AmeriCares Free Clinics Launches Outreach Program

DANBURY — AmeriCares Free Clinics and Boehringer Ingelheim have announced the launch of a new program, the Boehringer Ingelheim-AmeriCares Free Clinics Outreach Program, targeted toward expanding the capacity of the existing AmeriCares Free Clinic of Danbury to treat uninsured, low-income residents of surrounding communities.

The program is being funded by a $750,000 grant from the Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation (BICF), a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit subsidiary of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation, which will support its operating costs for a five-year period. Starting next month, the outreach program will utilize the AmeriCares mobile medical clinic, which will travel weekly to locations in New Milford, Brookfield, and Bethel. The grant will also support another six-hour clinic session at the Danbury clinic’s Main Street location

BICF has been an active supporter of the AmeriCares Free Clinic of Danbury and, with the foundation’s own mission of increasing access to health care for those most in need, BICF President Ralph Craft approached AmeriCares Free Clinics earlier this year with the idea of improving access to medical care for those uninsured in the Danbury/Ridgefield communities.

“A primary goal of the philanthropic focus of our foundation is to assist in providing access to medical care for those in need. I can think of no other grant that meets this focus better than our support of this program,” said Mr Craft.

“This is the largest grant ever received by AmeriCares Free Clinics and it enables us to launch a vitally needed program that is a stellar example of corporate philanthropy and partnerships between profit and nonprofit organizations,” said Karen Gottlieb, executive director of AmeriCares Free Clinics. “We hope that this program will serve as a model to other corporations throughout Connecticut who are striving to improve their own local communities.”

Since it opened in 1997, the AmeriCares Free Clinic of Danbury has provided health care services valued at more than $5.5 million to nearly 5,000 community residents. The clinic now boasts approximately 2,600 patient visits each year, and this year alone, treated more than 350 new patients. The clinic offers general adult medical services as well as specialty clinics for patients with multiple chronic medical conditions. These services are made possible by the generous work of more than 100 volunteer doctors, nurses, nonmedical volunteers and others, including specialists who see patients in their private offices at no charge.

In addition to the contributions of individuals, the clinic receives significant support from other organizations within Danbury. These include Danbury Hospital, Danbury Office of Physicians, Danbury Radiology Associates and Danbury Housing Authority. These partnerships allow the clinic to provide services to patients who cannot afford needed medical care because they lack health insurance.

AmeriCares Free Clinics has three locations in Fairfield County, serving the communities of Norwalk, Danbury, and Bridgeport. For more information about the services offered by AmeriCares Free Clinics, log onto www.americaresfreeclinics.org or call 800-486-HELP.