Uninsured residents of Kansas City can now register for free health clinic

Uninsured residents of the Kansas City area who want to attend a free health clinic at Bartle Hall on Dec. 9-10 should call 877-249-5030 toll-free as soon as possible to schedule appointments.

"This event is about getting people who need care into the medical system and connecting them with free clinics and other safety-net providers for ongoing treatment," Nicole Lamoureux, executive director of the National Association of Free Clinics (NAFC), said. "It also highlights the incredible work that the 1,200 free health clinics around the country do every day to serve about 8 million uninsured people."

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.

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

"Similar one-day, free clinics treated almost 1,800 people in Houston in September, more than 1,000 people in New Orleans in November and more than 1,000 people in Little Rock in November," Lamoureux said. "So we urge people to register in advance to be seen by health care professionals at the two-day C.A.R.E. Clinic in Kansas City. We will try to accommodate as many walk-ins as possible, but that will be on a first-come-first-served basis."

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/.

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.

"Free clinics have been serving America's working poor since the 1960s, but over the last year, our patient base has grown to include white-collar and blue-collar workers who have lost their jobs and health insurance," Lamoureux said.

SOURCE National Association of Free Clinics