Free clinics assist in some communities in meeting the health care needs of the uninsured. They provide a venue for some providers to volunteer their services, although their hours of operation may be limited. Many of these clinics are faith-based. Most free clinics are small organizations with annual budgets of less than $250,000.

In FY 2004, Congress provided first-time funding for payments of claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) to be made available for free clinic health professionals.

Authorized by Section 224 of the Public Health Service Act, the appropriation established the Free Clinics Medical Malpractice judgment fund and extended FTCA coverage to medical professional volunteers in free clinics in order to expand access to health care services to low-income individuals in medically underserved areas.

Eager Trial Letter

One of my colleagues at the U is doing a study to see if aspirin can help prevent early pregnancy loss (miscarriage).  Women who have had one or two pregnancy losses at any time in the past and would like to become pregnant are eligible to participate. They may also have had up to two live births.

Women who enroll will be followed from before conception through birth, and will be randomized to low-dose aspirin or placebo daily.  Women will receive an electronic fertility monitor to help them time intercourse for conception (based on urinary hormones), compensation, and other benefits.  All clinical care will remain with the primary provider.

The study coordinator, Laurie Lesher, can provided interested clinics with information about the study, including flyers and brochures.

The number and percentage of Utahns who were uninsured increased from 2005 to 2006, according to new data released by the Utah Department of Health (UDOH), but the overall increase was smaller than in recent years. The UDOH uses the Utah Health Status Survey to track trends in Utah health insurance coverage. The 2006 survey estimated that 306,500 Utahns lacked health insurance coverage during calendar year 2006, an increase of 13,700 from the previous year (2005: 292,800). The increase occurred primarily among children (age 0–18), not adults (age 19–64), on average.

Over the last decade, Utah’s uninsured population grew at an average annual rate of 6.9%, compared with 2.3% for the state’s overall rate of population growth. The increase from 2005 to 2006 was less than in previous years, and did not reach statistical significance. “The increase was not as large, but we’re still going in the wrong direction,” said UDOH Executive Director, Dr. David N. Sundwall.

Source: http://health.utah.gov/opha/publications/hsu/07Apr_HIV.pdf

August 3, 2007: 10am-8pm and
August 4, 2007: 10am-5pm
Horizonte School
1234 South Main Street
Salt Lake City, Utah