Charitable clinics will continue to fill the gap

As consumers struggle to understand the impact of President Obama’s health care legislation, charitable health care clinics in the tri-county (Snohomish, Island and Skagit) area are seeing an increase in demand for their services. Our patient numbers have increased since April.

Many are confused by the impact of the legislation and they are concerned about what options they have for the future. Many provisions for the uninsured, such as the expansion of Medicaid, don’t begin until 2014. Many Washington residents need health services now.

Currently nearly a million people in Washington are uninsured, according to estimates from the Office of Insurance Commissioner, and more than 100,000 of them are in the tri-counties area.

Even after the current reform effort is fully implemented, there will still be millions of Americans without health insurance.

The executive director of Empowering Church Healthcare Outreach (ECHO), John Mills has said that the Congressional Budget Office estimates that 23 million Americans will lack insurance in 2019, five years after reform kicks in.

ECHO’s mission is to encourage, empower and equip churches to marshal volunteer and financial resources in developing 10,000 charitable community health care clinics by the year 2030 to serve 20 million of America’s financially struggling and uninsured men, women and children.

A nonprofit 501c3 corporation founded by the Nancy and John Snyder Foundation, ECHO provides no-cost consulting services and resources to groups starting charitable clinics. ECHO is designated by the IRS as a public charity. For more information about ECHO, visit www.echoclinics.org.

We have a significant need for free and charitable clinics today and that need is not going away.

Safe Harbor Free Clinic’s mission is to provide quality, respectful and loving free urgent medical care and referral services to address the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the uninsured in a safe and welcoming environment.

Safe Harbor Free Clinic first opened its doors on June 19, 2009, and we plan on serving the needs of our neighbors for as long as they need us. For clinic dates, times and directions, see www.safeharborfreeclinic. org.

– Julie Vess Safe Harbor Free Clinic

Stanwood