C.A.R.E. Clinic Overview

Communities Are Responding Everyday

What is the NAFC?

The National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) is the only nonprofit 501c(3) organization whose mission is solely focused on the issues and needs of the more than 1,200 Free and Charitable 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 and Charitable Clinics, their volunteer workforce of doctors, dentists, nurses, therapists, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, technicians and other health care professionals, and the patients served by Free and Charitable Clinics in communities throughout the nation.

Mission

To ensure that the medically underserved have access to affordable quality health care.

Vision

To be a national voice promoting quality health care for all.

What is a Free or Charitable Clinic?

Free and Charitable Clinics are safety-net health care organizations that utilize a volunteer/staff model to provide a range of medical, dental, pharmacy, vision and/or behavioral health services to economically disadvantaged individuals. Such clinics are 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations, or operate as a program component or affiliate of a 501(c)(3) organization.

Entities that otherwise meet the above definition, but charge a nominal/sliding fee to patients, may still be considered Free or Charitable Clinics provided essential services are delivered regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. Free or charitable clinics restrict eligibility for their services to individuals who are uninsured, underinsured and/or have limited or no access to primary, specialty or prescription health care.

What are C.A.R.E. Clinics?

C.A.R.E. (Communities Are Responding Everyday) Clinics are not just for the sick, but also for anyone who is underserved and has not seen a doctor recently. All participants in the clinic will receive preventive primary medical care and will be connected to the area’s safety net providers and various resources.

C.A.R.E. Clinics are held to highlight the work done everyday in Free and Charitable Clinics across the country to provide access to medical care to the nation’s underserved.

Similar free clinics have been sponsored by the NAFC since 2009 in Houston, Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana (4 times); Little Rock, Arkansas; Kansas City, Missouri (2 times); Hartford, Connecticut; Atlanta, Georgia; Washington, DC; Charlotte, North Carolina; Tacoma, Washington; Madison, Wisconsin and Dallas, Texas (2 times), where a total of approximately 18,600 people received much needed medical care and were connected to their local safety net providers with the help of over 17,000 volunteers.

Many people who attended the 16 previous free clinic events found that they had health issues they did not know they had. For example, at some of these one-day clinics around the country, doctors found that 90 percent of the patients had three or more life-threatening conditions, such as cardio-vascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and pulmonary disease.

Our Volunteers

Free and Charitable Clinics across the nation depend on volunteers, both medical and non-medical, to be able to provide much needed medical care to the uninsured. The spirit of volunteerism and giving back is truly a rewarding experience, one that is exemplified not only in the large scale NAFC CARE Clinics, but in community clinics throughout the country where the underserved are getting access to medical care everyday.

At each of the C.A.R.E. Clinics, approximately 1,000 volunteers attend and participate in a variety of positions and jobs - from medical providers, nurses, medical and nursing students, EMTs, mental health professionals, social workers... to non-medical professionals who help as patient escorts, at patient check-in or check-out, or in a variety of other positions needed throughout the day.

Many times over at these clinics, I have witnessed relief of sometimes years of suffering, which still brings me to tears upon reflection years later. I vividly remember one young woman around age 16 whose lifelong vision problems had caused her great difficulty at succeeding in school. She put on her first pair of prescription eyeglasses, made on-site at the clinic. For the first time, she was able to see clearly, to read the words on a sheet of paper clearly, to finally see her mother’s face clearly after sixteen years. Her face betrayed her disbelief that the glasses were hers to keep. With assurances from fellow volunteers, the disbelief in her face faded as a flood of gratitude so heartfelt washed over her that her knees buckled, sinking her to the ground weeping tears of joy along with all those around her. For most people, an opportunity to create this much positive change in the world comes once in a lifetime. For a CARE Clinic volunteer, the opportunities walk through the door all day long. How could anyone pass that up?

