Podiatry is the medical specialty focused on the foot, ankle, and lower leg. Podiatrists hold a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) degree and are licensed to diagnose, treat, and in many cases perform surgery on conditions of the foot and ankle.
The conditions podiatrists treat include:
Diabetic foot complications — the most clinically urgent and most common reason FQHC patients seek podiatric care. Diabetes causes peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage that reduces sensation in the feet) and peripheral arterial disease (reduced circulation). Together these make the diabetic foot vulnerable to wounds that don’t heal, infections that spread, and in severe cases, amputations that were preventable with earlier intervention.
Heel pain — plantar fasciitis (inflammation of the connective tissue along the bottom of the foot) and heel spurs are among the most common musculoskeletal complaints in primary care.
Ingrown toenails — painful and prone to infection, particularly in diabetic patients where even a minor wound carries significant risk.
Bunions and foot deformities — structural abnormalities of the foot that cause pain and limit mobility.
Wound care — chronic foot ulcers, particularly in diabetic patients, require specialized wound management that most primary care settings are not equipped to provide.
Fungal infections — toenail and skin fungal infections, common and often undertreated in underserved populations.
Ankle injuries — sprains, fractures, and tendon problems.
Flat feet and arch problems — particularly relevant for patients who spend long hours on their feet in physical labor.
The patients served by Florida’s FQHCs have disproportionately high rates of diabetes — the condition that makes podiatry most urgently necessary.
Florida has the third-highest diabetes prevalence rate in the United States, and that burden falls hardest on the communities FQHCs serve. Low-income adults, African American and Hispanic populations, agricultural workers, and the uninsured all face significantly elevated diabetes rates relative to the general population. These are exactly the communities at the center of every Florida FQHC’s patient panel.
The clinical stakes are high. Diabetic foot complications are among the leading causes of preventable hospitalization in the United States. A diabetic patient with peripheral neuropathy who develops a small wound on their foot may not feel it happening. Without regular monitoring, that wound can progress to infection, then to osteomyelitis (bone infection), then to amputation — a chain of events that routine podiatric care interrupts at the earliest stage.
The American Diabetes Association recommends that every diabetic patient receive a comprehensive foot exam at least once a year, with more frequent monitoring for those with neuropathy or prior foot problems. For uninsured or underinsured diabetic patients, an FQHC that offers podiatry is often the only realistic place to access that care.
This is why the question “does this FQHC offer podiatry?” matters. It’s not about convenience — it’s about whether a diabetic patient can access the preventive care that keeps them out of the emergency room and keeps their feet intact.
FQHC podiatry services vary by organization, but typically include some combination of:
Diabetic foot exams — comprehensive annual or more frequent assessments of foot sensation, circulation, skin integrity, and nail condition. The foundation of diabetic foot disease prevention.
Nail care — trimming and treating nails that a diabetic patient cannot safely manage themselves due to reduced sensation or vision changes.
Wound care — management of foot ulcers, including debridement, dressing, offloading, and infection monitoring.
Orthotics and footwear — prescription of diabetic shoes, custom orthotics, and other devices covered under Medicare’s therapeutic shoe benefit for qualifying diabetic patients.
Minor procedures — treatment of ingrown toenails, removal of corns and calluses, and other in-office procedures.
Referrals for advanced care — when surgical intervention or vascular evaluation is needed, podiatrists coordinate referrals to appropriate specialists.
All of these services at an FQHC are provided on the sliding fee scale — cost is based on income, not a fixed market rate.
Not every Florida FQHC offers podiatry — it depends on the organization’s size, funding, and patient volume. The following are confirmed to offer podiatric services:
Miami-Dade County | (305) 637-6400 | jtchs.org
Florida’s first FQHC lists podiatry explicitly among its services alongside family medicine, dentistry, OB/GYN, behavioral health, HIV/AIDS care, and optometry. Podiatry hours at certain locations run Monday through Thursday, 8am to 5pm. JTCHS serves over 45,000 patients annually across 16 facilities in Miami-Dade County — a patient population with significant diabetes prevalence given the communities served.
Sliding fee scale applies.
