Practicing Optometry in a Federally Qualified Health Center

Consider this practice modality to fill a need for primary care optometrists

By: Frank Giardina, MS, OD, FAAO

Optometric Management June 19, 2025 Vol 60 (4) , Issue May 2025

5 Key Takeaways

1

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) provide primary care to underserved communities, regardless of insurance status.
2

FQHCs employ only about 400 full-time equivalent optometrists, representing less than 1% of all optometrists in the U.S.
3

Practicing optometry in FQHCs offers unique opportunities to improve access to eye health and vision care.
4

Community Health Centers (CHC) of the Central Coast operates four full-time optometry clinics, providing comprehensive eye care.
5

Optometrists in FQHCs are integral to multidisciplinary teams, enhancing patient care through collaboration with other health services.

Frank Giardina

Optometrist

Affiliations: Community Health Centers of the Central Coast

Specialties: Optometry

Bio: Frank Giardina, MS, OD, FAAO, is an optometrist at Community Health Centers of the Central Coast in Nipomo, California. He practices in a federally qualified health center setting, providing primary eye and vision care for underserved communities. At Community Health Centers of the Central Coast, Dr. Giardina is part of an optometry team that provides routine refractions, spectacles, contact lenses, and specialty contact lenses. The organization also serves as an externship site for several schools of optometry and as a residency site, supporting training in community-based primary care optometry.

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Optometric Management

Practicing Optometry in a Federally Qualified Health Center

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