Parker Family Health Center

Red Bank, N.J.

Established in 2000, the Parker Family Health Center is a nonprofit free clinic that provides health care to low-income, uninsured residents of Monmouth County.  Ninety-seven percent of their patients fall into the lowest income category as defined by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.  They are the only clinic in the county focused exclusively on the uninsured and are open on a regular daily schedule; they treat about 9,000 patients annually.

The clinic was awarded a $25,000 grant to strengthen their current diabetes program.  Funds will support the stipend for a nurse practitioner who works intensively with patients to achieve tight control of blood glucose through appropriate medication, combined with changes in diet and lifestyle. 

Presently, the Parker Center cares for approximately 150 diabetic patients who are predominantly Latino and African-American.  Seventy percent of their patients are Latino and African-American, populations that are twice as likely to suffer from diabetes than Caucasians.