A large portion of Treasure Coast Community Health (TCCH) patients are under stress from poverty or navigating household responsibilities in a challenging local economy; 98% (8,259) of TCCH’s pediatric and 77.4% (14,787) of adult patient population are uninsured or on a form of government insurance. TCCH does not turn anyone away. These challenges create barriers to care, such as transportation, time off work, inability to concentrate, social anxieties, substance use abuse and more. While parents are trying their best to raise well-rounded children, it is easy to miss recurring headaches or reading cues that suggest the need for a vision exam.

Literacy is the number one indicator of individual and community prosperity. Children who are not reading proficiently by the end of third grade are four times more likely to drop out or fail to graduate from high school. For underprivileged Black and Hispanic students, that likelihood increases.  Learning is much more challenging if vision is an issue.

Thanks to a generous grant from Impact 100 IR, TCCH providers are referring patients to the Vision Program at our Gifford Health Center. TCCH provides healthcare to individuals regardless of income or ability to pay; all children can receive the eye exams necessary to help them become successful adults.

The TCCH Gifford Health Center is now equipped with new state-of-the-art vision equipment that produces 3D images of the eye. A comprehensive eye exam can diagnose eye alignments, amblyopia or “lazy eye”, focusing problems and refractory errors like near or far sightedness, which are correctable with glasses. Vision exams allow the optometrist to diagnose exact prescriptions for glasses. Early and annual vision exams set the stage for understanding the importance of lifetime eye care.

Patient volumes are on a steady incline with a total of 537 pediatric and adult eye visits for 478 individuals in 2023. Since the beginning of the Vision Program, more than 200 children have received eye exams, with 169 receiving eyeglasses that aid comprehension, depth perception, hand eye coordination and recognition of fine details. News of the Vision Program is well received within the current and prospective patient population. 

Brian is a first-generation Chinese teenager and has been a patient since birth. When his parents immigrated to Florida before he was born, they did not initially have health insurance and TCCH cared for their needs. His family now has health insurance and chose to stay with TCCH because of the affordability and quality of care.

 TCCH employs a wellness coordinator at Dodgertown Elementary – A Community Partnership School, where approximately 80% of children live below the Federal Poverty Level. This coordinator works to ensure behavioral/mental health, dental, medical and vision care for children and their families. The coordinator can transport children, with parental permission, to TCCH vision locations and parents can meet their child or participate via telehealth. This convenience provides parents with limited time away from work and ensures children receive needed vision care and can focus on school without headaches or stigma. This situation was ideal for Malaki and Kyndall.

Can you imagine coming to school every day not knowing how to tell your teacher you cannot see? One day, Malaki’s teacher noticed his posture was different and he was struggling to write a passage from the board. She knew this was unlike him, made her way to his desk and whispered, “Can you see the board?” Malaki admitted, “No, I can’t really see what you wrote.” When asked if he wanted to move closer to the board, he shamefully shook his head no. As a mother and an educator, Malaki’s teacher instantly knew she had to help her student and reached out to the wellness coordinator, LaDonna Corbin, BS, MHSA, CBHT. They started the referral process to the TCCH Vision Program the same day. Malaki’s mother requested her older son, Kyndall, a sixth grader at Imagine Academy, be given an eye exam as well.  As a wraparound service, the wellness coordinator follows all children through high school and beyond… they will always be Our Little Dodgers. Everything was going according to plan, the paperwork was returned, the appointments made. However, their mother could not miss work to take the brothers to the vision appointment at the TCCH Gifford Health Center. This major barrier to care was eliminated; through the Dodger Town Elementary Community Partnership School, the wellness coordinator can transport students to appointments and the parent(s) telehealth in at the time of the visit. They had a fun time meeting optometrist Dr. Cameron Dawson during their first ever eye exam. Corbin said, “I tell you this story for a reason. Access to vision exams and breaking healthcare barriers before they interfere with children’s education is the main mission of the Community Partnership School. We all work together to help our families, and this is one of many success stories in providing care to our community’s children. Thank you, Impact 100, for making a difference not only for our children but their families and our entire society”.  

About Treasure Coast Community Health: TCCH brings together multiple services and specialties for a comprehensive team approach that is more convenient and cost effective for individuals and the community. Eight health centers offer behavioral and mental health, dental, medical, pharmacy and vision services.

TCCH is a 501 (c)3 nonprofit, certified patient-centered medical and dental home, caring for more than 27,000 pediatric to senior patients. TCCH offers a sliding fee discount based on household income and family size. For more information, or to make a tax-free donation, visit tcchinc.org.