AmeriCares & GE Foundation Improving Health Care for the Uninsured

STAMFORD, Conn., Dec. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AmeriCares and the GE Foundation have teamed up to launch an innovative online resource guide for free clinics and nonprofit health care centers serving the growing number of uninsured Americans. With nearly 50 million people in the U.S. without health insurance, and more families relying on safety net clinics as their primary source of medical care, freeclinicstoday.org serves as a comprehensive resource dedicated to improving the care provided by the 1,200 free clinics serving America's uninsured and underinsured.

The site contains practical how-to guides for clinic administrators interested in better managing volunteers, organizing on-site pharmacies and improving the delivery of health services. It also features a message board where clinic directors can solicit advice from their peers all across the country. The site links to AmeriCares U.S. Access online ordering system that allows free clinic administrators to request donations of medicines and supplies from products in stock at AmeriCares Stamford, Conn. warehouse.

"Free Clinics Today is a one-stop-shop for all of the best and most up-to-date information for health care providers serving the uninsured," said AmeriCares President and CEO Curt Welling. "Pairing our expertise with our medical aid deliveries is one more way we're helping free clinics do more with limited resources."

Free Clinics Today is part of AmeriCares expanding domestic work, which includes ongoing medical assistance to 400 free clinics, nonprofit pharmacies and community health centers nationwide. In addition, more than 100,000 Americans rely on AmeriCares Patient Assistance Programs for free prescription medications to manage their chronic health conditions. In Connecticut, where the charity is based, it operates three AmeriCares Free Clinics that provide high-quality, outpatient medical care for low-income residents without health insurance.

The National Association of Free Clinics has teamed up with AmeriCares to expand the scope of information available to viewers of this site. "The NAFC continues to partner with AmeriCares to provide important resources to the staff and volunteers of free and charitable clinics throughout the nation," said NAFC Executive Director Nicole Lamoureux Busby. "We are committed to working with our partners such as AmeriCares to increase access to additional resources for our clinics, to assist them in the great work they do every day throughout the nation."

AmeriCares created the site with a generous grant from the GE Foundation, which supports programs increasing access to care for underserved populations in the U.S. through its Developing Health^TM  program.

"GE's Developing Health^TM  program aims to improve access to primary care in targeted underserved communities across the U.S. We are proud to support the work AmeriCares does to enable primary care across the country," said Bob Corcoran, president of the GE Foundation.

About AmeriCares
AmeriCares is a nonprofit global health and disaster relief organization which delivers medicines, medical supplies and aid to people in need around the world and across the United States. Since it was established in 1982, AmeriCares has distributed more than $10 billion in humanitarian aid to 164 countries. For more information, visit www.AmeriCares.org

About GE Foundation
The GE Foundation, the philanthropic organization of the General Electric Company, works to solve some of the world's most difficult problems. In coordination with its partners, it supports U.S. and international education, developing health globally, the environment, public policy, human rights, and disaster relief. In 2010, the entire GE family—including businesses, employees, retirees and the GE Foundation—contributed an estimated $250 million in cash, products, and services to charitable organizations around the world. For more information, visit www.gefoundation.com

CONTACT: 
Leslie Gianelli: 203-658-9692
[email protected]

Donna Porstner: 203-658-9579
[email protected]

SOURCE AmeriCares