to volunteer until I could find another position in the medical field, but I am still here volunteering every day HANDS is open, and LOVE it! It is my recreation, hobby, and salvation. I am now 82 and hope to spend my final years here.