Press Release

IBC Aids West Chester Volunteers in Medicine

IBC Charitable Medical Care Grants Add to a Cookie Jar for Uninsured

Philadelphia, PA - September 15, 2004 Judy's Cookie Jar sits on a desk in West Chester's Community Volunteers in Medicine health care clinic. It is symbolic of a small account set up to aid more than 7,000 uninsured children and adults who need more care than the 185 volunteers who help to run the clinic can offer. It covers payments for visits with specialists, and helps offset some of the cost of the more than 25,000 patient prescriptions that are dispensed by the clinic each year. To date, Judy's Cookie Jar has helped hundreds receive the specialist care they need.

But more is needed to make sure that the volunteer doctors, nurses, dentists and volunteers can continue to provide basic care to their patients. This year, Independence Blue Cross awarded Community Volunteers a three-year grant as part of IBC's Charitable Medical Care Grant Program, which offers financial support for non-profit, privately funded clinics in southeastern Pennsylvania who provide free or low-cost care to the area's uninsured.

"The Charitable Medical Care 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.

"We see 800 to 900 patients each month from every part of Chester County," says Helen Heidelbaugh, president and CEO at the clinic. "These people tend to be chronically ill and have lacked treatment for years. We ve literally transformed hundreds of lives through teaching, supporting and caring for our patients."

The IBC Charitable Medical Care Grant program provides clinics with a three-year financial commitment to help support 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 within in the clinics. To date, IBC has dedicated $2.8 million to 13 clinics over the next three years.

Community Volunteers in Medicine offers a variety of services, including health education, dental exams, and foot and eye care in its 10-exam room facility. The office is also equipped with five dental chairs and has a staff of 10 full-time equivalent employees, including a full-time nurse practitioner, dentist, dental hygienist and dental assistants.

But the heart of the clinic lies within the Vice President of Medical Affairs, Dr. Mary Wirshup, who directs care, coordinates the volunteers and conducts educational seminars and classes for student volunteers. The grant money will go towards Dr. Wirshup's salary and expenses.

"Without Mary we wouldn't be here," says Ms. Heidelbaugh. "She teaches, she treats, she works incredibly long hours to make sure that we have a clinical rotation of students and volunteers to serve the needs of our patients. To have a grant that will help us make sure Mary is here for years to come is incredibly supportive."

For more information about this clinic or the additional clinics aided by the IBC Charitable Medical Care Grant Program, contact Butch Ward at 215-241-2220.

About Community Volunteers in Medicine
For more than 7 years, Community Volunteers in Medicine, located at 300B Lawrence Drive in West Chester, Pennsylvania, has offered services to nearly 7,000 adult patients in the Chester County area. The Clinic works with area schools to provide dental services to children without medical assistance.

About Independence Blue Cross
Independence Blue Cross is the leading health insurer in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Nationwide, IBC and its affiliates provide coverage to nearly 3.5 million people.