Health care services now available in Archer
Family health care is finally coming to Archer on Jan. 16, thanks to the University of Florida’s College of Nursing. The new facility, which is the college’s first nurse-managed practice, will fill a major gap in the medically-under-served western half of Alachua County.
Archer Family Health Care, located at 305 S. University Avenue in Archer, will provide quality care for children, adults and families.
Services will include:
- diagnosis and treatment of illnesses and injuries,
- monitoring of chronic diseases,
- written prescriptions for medication and other treatments,
- physical checkups and immunizations,
- health screenings for prevention of high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, cancer and other diseases,
- prenatal care and family planning,
- health-care advice and education,
- medication consultations with a pharmacist, and
- health education seminars.
The practice will be open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Primary health care will be provided by UF College of Nursing Clinical Assistant Professor Barbara Fraser, a nationally-certified family nurse practitioner. Dr. Mack Tyner, a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Community and Family Medicine at the UF College of Medicine is the consulting physician.
Office manager Deanna Cavalluzzi is now scheduling appointments, which are required at the practice. To make an appointment, please call 352-495-2550.
“Health care in Archer will be a blessing for the citizens,” said Archer City Manager Harriet B. “Tillie” Davis. “I’m glad for the relationship with the College of Nursing. Most of the people were not aware of the college’s activities in our community over the past three years. Now they will have a base from which to work and will become more visible within the community. I can only see this as a beginning for expanded services to the people of the Archer area.”
James R.Taylor, a clinical assistant professor in the UF College of Pharmacy, will be at the practice’s office one-half day each week to advise patients about medications and will be in the Archer community another half day each week to work with community groups.
“Archer Family Health Care is a unique and exciting opportunity and I look forward to providing clinical pharmacy services at the practice,” Taylor said. “I am very pleased to be involved in the practice and look forward to working with Archer residents to ensure they are getting the most appropriate and effective medications.”
Archer is part of a 16-county area of rural North-Central Florida with the state’s highest rates for nine out of 10 leading causes of death, according to the North Central Florida Health Planning Council.
Health officials have blamed poverty in the area, a lack of preventive health care and scarce transportation services. Archer has been without a medical or health-care facility since Nature Coast Hospital in Williston closed its clinic more than three years ago.
“We don’t have a doctor here and we need a pharmacy because we have no way to fill prescriptions,” said Ollie Mae Robinson, the site director for Santa Fe Community Senior Center in Archer. “Most of the people here don’t have transportation or much of anything. I moved here in 1948 and we had a doctor then, but now we don’t. I love that the College of Nursing is coming here. We all love it!”
Resident Phil Denton, who has worked for several years to bring health care back to the city, said, “It’s been a continual battle to get our health care practice open here in Archer. As a community, we are thrilled and excited to have the UF College of Nursing here. We also hope to expand the pharmacy services and add dental care in the future.”
The new health-care practice, which includes patient education and health prevention, is owned and operated by the UF College of Nursing with funding from the college, in-kind support from the city of Archer and an annual contract with the Florida Department of Health.
The cost of services at the practice will be based on standard insurance or Medicare/Medicaid co-payments. A sliding scale fee will be used for low-income families without insurance.
“All types of health insurance will be accepted, even though some insurance companies do not normally reimburse nurse practitioners directly for their services,” said M. Dee Williams, UF College of Nursing Executive Associate Dean and Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs. “We want to document the need for insurance companies to recognize nurse practitioners for the broad range of services they provide.”
Although College of Nursing faculty members provide health care in a wide variety of practices and clinics throughout the county, the Archer practice is the college’s first venture into owning and operating its own clinical practice.
“This is an exciting opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness of preventive health care, teach students about interdisciplinary care delivery, and make real our commitment to assist under-served families and individuals,” said College of Nursing Dean Kathleen A. Long. “We view it as a genuine community-college partnership.”
The project received state legislative approval earlier this year with the help of former state Sen. George Kirkpatrick, and former Reps. Cynthia Chestnut and Bob Casey.