For Immediate Release
July 18, 2006

North Carolina Association of Free Clinics Contact:
Mike Darrow, Executive Director
(336) 251-1111

BCBSNC Foundation Contact:
Lew Borman
(919) 765-3424

BCBSNC Foundation Continues Its Commitment to Support and Expand Free Health Clinic Access Across North Carolina

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Grants from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation (BCBSNC Foundation) will help North Carolina's free clinics implement disease management programs, provide affordable prescription drugs, target services to seniors and immigrants, and take other steps to strengthen and expand services to uninsured residents of the state.

The BCBSNC Foundation is awarding its third round of grants through the N.C. Association of Free Clinics (NCAFC) as part of a partnership between the organizations to strengthen the free health clinic network across the state. The funding includes both general grants to the clinics and money linked to specific needs, including technology, program expansion, Hispanic services, or treatment of chronic diseases. Sixty-two grants totaling $1.5 million are being awarded to North Carolina's free clinics.

One award recipient, Community Care Clinic in Elizabeth City, received $47,000, of which $32,000 will be used to provide for a full-time physician assistant dedicated to basic primary care. This will allow the clinic to expand its primary care hours from two evening clinics a week to three per week and to offer more daytime hours.

The clinic is increasing its staffing, primary care and pharmacy services to outlying areas to keep up with growing demand for clinic services and with the diverse needs of its patients.

"Our clinic serves patients from six counties, and we use satellite clinics in some of those areas. Our goal is to interrelate health care activities in order to curb the multiple illness patterns and the high incidence of secondary conditions among those most disadvantaged by poverty, lack of education, minority status, unemployment, and being uninsured or underserved," said Community Care Clinic executive director Phil Donahue. "We are grateful for these funds as they will most definitely help us achieve these goals."

For another North Carolina free clinic, emergency dental care was of primary concern. The Free Clinic of Reidsville & Rockingham County was awarded $43,000, of which $28,000 will go to increasing the utilization of the clinic's dental suite by hiring a part-time dentist and a part-time dental assistant. When the clinic expanded its service area in October 2005 to include all of Rockingham County, the number of patients seeking dental care rose dramatically, and many patients had to wait one to two months to see a volunteer dentist.

In order to reduce the wait times and to increase the clinic's dental capacity, the Rockingham County clinic viewed this grant opportunity as a means to overcome this pressing challenge. "It truly breaks your heart to see a patient in continual pain and not be able to alleviate that pain in a timely manner. Our clinic is in a difficult situation. We are the only resource for dental care for the uninsured in our county, and we are being overwhelmed by the need for this service," said executive director Leslie Deaton. "With these funds from the BCBSNC Foundation, we will be able to increase our dental services in order to head off what can only be described as an emerging crisis."

"The partnership with the BCBSNC Foundation has not only helped to grow the number of free clinics in our state, but has also aided us in expanding our services to help meet the ever increasing needs of the uninsured in North Carolina," said Mike Darrow, executive director of NCAFC. "These grant funds from BCBSNC Foundation help our clinics keep their doors open, help them to reach beyond their current capacity and assist them in breaking down the barriers preventing the uninsured from accessing quality health care. The net effect of this partnership may never be truly calculated, as patients are able to return to work, remain effective in their jobs, continue to take care of their families and contribute to their local communities, thus producing a ripple effect throughout entire counties."

"North Carolina's free clinics continue to show great compassion, skill and resourcefulness in providing essential medical care to those who have nowhere else to turn," said Kathy Higgins, president of the BCBSNC Foundation. "Our partnership with the N.C. Association of Free Clinics is having a dramatic and immediate impact on health care access across the state. This impact will continue to grow as free clinics continue to expand their service capability and reach."

Additional grant recipients are:

