The massive free health clinic movement inspired by MSNBC's fuming Keith Olbermann, TV doc Mehmet Oz and the unconscionable fact of 47 million uninsured Americans comes to Kansas City this week.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Bartle Hall becomes the fourth site of a giant event put on by the National Association of Free Clinics. The organization's first such event, on September 26 in Houston, drew 1,700 patients; more than a
thousand people sought medical care in New Orleans on November 14 and
in Little Rock on November 21. Those were one-day clinics; Kansas City's
will be two days, December 9 and 10.
"We've seen people who had not gotten care in five to 10 years get care, and hopefully they will be healthier as a result of that," says Sheri Wood, executive director of the Kansas City Free Health Clinic and president of the NAFC. "Some of the people we saw had
pretty extensive problems. In Little Rock, in one hour, we sent five people to
an emergency room -- it had been really calm most of the day, and then it was just
bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. They really needed care and had not gotten it."
Which is great. God bless our country's free clinics. Big thanks to Oz, for underwriting the Houston clinic, and to Olbermann, who devoted his August 3 Countdown to a "Special Comment" that ended with a plea for viewers to give money to the NAFC. Wood says her organization wasn't expecting that, but it immediately raised more than $1.5 million.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
But while free clinics might get help for a few thousand people, they do little to solve the bigger problem.
What happens when volunteer doctors at one of these clinics sends a patient to the nearest emergency room?
"They fall
into the system," Wood says. Hospital workers will help a patient apply
for Medicaid, or, she says, "depending on the hospital, they'll have
to work out a payment process. But
at least they got the care they needed."
Even though sending uninsured patients into a broken system isn't an overall solution, Wood says the media coverage has raised vital awareness.
The National Association of Free Clinics initially partnered with Oz -- who had established himself as "America's Doctor" on the Oprah Winfrey Show before spinning off his own The Dr. Oz Show in September -- for the daylong clinic in Houston. After that, Wood says, Oz ended up on The Late Show with David Letterman and Larry King Live
before Olbermann jumped on board. Olbermann "did a political twist
to it," Wood says, even though the NAFC had made it clear that the organization's
efforts weren't political. In any event, it worked.
"Many people who have seen the media coverage have made comments
to me about how they didn't realize how extensive the problem was," Wood says. "And
that these people who are uninsured look 'just like us.'"
Yeah, but what about the need for real health-care reform? Why do organizations such as hers have to put on big one-off clinics just to get some people the medical care they need? Why can't this country just do that for our fellow Americans every day?
Wood laughs.
And keeps laughing. And laughs at the same time as she says "Isn't it sad?"
"Hopefully our system will change," she says. "But right now, with everything in Washington, even if it happens it's years away. And people need care now."
So if you're uninsured, call and make an appointment: 877-249-5030 -- it's toll free. The clinic will be open from noon to 8 p.m. on Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday. Besides medical care, this clinic offers mental health, vision care and social services.
Organizers also need help from medical volunteers such as doctors
of osteopathy and podiatric medicine, nurse practitioners, physician's
assistants, RNs, licensed vocational nurses, EMTs and medical
administrators. And they need volunteers who have no medical training
but could help with record-keeping, logistical support, patient intake
and translation, and making sure patients schedule follow-up appointments at area clinics. Medical and non-medical volunteers should register here.
And even if you're nowhere near Bartle Hall on Wednesday and Thursday -- if you're just a regular Kansas Citian who doesn't, at the moment, have to worry about health insurance -- at least give a nod in that direction.
Because all of us are affected by what's going on there. As Wood points out, "If someone doesn't have
health insurance and they hit the emergency department, it's an expensive way
to provide care and that cost is spread to everyone."
Showing 1-7 of 7
I am a regular reader of your site and would just like to say thank you! I am due to start my own blog an would like to know how to go about doing so. I hear a lot about Wordpress is this a good site to use? Thank you. Freddy M
maybe. or he's just putting his money where his mouth is.
heading out to my appointment now...
Isnt it nice when Dr Oz helps promote the very products he has invested stock in so heavily all under the guise of altruism?
KANSAS CITY, Mo. � Uninsured people who register for appointments at the large, two-day free health clinic sponsored by the National Association of Free Clinics (NAFC) in Kansas City�s Bartle Hall on Wednesday and Thursday will be able to receive vaccinations for the H1N1 flu, seasonal flu and certain sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
�We are pleased that our partnership with safety-net providers in the Kansas City area is allowing us to provide the vaccinations,� NAFC Executive Director Nicole Lamoureux said. �That partnership also is allowing us to offer some dental services, particularly extractions, but people who want these services must register ahead of time to get them.�
Uninsured people who want to schedule appointments for these and other medical services should call 877-249-5030 toll-free as soon as possible. Information also is available online at http://freeclinics.us. Although walk-ins will be accommodated on a first-come-first-served basis for many services, uninsured people who want to receive vaccinations or dental care must register for appointments. Scheduling appointments also reduces waiting time for patients.
More than 1,200 doctors, other medical providers and non-medical volunteers have signed up to participate in the C.A.R.E. (Communities Are Responding Everyday) Clinic at the Kansas City Convention Center�s Bartle Hall. They will provide care for a wide range of medical issues at no cost to participants or taxpayers from noon until 8:00 p.m. Wednesday and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Thursday.
�This is the fourth large C.A.R.E. Clinic we have been able to schedule this fall,� Lamoureux said. �But unlike the previous free clinics in Houston, New Orleans and Little Rock, the Kansas City clinic will be offered for two days instead of one, and we will offer a wider range of medical services.�
The earlier C.A.R.E. Clinics served almost 1,800 people in Houston, more than 1,000 in New Orleans and more than 1,000 in Little Rock. Many people learned at those clinics that they had health issues they didn�t know about. Physicians found the vast majority of patients had three or more life-threatening conditions, such as cardio-vascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and pulmonary disease.
�These C.A.R.E. Clinics do more than provide one-time care for many individuals who have not had regular medical care for some time,� Lamoureux said. �We also connect the uninsured with free clinics and other safety-net providers near where they live so they can continue to receive medical treatment.�
More than 14 percent of non-elderly residents of both Missouri and Kansas do not have health insurance, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
About the National Association of Free Clinics:
The National Association of Free Clinics is the only nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization whose mission is solely focused on the issues and needs of more than 1,200 free clinics and the people they serve in the United States.
Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the NAFC is an effective advocate for the issues and concerns of free clinics, their volunteer workforce of doctors, dentists, nurses, therapists, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, technicians and other health care professionals, as well as the patients served by free clinics in communities throughout the nation.
###
All the information on pharmaceutical patient assistance programs plus hundreds of other programs is available for free at www.needymeds.org. Each workday over 12,000 people visit our site. We have all the applications on the website.
Our information is ease to access, updated regularly, and free. We gather no information about our users.
You don't have to pay to apply to these programs. Most are easy to apply to and respond quickly.
We also offer a free drug discount card. No registration is required and anyone is eligible to use it. The average savings is 30-40% with occasional savings of up to 75% or even more.
Rich Sagall, MD
President
NeedyMeds, Inc.
P.O. Box 219
Gloucester, MA 01931
like
dislike
