Foundation awards $1.3M grant to start free health care clinic
Thursday, March 15, 2007
By ROBERT LINNEHAN
Staff Writer

PENNSVILLE TWP. The Salem Health and Wellness Foundation has awarded a three-year grant in the amount of $1,343,353 to Caring Neighbors Health Care Center, a New Jersey non-profit corporation, to develop and operate a free primary care clinic in Pennsville Township.
Salem Health and Wellness Foundation officials met with Caring Neighbors Health Care Center board members Tuesday night at the site of the clinic to present the grant. Herbert W. Roeschke, public health coordinator for Salem County, praised the decision to establish a free clinic in Pennsville Township.
"It's amazing. A group of volunteers came together to solve a community problem," he said. "In just one year they're already going to open their doors to the public, it's just phenomenal for the people of this county."
The clinic will provide free routine medical care to individuals who earn up to 200 percent above the federal poverty level and are currently without public or private health insurance.
Dr. Lynn Helmer, president of the board of Caring Neighbors Health Care Center, said there are approximately 9,000 people who are both without health insurance and earn below 200 percent of the federal poverty level within Salem County.
"We think this is a great opportunity to improve the health of people living in the county who can't afford health care," she said. "We hope people will learn what we're all about and come and join us as patients and volunteers."
The facility is located in the Concord Professional Building on North Broadway and is expected to have an initial service capacity of 50 patients per week. An expansion of capacity to 100 patients per week is expected to be reached by the end of the second year of operations.
A volunteer board of directors will oversee a paid and volunteer staff that will provide services at the clinic. The clinic, Helmer said, will be heavily dependent on volunteers for its staff.
"These clinics work wherever they are. I've never seen one fail," Salem Health and Wellness Foundation Executive Director Thomas A. McGoff said. "It's a very successful model and a measurable need for the county. I don't think there's anything worse than being sick and in need of care and having to pay out of pocket and not afford it."
The clinic will be modeled after the Volunteers In Medicine clinics that have helped community volunteers develop 49 such facilities in 18 states since 1993. The Salem facility will be the 50th incorporated in the United States and the third such clinic in New Jersey.
Services provided by the clinic will include adult primary care and preventative care. A variety of additional services are expected to be offered by the clinic after completion of its organizational phase.
Referral sources will be coordinated among local supporting hospitals, government agencies, religious organizations and other health service organizations to assist residents successfully access the health care services they need.
Unlike an emergency room, Helmer said, the clinic will put a heavy emphasis on preventative care so patients can avoid future visits.
"Emergency rooms are very expensive and not a very pleasant experience," she said. "We're going to try to help people avoid preventative illnesses and will be stressing preventative care to all our patients."
An open house for the public is scheduled for May 5. It is unknown at this time when the clinic will begin to see patients. For updates or more information on the clinic or how to become a volunteer, visit the clinic's Web site at www.foundationcenter.org/grantmaker/salem.