South Baldwin County gained a healthcare asset on Wednesday when the Clinica de Baldwin health clinic was taken over by Franklin Primary Health Care.

The facility, now called the Baldwin Family Health Center will be staffed with a general practitioner and an OB/GYN physician, but patients will also have access to all of Franklin’s services offered at other locations if needed. Franklin also has a facility in Loxley, which includes dental services along with medical services.

Franklin provides quality healthcare primarily to uninsured and underinsured patients, but CEO Charles White stated at Wednesday’s ribbon cutting ceremony the clinic was open for anyone.    

“Please utilize these facilities. We are here for you, not just for the poor. Fifty percent of the patients we see are uninsured, but we see everybody. We are kind of like the Walmart of healthcare,” he said.

The ceremony included comments from many public officials, including Baldwin County Commissioner Charles “Skip” Gruber and Foley Mayor John Koniar. Gruber proclaimed Jan. 12, 2011 as Franklin Primary Health Center Day in Baldwin County. Koniar rolled out the welcome mat for the new clinic.

“We are extremely happy to have anything in Foley that will help our citizens,” he said.

White took the opportunity to thank everyone who was involved to get the clinic in operation and to share some of the services Franklin offers to fulfill their mission to serve as many in need of medical care as possible. White also expressed his gratitude to Clinica de Baldwin, who set the foundation for Franklin to eventually serve this area.

“I really want to give thanks and appreciation to the board of directors of Clinica de Baldwin because they were the first ones that started a center here and we have been blessed to come on and continue to keep this wonderful service going here as the Baldwin Medical Facility,” he said.

According to White, South Baldwin County has a tremendous need for affordable, quality healthcare.

“There are 34,000 individuals in this county that are uninsured, and many more at poverty level. We are here primarily to see them as part of our funding that we receive. We have a sliding fee scale with a $25 minimum fee, that means if you are at 100 percent of poverty and don’t have any insurance there will be a fee of $25 to receive all of our services. Of course we charge people according to the sliding fee scale. We are going to make sure that no matter who you are, you will not be denied care. If you are sick you will be seen,” he said.

He told the crowd gathered he was proud to begin working in Foley.

“I just wanted to tell you all. This center, we are proud to be here. This is our 15th location that we have opened up and this is what we are all about,” he said.

White considers the clinics biggest accomplishment to be the scope of patients seen, regardless of ability to pay.

“Our mission is to provide care to those who are medically underserved, those people, no matter who you are or what you have, you can be an Auburn fan, an Alabama fan, it doesn’t really matter who you are or what you have. That is what we are all about. We want to make sure people have access to primary care. The thing that won’t change is the fact that we need healthcare. We need healthcare for everybody because how can we be a strong country if our people are sick?” he said.

White also stressed the need for healthcare reforms because he feels healthcare costs are too expensive, especially emergency room care. He hopes his facility in Foley will be an alternative to a trip to the emergency room.

“We are glad to be close to the hospital. We want to keep people from having to go to the emergency room. There is an over-utilization of people utilizing the emergency room unnecessarily. That drives up our costs. We need access to primary care but we also need to make sure that we reduce our costs. Medical care is costing us too much. One of the things that drives it up is overuse of our emergency rooms. When we do that somebody has to pay, but a lot of our people are uninsured, which is why we need healthcare reform,” he said.

He also said costs could be reduced because many patients could keep themselves out of the hospital with proper prevention.

“We need more prevention and that is what we are all about. We want to provide more preventive services to make sure that we can prevent that stroke, prevent that heart attack, prevent those amputations from diabetes and all things of those natures,” he said.

White concluded by inviting everyone to come to the facility, even if it is just for something as simple as a blood pressure check.

“Come to our facility. Go see the doctor. We give free prostate screenings. We can screen you and once we screen you we have arrangements and partnerships where we can help you get treatment. We do the same for breast cancer and cervical cancer. We want you to come, if nothing else, just come and let us take your blood pressure. Utilize our facilities. We want you to do that,” he said.