As of 2004, about 12 percent of
Ohio adults — just more than 1 million — did not have health
insurance of any kind. In Athens County about 16.9 percent of
adults were uninsured, and in Meigs County, the number was 15.6
percent. But in May 2006, Community Health Programs (CHP) at
Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine began offering
free health-care services to the uninsured of Southeastern Ohio
through its Free Clinical Services program, known simply as the
Free Clinic, which has operated Thursday of each week in
Stewart, Ohio.
This Monday, Jan. 8, the Free
Clinic expands its services to Athens. The Free Clinic, which
provides free primary care medical services and referrals for
the uninsured, will be open from 8 to 11:30 a.m. in Parks Hall,
2nd floor, located on the West Green of the Ohio
University campus. The Jan. 8 clinic will be the first of
planned twice-a-month clinics. The next clinics will be held
Jan. 29, Feb. 5 and Feb. 19. The Free Clinic is sponsored by
Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Community
Health Programs (CHP).
“The Free Clinic provides
cost-free health-care services, including screenings, episodic
care and prevention, and health education,” says Melanie
Moynan-Smith, CHP certified nurse practitioner.
“So many times I see women at
breast and cervical cancer clinics who have no health insurance
or have no primary care physicians. The Free Clinic is a way of
establishing a medical home for patients and providing cost-free
clinical services for men and women. It’s a greatly needed
service; we know people will greatly benefit from it.”
Those eligible for the clinic
must be residents of Athens or Meigs County, 18 to 64 years old
with no medical insurance and having, for a family of one, a
gross annual income of no more than $14,700. For each additional
family member, families are allowed an additional $5,100 in
gross annual income.
“We are just delighted to begin
this service in the city of Athens,” says Kathy Trace,
director of CHP. “The Free Clinic is part of our effort to serve
the medical needs of the most underserved — the uninsured —
members of Athens and Meigs counties.
“Although we’re starting with
only two half-day clinics monthly in Athens, we will be reviewing the
need and increasing clinics as necessary.
“The Free Clinic
also is a collaborative opportunity for other areas of the
university, such as nursing, psychology, social work, health
administration and community health. These are services and
service opportunities from which the uninsured of Southeastern
Ohio would greatly benefit. Ohio University students who work in
these areas are able to contribute as well as learn as part of
their educational experiences.”
For more information, or to
make an appointment at the Free Clinic, please call (800)
844-2654 or (740) 593-2432.
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News for the week of Nov 27 – Dec 2
