Americans want better health. Better health can be achieved through prevention. Focusing on disease prevention could improve quality of life, improve health status and ultimately decrease health care spending. Many can’t afford preventive services because they lack health insurance or have inadequate coverage for prevention.

Franklin Primary Health Center has long recognized the importance of working to end homelessness and in 1992 adopted the Health Care for the Homeless program. The H.E. Savage Memorial Center was opened to meet the healthcare needs of homeless individuals and families in the Mobile area. The center has been a vital source of healthcare for thousands of homeless persons and people at risk of becoming homeless at no charge.

Although we have been in business for over 30 years, a sad but true reality, is that many people in need of our services still do not know that an affordable option to receiving healthcare services exists in their community. As a result, many in our target population go without needed healthcare services because of a lack of awareness and barriers to accessing care resulting in unnecessary worsening of medical and dental conditions and inappropriate utilization of high cost emergency rooms. Franklin recognizes that eliminating disparities in health will require enhanced efforts and new methods at preventing disease, promoting health and delivering appropriate care.