The Wellmark Foundation Initiates Challenge Gift Supporting Free Clinics of Iowa

April 16, 2007

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Contact:
Angela Feig
515.245.4551
feigab@wellmark.com

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Wellmark Foundation awarded up to $100,000 as a challenge gift to Free Clinics of Iowa (FCI) to enhance its health care services. Free Clinics of Iowa is a not-for-profit organization consisting of 18 member free clinics across the state that provide free basic health care services through volunteer physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other health professionals. 

“The gift will allow Free Clinics of Iowa to improve coordination of patients’ enrollment eligibility assessment and referrals to other health care assistance programs in Iowa,” says Stephen Eckstat, D.O., board president and medical director of Free Clinics of Iowa. According to Eckstat, this is a highly needed service, as 90 percent of the 7,700 patients served by FCI in 2006 were uninsured.

Eckstat reports the gift  will also support volunteer staff development and provide core operational support, which will increase FCI’s capacity to serve more individuals in need. “The funding will also allow FCI to ease the administrative burden of clinics so volunteers can focus efforts on providing much needed medical care in their communities,” says Eckstat.  The FCI administrative office provides essential operational service support such as property/general liability/malpractice insurance, accounting, tax filing, marketing, fundraising, technology, education, meeting facilitation, association participation, pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and other resources.

Free clinic services include illness and minor injury care, child wellness and preventative care, immunizations, physicals and referrals to other providers. Clinics are located within community centers or churches and operate 2-3 hours per week. For more information about Free Clinics of Iowa, contact Wendy Gray, executive director, at (515) 271-1642 or wgray@freeclinicsofiowa.org.

The Wellmark Foundation has provided nearly $12 million to fund 350 health-related grants in Iowa and South Dakota since 1997. “The Wellmark Foundation collaborates with non-profit and governmental organizations in Iowa and South Dakota to build healthier communities,” says Matthew McGarvey, director of The Wellmark Foundation. “We are happy to offer this special grant opportunity to a unique organization providing free health care services to thousands of people in need across Iowa,” says McGarvey.

The Wellmark Foundation is a private, non-profit foundation created by Wellmark, Inc., doing business as Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa. Visit The Wellmark Foundation's Web site at www.wellmark.com/foundation for a list of grant recipients and grant application instructions. Applications for the next round of community responsive grants are due June 19, 2007. Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and The Wellmark Foundation are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.