Sanford and Hoffner locations (Seminole and Orange Counties) | (407) 322-8645 | mytruehealth.org
True Health explicitly offers podiatry services with a specific focus on diabetic foot care — their patient information notes that all diabetic patients are recommended for yearly foot exams. Podiatry is currently available at the Hoffner and Sanford locations. True Health is a federally qualified health center serving Central Florida’s underserved communities on a sliding fee scale.
“Are you diabetic? Diabetes is a common condition which can damage the feet. Some patients may have neuropathy (tingling of the feet) or had an amputation. At True Health, we recommend ALL diabetic patients have yearly foot exams to monitor their foot health.”
Sliding fee scale applies. No insurance? No problem.
Polk, Highlands, and Hardee Counties | cfhcfl.org
Central Florida Health Care, the FQHC serving the agricultural communities of Florida’s inland corridor, has a dedicated podiatry service for patients with foot, ankle, and heel conditions — including diabetic patients and those on blood thinners. This is particularly significant given that the farmworker populations of Polk, Highlands, and Hardee Counties face elevated diabetes rates and work conditions that place high demands on foot health.
Sliding fee scale applies.
Manatee County (Lakewood Ranch area) | suncoastchc.org
The Lakewood Ranch Healthcare Center location operates a dedicated Florida Foot & Ankle Specialist satellite site with a separate podiatry phone line — a level of podiatric specialization unusual for an FQHC. This reflects the significant diabetic foot care demand in Manatee County’s patient population.
Sliding fee scale applies.
Podiatry is a specialty service, and staffing it at an FQHC requires either employing a DPM directly or contracting with a podiatrist who accepts the FQHC’s sliding fee structure. That’s not straightforward.
Unlike primary care physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners — who qualify for National Health Service Corps loan repayment when practicing at FQHCs — podiatrists are not currently eligible for NHSC loan repayment. This is a significant recruiting disadvantage. The financial incentive that makes FQHC practice attractive to primary care physicians doesn’t extend to podiatrists, making it harder for FQHCs to recruit and retain DPMs.
The result is that podiatry at Florida FQHCs depends heavily on individual organizational capacity, local DPM availability, and creative staffing arrangements. Some FQHCs partner with podiatry practices to offer rotating clinics. Others employ DPMs directly. Many have waiting lists.
For patients in communities without FQHC podiatry access, this gap has real clinical consequences — particularly for diabetic patients who need regular foot monitoring and have no other affordable option.
If the FQHC nearest to you doesn’t offer podiatric services, several paths are available:
Ask about referral arrangements. Many FQHCs have referral relationships with podiatrists in the community who see FQHC patients on reduced-fee arrangements. Your primary care provider at the FQHC may be able to arrange this.
County health departments. Florida’s county health departments, particularly in urban counties, sometimes offer specialty clinics including podiatry on a limited basis. Contact your county health department directly.
Hospital charity care programs. Most Florida hospitals have financial assistance programs for uninsured patients. Hospital-affiliated podiatry practices may participate in these programs.
Use the HRSA Health Center Finder. The finder at findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov lists all federally funded health centers by zip code. Calling several in your region to ask about podiatry availability is the fastest way to find current service status.
Federally funded wound care programs. For patients with active diabetic foot wounds, wound care centers affiliated with hospitals may have charity care or Medicaid pathways even for patients who aren’t otherwise Medicaid-eligible.
If you’re a Florida FQHC administrator reading this, the staffing challenge around podiatry is real and not easily solved through standard physician recruiting channels.
The NHSC eligibility gap for podiatrists means the primary financial lever that drives primary care physician recruitment to FQHCs — loan repayment — doesn’t apply. Recruiting a DPM to an FQHC requires a different conversation: about mission, about the patient population, about the volume of medically necessary podiatric care that goes unmet in your community, and about creative compensation structures that work within your budget.
The organizations doing this well are typically those that have built a compelling case around the clinical need — the diabetes rates, the amputation prevention data, the cost savings of preventive foot care versus emergency hospitalization — and used that case to attract DPMs who are motivated by something other than loan repayment.
Finding the right healthcare professional requires more than filling a role.
It requires identifying individuals who align with an organization’s mission, culture, and long-term goals.
All-Genz works closely with healthcare leaders to deliver candidates who are prepared to make an immediate and lasting impact.
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