When Phillip McKinney thinks about healing, he thinks about music.

As a child, he would sit at his grandmother’s piano after church and play the final hymn by ear. It was where he first learned patience and perseverance.

Years later, after losing his mother, his health began to decline.

“I started feeling really sick,” the 52-year-old Palm Coast resident said. “And I didn’t know why.”

He was admitted to AdventHealth Palm Coast and diagnosed with severe anemia caused by internal gastrointestinal bleeding. Doctors treated the immediate crisis with blood transfusions and identified the source of the bleeding through additional testing.

But once he was well enough to leave the hospital, another challenge surfaced.

McKinney did not have reliable transportation. He faced mounting medical bills and needed follow-up care. Lingering cognitive challenges from a previous brain infection made it difficult to organize paperwork or keep track of appointments.

“I never saw myself in that situation,” he said. “But it can happen to anybody.”

Before he was discharged, an AdventHealth financial specialist asked whether he had a way to return for appointments. When he said no, she connected him to Community Care — a free program operated by AdventHealth for its patients who are facing financial hardship or barriers outside the hospital.

Community Care pairs eligible patients with an AdventHealth social worker who helps coordinate care, connect them to local resources and create a clear path forward. The program is offered at no cost to patients.

Briget Parkins, an AdventHealth social worker with the Community Care team, met McKinney before he left the hospital. She quickly recognized how overwhelmed he felt.

“So we slowed down and wrote everything out,” Parkins said. “Then we worked through it step by step.”

Together, they organized his paperwork into a binder and mapped out his follow-up visits. Parkins helped him apply for financial assistance and connected him with transportation support. McKinney purchased a bicycle so he could travel independently to appointments.

Community Care focuses on patients who are at risk of falling through the cracks — those who may be uninsured, underinsured or struggling to meet basic needs while managing complex medical issues.

By addressing obstacles such as transportation, cost and navigating the health system, the program works to prevent delays in care that can lead to complications or repeat hospital visits.

As McKinney regained strength, he began rebuilding his life. Then another diagnosis brought another wave of uncertainty.

A lesion near his temple was identified as an aggressive form of skin cancer. Treatment required coordination between multiple specialists, financial assistance applications and outside agencies.

“The phone calls. The paperwork. The approvals,” McKinney said. “I couldn’t have done it by myself.”

Parkins remained closely involved until he was able to undergo surgery. The cancer was successfully removed, and today he is cancer-free.

McKinney has since returned to work, secured housing and manages his medical care independently. In time, he graduated from Community Care — a milestone that indicates a patient is able to navigate care without ongoing support.

For McKinney, the program restored more than his health.

“They treated me like a person,” he said. “Not a problem. Not a bill. A person.”

As a faith-based, nonprofit health system, AdventHealth invests in programs like Community Care as part of its mission to extend care beyond the hospital walls — particularly for patients whose medical needs are intertwined with financial or social challenges.

In Flagler County, where many residents face transportation challenges and rising living costs, those social needs can directly affect medical outcomes. Hospital leaders say Community Care helps address the nonmedical factors that often lead to missed appointments, delayed treatment or avoidable hospital visits.

For McKinney, the impact was personal.

“It gave me a chance to get back on my feet,” he said. “Sometimes you just need someone to help you take the next step.”

The original article was published on the AdventHealth news site.