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Free Clinic Facts 
- Free clinics are
nonprofit organizations that use volunteer
health professionals to provide free or low cost health
care to uninsured persons.
- Across Michigan,
more than 40 free clinics serve tens of thousands of uninsured
residents each year.
- Free clinics
provide not only minor emergency care, but also ongoing chronic
care to prevent unnecessary emergency room visits.
- Less than 10% of
free clinics in Michigan collect any fees from patients. Of
those clinics that do charge a fee, many use a sliding scale fee
system. Free clinics are not supported by insurance
reimbursement.
- More than 98% of
the patients seen in Michigan’s Free Clinics are uninsured. Most
of the free clinics’ clientele is 100%
uninsured. Only three free clinics across the state see Medicaid
patients.
- Each month, free
clinics across the state serve more than 7,500 uninsured
citizens. Free clinics see an average of 204 patients per month.
Some clinics see more than 600 patients each month.
- More than 3200
hours are donated per week by volunteer health care
professionals to free clinics across the state. Free clinics
have an average of 2.6 full-time employees and operate with an
average of 85.4 hours of volunteer time per week.
- Michigan’s Free
Clinics vary in age from one year to fifty-six years.
- The mission of
free clinics is supported by their sponsoring organization,
grant funding, and the generosity of donors. More than half of
the free clinics have hospital or health system affiliations.
Many are church sponsored.
- Across the state,
free clinics spent more than $9.1 million last year providing
care to tens of thousands of Michigan’s uninsured. The average
budget of a free clinic in Michigan is less than $190, 000.
- Services provided
include primary care services for children and adults, mental
health care, prescription assistance, dental, patient education
programs, prescription assistance, specialty services, optometry
services, and social services.
- Many free clinics
receive in-kind diagnostic services such as labs and x-rays from
local hospitals.
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Free clinics provide the only means of access to health care for
many Michigan families. Free clinics are an essential part of
the health care system.
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