I wasn’t sure whom I expected to see using the clinic, but I was surprised to meet the wide variety of patients in line for the clinic to open that day. I met a recent college graduate who didn’t have insurance and couldn’t afford the medical check-up required to started his new job; a mother who came to have her children seen by a doctor and was moved to tears when we told her she was welcome to see a doctor that day too, something she hadn’t been able to do in years; a health care worker who worked several part time jobs at hospitals, but had no access to healthcare himself; as well as many others. These patients aren’t a segmented part of our society looking for something for nothing. They are our family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors. They are proof that the fight for affordable and accessible access to health services isn’t over.

Many things impressed me right off the bat: the organizers, the volunteers, the optimism, the joy on one side and the amount of under-insured and uninsured people on the other, the sheer number of folks wanting to see a doctor, so patient, so humble, so appreciative, so real... My volunteer position has made me appreciate what I have—health care—and has also given me a glimpse at the number of Americans who do not have health care. It has angered me. It has made me call politicians. It has made me care. It has made me act and has made me vocal. I am so grateful to be a part of a huge team of caring individuals whose goal is to help fellow human beings get health care with dignity and respect. This team doesn’t say no. Every member is there to find solutions, to make it work, to offer hope and to do it with a smile and open arms.

C.A.R.E. Clinic Volunteer Testimonials

Our Patients

The C.A.R.E. Clinics are not just for the sick, but also for anyone who is underserved and has not seen a doctor recently. All participants in the clinics receive preventive primary medical care and are connected to the area’s safety net providers and various resources.

Prospective patients for the clinics are encouraged through pre-event publicity to contact a toll free phone number to schedule appointments. This prevents patients from having to wait in line for an excessive period of time. All patients are seen by a medical provider and a variety of tests are available including: EKGs, cholesterol blood tests, glucose tests for diabetes, blood pressure tests, muscular skeletal exams, urinalysis, pregnancy tests, hemoglobin tests, strep tests, mental health services and pharmacy counseling.

While these clinics are for one day, it is very important to the NAFC that there is a continuation of care for all of the patients that come to the C.A.R.E. Clinic. Each patient and potential patient receives a list of the safety net providers that are located in the area with contact information so they know where they can go for continued medical care on an ongoing basis. Additionally patients are connected with the various resources available to them in the health education center.

Many people who attended the 14 previous free clinic events found that they had health issues they did not know they had. For example, at some of these one-day clinics around the country, doctors found that 90 percent of the patients had three or more life-threatening conditions, such as cardio-vascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and pulmonary disease.

At these clinics, there have been patients that were diagnosed with cancer, that recieved new eyeglasses, that were prescribed a medication that led to patients being able to go back to work, that found out they were pregnant, that received 3 months of free medication that helped them on to a healthy path, that found out they were HIV-positive, that hadn’t seen a doctor in their entire life... the stories are endless.

Spreading the Word

The C.A.R.E. Clinic events have been documented by the Dr. Oz Show, Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, CNN, MSNBC and PARADE Magazine, and well as additional local, national and international news outlets.

These opportunites have helped to be able to share the story of the local Free and Charitable Clinics, our volunteers and our patients. The C.A.R.E. Clinics have also been visited by a few local and state representatives.

The NAFC works hard to continue sharing the stories our patients and highlighting not only the amazing work of our Free and Charitable Clinics across the nation and their volunteers, but also showing the great need that still exists for increased access to health care.

Did you know...

... that there may be as many as 29-30 million people left without access to affordable health care even AFTER the implementation of the ACA.

...that Free and Charitable Clinics receive little to no state or federal funding and rely heavily on the generosity of individual donors, foundations and grants as sources of funding.

... that Free and Charitable Clinics will remain an important part of the country’s safety net, even after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

To learn more about the NAFC, C.A.R.E. Clinics and how to get involved, visit:

www.nafcclinics.orgBuilding a Healthy America, One Person at a Time!

2016 C.A.R.E. One-Day Free ClinicsDallas, TX

Saturday, April 9, 2016Kay Bailey Hutchinson

Convention Center

New Orleans, LASaturday, October 8, 2016

Ernest N. Morial Convention Center