Volunteer Practitioners Providing
Rural Health Care Needs
2014 FAST FACTS
Mission Statement:
ACORN Clinic’s mission is to provide primary and preventive health services to
indigent and low-income families of rural North Central Florida. Through the use of
professional volunteers, ACORN provides low cost medical care, dental care, social
services and specialty clinics. ACORN acts as a liaison between patients and
secondary level care, social service agencies, and community assistance programs.
Introduction
ACORN Clinic (Alachua County Organization for Rural Needs, Inc.) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that
provides health care primarily for residents of rural Alachua, Bradford, and Union Counties. ACORN Clinic celebrated
its 40th anniversary in 2014! It was founded in 1974 when two churches funded VISTA volunteers (Volunteers in Service
to America) to serve the health care needs of residents and migrant workers in rural Alachua County. In 1976, the
ACORN Medical Clinic opened to meet the growing needs of the rural uninsured in North Central Florida, focusing on
home visits and social service referrals. In 1984 ACORN Clinic moved to its present location in Brooker, Florida, 14
miles northeast of Gainesville on the Alachua/Bradford County line. In 1987, the ACORN Dental Clinic was added. In
2001, a major capital campaign provided for construction of a new eight chair Dental Clinic building and renovation of
the Medical Clinic to include six exam rooms, a lab, and medicine dispensary room.
ACORN Clinic provides low-cost, high-quality medical and dental care, and social services for people with and without
health insurance. Our primary target is patients who are not insured and cannot afford private healthcare practitioners,
dentists, or counselors. We use a sliding scale to determine fees based off of household income. Fee schedules are
determined using the Federal Poverty Guidelines. The Clinic fulfills its mission with the help of a broad-based core of
health professionals in training and volunteer physicians, nurses, dentists, hygienists, and counselors. In addition to fees
from patient care, ACORN receives funds from private and public sources including the United Way of North Central
Florida; civic groups; churches; Alachua, Bradford and Union Counties; Medicaid; Medicare; private insurance;
foundations; and contributions from individual donors.
Service Statistics
In 2014 ACORN Clinic provided services to 3,198 patients, an increase of 7% from 2013. Fifty-five percent were from
Alachua County, 21% from Bradford County, 9% from Union County and 15% from 17 other counties in rural North
Central Florida.
Eighty-five percent of patients were at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Level Guidelines (FPL); 66% Caucasian,
28% African American, 6% Hispanic/Other; 20% of patients were children (21 and under), 18 % older adults (65+), and
the remaining 62% were adults 22-64 years of age. In 2014, ACORN Medical Clinic had over 3,000 patient visits and
the Dental Clinic had over 5,100 patient visits. And with its unique volunteer model, the clinic leveraged $1.1 million
in volunteer time.
Further, 195 patients received FREE medicines valued at over $751,000 donated by pharmacy companies through
ACORN Clinic’s Patient Assistant Program.
Revised April 8, 2015
2014 Patient Care Highlights: MEDICAL
General Medical Clinic: 2,860 clinic visits
1,455 Primary care visits for acute illnesses and chronic health conditions including: colds/flu, rashes, diabetes, heart
disease, hypertension, COPD, asthma, arthritis, and minor injuries. Services include appropriate lab tests, EKGs, pulse
oximetry, health education, weight management, and vision screening.
427 Mental health and social service visits including: personal, family, situational, lifestyle counseling; health
education; tobacco cessation; benefit counseling for Affordable Care Act, SHINE, ACCESS ,Medicare and Medicaid
recipients, and identifying services for which patients might not have been aware they were eligible.
305 Visits for specialty care in the areas of hematology, orthopedics, pulmonology, dermatology, rheumatology, and
neurology.
174 Coumadin Clinic visits for management of patients on blood thinning medicines.
499 Labs
Women’s Health Partnership Program: 174 clinic visits
174 clinic visits for pap smears, clinical breast exams, pelvic exams, treatment for sexually transmitted diseases,
pregnancy tests, family planning, menopause counseling, and evaluation and treatment of other gynecological problems.
192 grant-funded reduced cost mammogram/ultrasounds referrals
2014 Patient Care Highlights: DENTAL
Dental Clinic: 5,021 clinic visits
2,254 visits for exams, fillings, x-rays, crowns, dentures, root canals, and sealants
1,191 visits for hygiene
822 visits for extractions and minor oral surgery
352 pediatric visits for routine oral health maintenance and treatment of dental caries for children aged one to 12 years.
402 miscellaneous procedures such as orthodontics
Tooth Fairy Dental Outreach Program: 2,016 dental outreach contacts through the “Tooth Fairy” program serving
an eight county area of rural North Central Florida targeting Pre-K through 1st grade students.
Homeless Clinic: 84 visits from patients living in North Central Florida were provided FREE grant-funded services.
Sponsorship Program: 42 of our neediest patients were provided sponsorships for dental services valued at $12,000.
Organization Leaders
Executive Director: Candice King, MBA, MAE
Medical Director: Peter Carek, MD, MS
Medical Clinic Supervisor: Lynda McCarthy,
LPN
Dental Director: Paayal Bhakta, DMD
Dental Clinic Coordinator: Laurie Jennings
ACORN Clinic Board Executive Committee
President: Kenneth Berns, MD, PhD
President-Elect: Kyle Baxter, MHA
Intermediate Past President: Kelly Kerr, MBA
Treasurer: Trey Long, MS
Secretary: Marilyn Mesh, MEd, MAc
ACORN Clinic Board Members
MembersMembers
Karen Autry, RDH, CDA, MEd
Kyle Baxter, MHA
Frank Catalanotto, DMD
Rebecca Catalanotto, MHS, CRC
Runi Foster, MD
Elizabeth Lense, DDS
John Meuleman, MD
Allyson Hall, MBA/MHA, PhD
Lorie Primosch, RDH, MEd
Gabe Spooner, DMD
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Revised April 8, 2015