WASHINGTON, May 16, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) will return this July for its fourth massive free medical clinic in New Orleans, LA since 2009. This event highlights the continued need for increased access to medical care as the Affordable Care Act is implemented and as many states, including Louisiana, decide not to expand Medicaid.
"One of the most common misconceptions about how the United States will look after the full implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is that there will no longer be a need for Free and Charitable Clinics to continue to provide quality health care to those individuals who are medically underserved." said Nicole Lamoureux, Executive Director of the NAFC. "In fact, many are surprised to hear that even after full implementation of the ACA, according to the Congressional Budget Office, there may be as many as 29 million people who are still without access to health insurance."
As conversations around the ACA continue, even today as the House of Representatives debates repealing the legislation, the NAFC recognizes that many people have little to no access to medical care and need help now. The clinic event being held by the NAFC in New Orleans will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on July 3rd from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
This free clinic is not just for the sick but also for anyone who has little to no access to medical care and has not seen a doctor recently. All participants will receive preventive primary medical care and be connected to the area's safety-net providers. According to the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, 23% of non-elderly individuals are uninsured in the state of Louisiana.
This will be the 13th in a series of large C.A.R.E. (Communities Are Responding Everyday) Clinics held around the country to bring together physicians and other health care professionals, as well as non-medical volunteers, to serve the needs of thousands of people who might otherwise go without medical care. More than 3,000 patients received medical care at the three previous New Orleans clinics between 2009 and 2011.
Since September 2009, more than 15,000 uninsured patients have received medical care at the NAFC's C.A.R.E. Clinics with the help of over 13,000 volunteers. In addition to New Orleans, the clinics have been held in: Houston; Little Rock; Kansas City; Hartford; Atlanta; Washington, D.C.; Charlotte; Tacoma and Dallas.
Both medical and non-medical volunteers are needed to participate in the free clinic in New Orleans. Information on the event and how to register is available online at: www.nafcclinics.org/. Information on how to donate to support this and future clinics is also available at that address by clicking on the "Donate Now" button.
About the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC):
The National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) is the only nonprofit 501c(3) organization whose mission is solely focused on the issues and needs of the more than 1,200 Free and Charitable Clinics and the people they serve in the United States.
Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the NAFC is an effective advocate for the issues and concerns of Free and Charitable Clinics, their volunteer workforce of doctors, dentists, nurses, therapists, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, technicians and other health care professionals, and the patients served by Free and Charitable Clinics in communities throughout the nation.
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