Michigan Free Clinic Facts
- Free clinics are nonprofit organizations that use some volunteer health professionals to provide free or affordable health care to uninsured persons.
- Free clinics provide a safety net and are an essential part of our health care system.
- Free clinics provide the only means of access to health care for many Michigan families.
- Across Michigan, more than 55 free clinics serve tens of thousands of uninsured residents each year.
- Free clinics provide not only urgent care, but also ongoing chronic care to prevent unnecessary emergency room visits.
- Free clinics provide affordable care. Less than 10% of free clinics in Michigan collect any fees from uninsured patients. Of those clinics that do charge a fee, many use a sliding scale fee system and will not turn away those who cannot pay.
- "Healthy Michigan" is Michigan's expanded Medicaid Program. Many formerly uninsured patients are now able to gain coverage through the Affordable Care Act and Healthy Michigan. As a result, some free clinics have expanded eligibility to include insured patients, while they continue to serve the uninsured.
- 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 sixty nine years in service to their communities.
- 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.
- Across the state, free clinics spend more than $9 million annually providing care to tens of thousands of Michigan’s uninsured. The average budget of a free clinic in Michigan is less than $190,000.
- Many free clinics receive in-kind diagnostic services such as labs and x-rays from local hospitals.
- Services provided may include primary care services for children and adults, mental health care, prescription assistance, dental, patient education programs, specialty services, optometry services, Affordable Care Act marketplace insurance and Medicaid/Health Michigan information and assistance and social services.
