'The Dr. Oz Show' and NAFC collaborate to hold an enormous free clinic

National Association of Free ClinicsSep 22 2009

 "The Dr. Oz Show," the new daily syndicated show hosted by cardiac surgeon and health expert Dr. Mehmet Oz, and the National Association of Free Clinics (NAFC), will hold an enormous free clinic at the Reliant Convention Center in Houston, Texas on Saturday September 26, 2009 to provide medical care to hundreds of people who have no form of basic health insurance. Dr. Oz will participate in the event and will devote an entire show to the plight of families living without basic health insurance and the heroic work of the medical volunteers who help them. The episode is scheduled to air in early October.

"As we are all committed to improving the health and wellness of America, we are answering the call of our collective conscience to hold this clinic," said Dr. Oz. "We will also use this event as a teaching opportunity to tell the stories of the needs and struggles families face when they lack basic health care."

The September 26 free clinic will be staffed by close to 500 volunteers, including 160 doctors, 200 nurses, and other health workers from the surrounding area and across the nation. "The Dr. Oz Show" and the NAFC are also reaching out to the medical community in Houston for specialists to participate, including obstetrician/gynecologists, pediatricians, reconstructive plastic surgeons, oncologists, endocrinologists, cardiologists, emergency room doctors and otolaryngologists. The 168,000 square foot convention center floor will have more than 120 exam partition rooms and be set up to accommodate more than 1,600 people in one day.

This event will be massive in scope, taking place in Texas, the state which US Census data reveals has the highest percentage of uninsured people in the country with 25.2 percent. In Harris County, where the city of Houston is located, there are 1.3 Million people without health insurance. An estimated 47 million Americans are without some form of health insurance. Free clinics historically have provided care to those who lack insurance, but there has an increase in the volume of patients at free clinics in recent months. Recently the largest free clinic on record was held in Los Angeles at the Staples Center with 1,500 patients served, making national headline news and bringing the problem into public consciousness.