Greater Lawrence Family Health Center (GLFHC) is the only federally qualified health center in the Merrimack Valley that provides complete primary and preventive health care to all patients regardless of their ability to pay or source of insurance. They offer over 70 clinical services, including laboratory and pharmacy, so they can address nearly any issue that may arise. Greater Lawrence Family Health Center mission is to improve and maintain the health of individuals in the Merrimack Valley by making quality health care affordable, accessible, and responsive to community needs through education, advocacy, and partnerships with its communities.
Who is Greater Lawrence Family Health Center?
The Greater Lawrence Family Health Center (GLFHC) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve and maintain the health of individuals in Greater Lowell. They provide affordable, high quality medical care; promote wellness; prevent disease; treat and manage illness in an effective, compassionate manner through a community based approach. GLFHC values diversity promotes cultural competence and actively seeks patient input in all aspects of their practice.
The team at GLFHC is committed to providing respectful customer service that exceeds patients’ expectations while partnering with them to achieve their personal healthcare goals. Greater Lawrence Family Health Center takes pride in providing access to family physicians who are qualified general practitioners with advanced training as obstetricians/gynecologists or internists as well as pediatricians and specialists when needed by our patients.
In addition they offer other valuable services including travel medicine where they provide comprehensive pre-travel health advice for safe international travel provided by trained staff such as nurses, nurse practitioners or physician assistants who have specialized knowledge about travel medicine which will assist you on your journey abroad safely.
They also offer primary preventive care; reproductive health including gynecological services and menopause management, physicals for sports teams as well as school physicals and more. At Greater Lawrence Family Health Center we believe it’s important to address those issues that affect women’s mental health issues so we have staff dedicated specifically to helping our female patients such as counselors or nurse practitioners with specialties in mental CIC health. We also include psychotherapy if deemed necessary during evaluation stage so appropriate referrals can be made if further treatment is required once stable.
We are committed to providing a high level of primary care delivered by board certified providers supported by a multidisciplinary team. All healthcare professionals associated with GLFHC strive to be guided by evidence-based practices in order to ensure optimal prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases that lead to healthier outcomes for our patients.
In addition they offer other valuable services including travel medicine where they provide comprehensive pre-travel health advice for safe international travel provided by trained staff such as nurses, nurse practitioners or physician assistants who have specialized knowledge about travel medicine which will assist you on your journey abroad safely. They also offer primary preventive care; reproductive health including gynecological services and menopause management, physicals for sports teams as well as school physicals and more.
What services do they provide?
Greater Lawrence Family Health Center Center’s services range from basic checkups to treatment for chronic illnesses. They provide quality primary care, including preventive services and education, medication management and counseling. Additionally, they offer dental care, laboratory services and prenatal care. Some of their health education programs include healthy lifestyle workshops; infant safety seat installation.
Greater Lawrence Family Health Center also operates a pharmacy that offers over 6,000 generic drugs at cost plus $4.49 on most prescriptions filled by a participating doctor (you don’t need to be a GLFHC patient). All GLFHC staff members are required to hold certifications in public health practice or public health related fields and all clinical staff are board certified with advanced degrees. Their labs have been accredited by Quest.
Consumers should always consider their personal objectives when choosing a healthcare professional. Having a trusted relationship with your doctor is paramount in order to ensure that you receive high quality healthcare and meet your healthcare goals such as maintaining optimal levels of health or managing complex medical conditions. When people become ill, they will often go directly to an urgent care center, emergency room or a hospital’s emergency department.
These options are particularly popular during nights and weekends, holidays, and during extreme weather conditions. Healthcare professionals generally work in one of these four major practice settings: Physicians can be primary care physicians who provide long term disease management for chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes and asthma. Or they can be surgeons that specialize in specific areas like orthopedics (bones), cardiac surgery or oncology (cancer).
They can also be specialists who help diagnose and treat illnesses, injuries and diseases like cardiologists (heart), neurologists (brain), endocrinologists (hormones) or pediatricians who specialize in children’s diseases. Practicing any type of medicine requires additional training beyond graduating from medical school; certain specialties require residencies before earning a license to practice while others require fellowships before entering practice. A midlevel provider has completed all of their required education, but may not yet have a license to practice independently.
A certified registered nurse practitioner (CRNP) is trained as an advanced practice registered nurse and has met state requirements to prescribe medications under supervision. An alternative method of treatment includes diagnosing illness using methods other than laboratory tests or procedures conducted by a physician although many insurance companies do not cover alternative methods of diagnosis, treatments by licensed practitioners have gained acceptance from some segments of society. In addition there is significant overlap between all types of medical practices including internal medicine/family practice, which focuses on prevention, acute issues and wellness care for adults and families.
How do you reach them?
One of their biggest challenges is reaching out to those who could benefit from their services but are often too busy or reluctant to visit a traditional doctor. Greater Lawrence Family Health Center They work with community leaders and community organizations that serve residents in neighborhoods with limited access to healthy food options, parks, and public transportation. They also try to engage youth in advocacy projects that encourage them to reach out to adults about health issues in their own communities. These projects include organizing healthy cooking workshops for adults and providing support for adolescent peer advocates who teach kids nutrition information in schools.
Greater Lawrence Family Health Center provides local leaders with opportunities for healthier living through service learning projects and programs. The healthcare system works best when it reaches individuals where they are. -Lisa Rosenstein Lisa Rosenthal, Founder & Executive Director of Greater Lawrence Family Health Center; she recently won $10K as one of four finalists for Commonwealth Award 2018 recognizing outstanding contributions made by Massachusetts residents.
