Clinic Services
West Virginia Health Right, Inc., strives to meet the medical, dental and prescription needs of its patients by providing an array of services to the low-income uninsured. Emphasis is placed on comprehensive care including acute and chronic problems, as well as preventive care and patient health education.
Medical Care
Health Right patients receive diagnosis, treatment, laboratory testing, medications, preventive health care and patient education. Diagnostic services such as x-rays and scans are provided off-site at no cost to the patient. In addition to general medicine, patients have access to specialty care at the clinic or at specialists’ private offices.
Dental Care
Oral diseases and conditions of the oral cavity result in pain and suffering, loss of self-esteem, poor nutrition and decreased economic productivity. Inequalities in oral health and access to dental services are major public health issues. Low-income patients have almost twice the rate of extractions as patients who regularly see a dentist.
Although a primary objective of the dental program is the elimination of pain and infection, hundreds of patients have had significant restorative work including fillings, partials, dentures and major oral surgery.
Pharmacy
Health Right’s pharmacy fills more than 500 prescriptions daily. During FY 2006, the clinic dispensed medications valued at $16 million. While drug manufacturers donate the vast majority of the medications dispensed by Health Right, some drugs must still be purchased, and the clinic’s pharmacy volume is increasing exponentially. Medications are dispensed to patients at no charge (a donation of $3 per prescription is requested for a two-month supply). All categories of medications are provided with the exception of controlled drugs or any medication with a “street-value.”
Health Education
It is clear that health is not just a matter of biology and medical care, but of behavior, environment and social conditions. West Virginia Health Right provides an ambitious patient education program that advocates disease prevention, behavior modification and lifestyle skills.
The clinic’s education classes produce positive results in patients’ health status, particularly in smoking cessation, healthy heart behaviors, diabetes management, weight loss, nutrition and oral health.