Free health clinic offers preventive primary care for uninsured residents of Kansas City

The large, two-day free health clinic sponsored by the National Association of Free Clinics (NAFC) in Kansas City on Wednesday and Thursday is not just for the sick but also for anyone who is uninsured and has not seen a doctor recently. All participants in the health clinic will receive preventive primary care.

"Many people who attended the three previous large free clinic events this fall in Houston, New Orleans and Little Rock found out they had health issues they didn't know about," NAFC Executive Director Nicole Lamoureux said. "Our physicians at these events dealt with multiple health conditions that saved people's lives. We expect much of the same will happen at the free clinic at Kansas City's Bartle Hall."

At the one-day free clinic in Little Rock on Nov. 21, doctors found that more than 90 percent of the more than 1,000 patients had three or more life-threatening conditions, such as cardio-vascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and pulmonary disease. Similar results were found among more than 1,000 patients at the free clinics in New Orleans Nov. 14 and in Houston Sept. 26.

"In addition to providing needed care, these clinics connect the uninsured with safety-net providers such as free clinics near where they live for regular treatment on an ongoing basis," Lamoureux said.

Uninsured residents of the Kansas City area should call 877-249-5030 toll-free as soon as possible to schedule appointments for the free health clinic at Bartle Hall on Dec. 9-10. Walk-ins will be accepted, but they will be seen on a first-come-first-served basis, so scheduling an appointment is the best way to avoid a long wait.

Several hundred doctors, other medical providers and non-medical volunteers are expected to participate in the C.A.R.E. (Communities Are Responding Everyday) Clinic sponsored by the NAFC. 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. on Dec. 9 and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Dec. 10 at Bartle Hall.

In addition to the toll-free number for patients to register for the C.A.R.E. Clinic, patients and volunteers also can find information about the clinic online at: http://freeclinics.us/.

More than 14 percent of non-elderly residents of both Missouri and Kansas do not have health insurance, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

All types of medical volunteers are needed to help with the C.A.R.E. Clinic in Kansas City. Non-medical volunteers also are needed to help with documentation, logistical support and patient intake, as well as assisting patients with scheduling follow-up appointments at their local charitable clinics.