• ABCCM Medical Ministry, Asheville - Awarded $31,000, of which $16,000 will be used to hire a 20-hour per week dental assistant to act as coordinator to support the volunteers, to assist in dental procedures, to coordinate patient care and compliance, and to perform charting and reporting.
• Bethesda Health Center, Charlotte - Awarded $41,600, of which $26,600 will be used to upgrade technology and to purchase a patient-tracking system
• Broad Street Clinic Foundation, Morehead City - Awarded $28,600, of which $13,600 will be used to fund a full-time data entry position / Drug Assistance Program coordinator
• Charlotte Community Health Clinic, Charlotte - Awarded $27,000, of which $12,000 will be used to maintain a front office, intake, bilingual staff person
• Community Care Center, Winston-Salem - Awarded $43,000, of which $28,000 will be used to provide the clinic's drug dispensary with a full-time position to coordinate medication purchasing and inventory management
• Community Care Clinic, Elizabeth City - Awarded $47,000, of which $32,000 will be used to provide for a full-time physician assistant dedicated to basic primary care; to expand primary care hours from two evening clinics a week to three; and to provide more daytime primary care hours
• Community Care Clinic of Dare, Kitty Hawk - Awarded $29,400, of which $14,400 will go to partially fund an executive director position and to purchase medical and office equipment for a newly created satellite clinic
• Community Clinic of High Point, Inc., High Point - Awarded $31,000, of which $16,000 will be used to hire a Prescription Assistance Program coordinator
• Community Free Clinic, Concord - Awarded $23,400, of which $8,400 will be used to convert and upgrade the pharmacy's prescription software
• Community Health Services, Charlotte - Awarded $27,000, of which $12,000 will be used to fund a registered nurse position
• Crisis Control Ministry Pharmacy, Winston-Salem - Awarded $23,000, of which $8,000 will be used to help fund pharmacy support positions
• Davidson Medical Ministries Clinic, Inc., Lexington - Awarded $21,500, of which $6,500 will be used to upgrade technology and clinic hardware
• Franklin County VIM Clinic, Louisburg - Awarded $22,600, of which $7,600 will be utilized to upgrade technology and clinic hardware
• Free Clinic of Our Towns, Davidson - Awarded $27,000, of which $12,000 will be used to establish a part-time clinic manager position
• Free Clinic of Reidsville & Rockingham County, Reidsville - Awarded $43,000, of which $28,000 will go to increasing the utilization of the clinic's dental suite by employing a part-time dentist and a part-time dental assistant
• The Free Clinics, Hendersonville - Awarded $25,400, of which $10,400 will be used for computer software and hardware upgrades
• Good Samaritan Clinic, Morganton - Awarded $27,000, of which $12,000 will help to fund a development director position.
• Good Samaritan Clinic of Haywood County, Waynesville - Awarded $27,500, of which $12,500 will be used for an upgraded phone system and a laptop computer for their satellite clinic in Canton
• Good Shepherd's Clinic, Salisbury - Awarded $21,600, of which $6,600 is targeted for equipment to expand the clinic's dental clinic
• Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry - Health Care Center, Hickory - Awarded $35,000, of which $20,000 will be used to purchase technology upgrades and fund a certified nurse position
• HealthQuest of Union County, Monroe - Awarded $23,000, of which $8,000 will be used for computer software and hardware upgrades
• HealthReach Community Clinic, Mooresville - Awarded $30,000, of which $15,000 will be used to partially fund a part-time physician assistant
• Helping Hand Clinic, Sanford - Awarded $25,400, of which $10,400 will be used to expand the clinic's chronic care program
• Helping Hands Health Clinic, Lincolnton - Awarded $31,000, of which $16,000 is targeted for funding of pharmacy staff.
• Helping Hands of Caldwell County, Lenoir - Awarded $35,000, of which $20,000 will help fund the Caldwell Health Access Program (CHAP), a collaboration with the local hospital, medical society and health department
• Lake Norman Free Clinic, Huntersville - Awarded $25,600, of which $10,600 will fund computer software and hardware upgrades for patient tracking
• Matthews VIM Health Clinic, Matthews - Awarded $23,300, of which $8,300 will be used for equipment to implement a gynecology clinic
• MedAssist of Mecklenburg, Charlotte - Awarded $31,000, of which $16,000 will be used to partially fund a patient assistance coordinator to assist patients in accessing free medications
• Medication Assistance Program, Greensboro - Awarded $27,000, of which $12,000 will fund a part-time bilingual pharmacy technician to serve Hispanic patients
• MERCI Clinic, New Bern - Awarded $31,000, of which $16,000 will fund equipment to establish an on-site dental clinic
• Moore Free Care Clinic, Carthage - Awarded $31,000, of which $16,000 will be used to fund a registered nurse to coordinate nursing volunteers and to provide continuity of care for chronic disease management program patients
• Open Door Clinic, Statesville - Awarded $29,000, of which $14,000 will partially fund a medical office assistant for medical clinics
• Open Door Clinic of Alamance County, Burlington - Awarded $31,000, of which $16,000 will help the clinic implement patient tracking and prescription assistance software
• Open Door Dental Clinic of Alamance County, Inc., Burlington - Awarded $23,000, of which $8,000 is targeted to purchase digital X-ray and software for their mobile dental clinic
• Rockingham County Prescription Assistance Program, Reidsville - Awarded $29,400, of which $14,400 will be used for a nutrition consultant for patient education
• Senior PHARMAssist, Durham - Awarded $31,000, of which $16,000 will partially fund a part-time pharmacist and a prescription assistance coordinator to serve senior clients
• Shelter Health Services, Inc., Charlotte - Awarded $27,000, of which $12,000 is targeted for a registered nurse for the clinic's chronic disease program
• Tileston Outreach Health Center, Wilmington - Awarded $31,000, of which $16,000 will be used for a bilingual case manager for Hispanic patients
• Urban Ministries Open Door Clinic, Raleigh - Awarded $31,000, of which $16,000 will be used to upgrade computer hardware and software
• Watauga County Hunger Coalition, Boone - Awarded $21,400, of which $6,400 will be used to implement a "Prevention Works!" program focusing on the prevention of chronic disease.

Unrestricted Awards ($15,000):

• Brunswick Adult Medical Clinic, Inc., Supply
• The CARE Clinic, Inc., Fayetteville
• Caring Community Clinic, Jacksonville
• Charlotte Volunteers in Medicine Free Clinic, Charlotte
• Community Care Clinic, Albemarle
• Community Care Clinic of Rowan County, Salisbury
• Good Samaritan Clinic of Haywood County, Sylva
• Greenville Community Shelter Clinic, Greenville
• Haywood Christian Ministries, Waynesville
• HOPE Clinic, Bayboro
• New Hope Clinic, Southport
• Pitt County Care Clinic, Greenville
• Raleigh Rescue Mission Clinic, Raleigh
• Roanoke Valley Medical Ministries Clinic, Roanoke Rapids
• Robert Nixon Clinic for the Homeless, Chapel Hill
• Senior Pharmacy Program, New Bern
• St. Gabriel's Wellness Center, Rutherfordton
• Storehouse for Jesus Free Medical Ministries, Mocksville
• Student Health Action Coalition, Chapel Hill
• Surry Medical Ministries Clinic, Mount Airy
• Transylvania County Volunteers in Medicine, Brevard
• WATCH Mobile Unit, Goldsboro

Free health clinics are private, nonprofit, community-based organizations that provide medical care at little or no charge to low-income, uninsured North Carolinians through the use of volunteer health care professionals and partnerships with other health providers. North Carolina has more than 70 free clinics, which is more free medical clinics than any state in the country. There are approximately 600 free clinics nationwide.