Improving Healthcare with Accessible Lab Testing

In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, Oceana Community Health’s partnership with Heart to Heart International became a lifeline for both our clinic and the patients we serve. Their donation of essential equipment, including point-of-care HbA1c testing kits, allowed us to sustain care when traditional infrastructure was compromised due to storm-inflicted damage. These tools weren’t just helpful; they were critical. The HbA1c testing enabled us to assess glycemic control in patients who had lost their medications during the storm, many of whom had not seen a provider in months. This let us confidently resume treatment without waiting on labs or referrals. Without our support, many of these critical touchpoints for care would not have been possible.

Wildflower has a prenatal program and has been using their point-of-care lab testing to provide results during the patient visit. For some patients, this is the first time they are receiving a positive pregnancy test result. With the support of the clinic, the patients are able to immediately join the prenatal program and receive important follow up care.

This program has provided the practitioner with real-time results so that if needed, immediate adjustments can be made to a patient’s medications and plan of care. This has aided our practitioners in making sound professional decisions while saving our indigent patients time and travel, and, most importantly, giving them the opportunity to improve their health.

Esperanza Health Services cares deeply about the dignity of each of our patients, and every opportunity we have to lower the transportation, timing, and cost burden on our patients is a significant positive step forward in our own growth and evolution. The point-of-care lab program has improved our practice as a dignified, high quality primary care home.