IBC Offers Grants To Volunteer Clinics that Serve the Uninsured
Charitable Medical Care Grant Program
Philadelphia, PA - September 13, 2004 - Fourteen volunteer medical clinics in Southeastern Pennsylvania have received grants totaling more than $2.8 million through a new Independence Blue Cross initiative to increase health care access for the uninsured.
The IBC Charitable Medical Care Grant Program offers financial support to clinics that provide free or nominal-fee care to uninsured residents who otherwise would not have access to health care.
To be eligible for a grant through the IBC Charitable Medical Care Grant Program, a clinic must be non-profit, privately funded and staffed by volunteer medical professionals. The 14 facilities awarded grants so far are located in Philadelphia and Bucks, Chester and Montgomery counties.
"The Charitable Medical Care Grant Program is a perfect example of IBC's commitment to the overall health of our community," said G. Fred DiBona, Jr., president and CEO of Independence Blue Cross. "By helping the uninsured get access to medical care, we not only help fill a void our community is struggling to address, but we also help reduce incidents of uncompensated care for our providers. And, ultimately, that helps control medical costs for our members."
"This is exactly the kind of sound investment that a good local company makes in its community," DiBona said.
DiBona praised the work of the 14 clinics that received the grants, which are to be paid over the next three years. The clinics were chosen after submitting applications that demonstrated a clear need for funding in areas such as general operating expenses, unfunded pharmaceutical needs, medical supplies, specialty care, diagnostic tests, or other pertinent needs critical to the delivery of care.
"These clinics and the men and women who volunteer to staff them are filling a tremendous need in our region," DiBona said. "Without them, many uninsured would turn to the emergency room for care – and ERs already are overcrowded. Many other uninsured people would simply go without medical care altogether.
"Maybe someday America will provide everyone with access to health care. But until then, volunteer efforts like these need our support."
Sheila Davis, D.O., of the St. Catherine Labouré Medical Clinic, was a recipient of an IBC Grant. "We treat the invisible population – the uninsured who are under the radar because they're working part-time or are unemployed – who are at the end of their rope," she said. "We were in desperate need and could not get sufficient funding to operate until Independence Blue Cross came in."
Sister Lois McDonough of Health Link Medical Center also received a grant. "What IBC is doing for the free clinics in southeastern Pennsylvania is so encouraging to all of us involved in this much-needed work. The challenges are great, but the rewards are even greater."
DiBona said IBC expects to award grants to additional clinics in the months ahead.
The grant recipients of the IBC Charitable Medical Care Grant Program
- Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership (BCHIP) Adult Health Clinic, Bensalem
- Community Volunteers in Medicine, West Chester
- Eleventh Street Family Health Services, Philadelphia
- Family Practice & Counseling Network Health Centers, Philadelphia
- Free Clinic of Doylestown, Doylestown
- Gwynedd Mercy College – Adult Free Clinic, North Penn
- Health Link Medical Center, Southampton
- National Nursing Centers Consortium, Philadelphia
- North Hills Health Center, Glenside
- North Penn VNA, North Penn
- Project H.O.M.E., Philadelphia
- Project Salud of La Comunidad Hispana, Kennett Square
- St. Catherine Labouré Clinic, Philadelphia
- St. Mary Medical Center Foundation, Bensalem
- Temple Health Connection, Philadelphia
- VNA Community Services Children's Health Center, Abington
For more information about the IBC Charitable Medical Care Grant Program, contact Sheila Hess at 215-241-3229.
Independence Blue Cross is the leading health insurer in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Nationwide, IBC and its affiliates provide coverage to nearly 3.5 million people.
