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Dr. Traci's House helping patients
Mark Wilson reports.
TAMPA - In a small building in Seminole Heights, Dr. Traci Thompson spends about an hour with each new patient.
"In general, we focus and specialize in health literacy, making sure we meet people where they are, explain it to them in the terms that they understand. We take baby steps," Thompson said.
In addition to education, Dr. Traci's House operates like a standard doctor's office. They are able to test for ailments like flu and RSV. They can treat patients both in person and online.
The backstory:
Thompson has worked in the healthcare industry for a decade. During a year-long sabbatical, the idea for Dr. Traci's House grew. When her younger brother Billy passed away, he did not have insurance.
"I wanted to have a place where those who didn't have insurance could come, that we could be that source of education, that source of support for them," Thompson said.
Through a partnership with GTE Financial, Thompson acquired a building with a purposeful location, picking one of Tampa's most impoverished zip codes.
The clinic sees a couple hundred patients a month, both with and without insurance. They offer a sliding scale for patients without insurance. In addition to education classes, they offer free weekly chair yoga, a community garden and nutrition workshops.
What they're saying:
Long-time patient Eradazia Hills and her family took one of clinic's free educational classes on diabetes. Her grandmother had been diagnosed. Hills wanted to a be a support system. The new information led to a surprising family diagnosis.
"My daughter started to have some of those signs that we learned about in the diabetic course," Hills said.
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Tests confirmed the suspicions, and after a hospital visit, Thompson and her staff helped develop a treatment plan.
"It's scary, so I feel really supported by Dr. Traci's House, and I've never had that type of support," Hills said. "My daughter's six now."
The Source: FOX 13 photojournalist Barry Wong gathered the information for this story.