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NORTHWEST ASSISTANCE
MINISTRIES RECEIVES $30,000 GRANT FROM BAXTER INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION
Grant Improves
Access to Health Care for Teens from Low-Income Families
HOUSTON, Texas, March
27, 2002 -- The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm
of Baxter International Inc., has awarded a $30,000 grant to The Children's
Clinic at Northwest Assistance Ministries (NAM). Since it opened in 1994,
The Children's Clinic has provided affordable, primary and preventive
health care to children up to age 12 from low-income families.
The grant funding enables the clinic to expand services to children ages
13 to 18, while at the same time providing valuable training opportunities
in adolescent health care for medical students, medical residents and
nursing students from the University of Texas and other schools. There
are few community health centers in Houston where hands-on training for
medical students, residents and nursing students is available.
NAM's service area is primarily middle class, but within it, there are
pockets of poverty and medically indigent families. In Texas, more than
one million children do not have health-care insurance, and an estimated
31 percent of Harris County residents lack public or private health insurance.
Among families who come to The Children's Clinic, 88 percent have one
or two parents working. Yet, 97 percent of families served by the clinic
earn 200 percent below the federal poverty guideline.
For families without insurance and limited incomes, routine primary care
is often unaffordable. Teens in particular may be left out of the health-care
system. When they have completed their immunizations by age 12, the need
for routine check-ups seems less pressing to families who are struggling
to make ends meet. In addition, children who qualified for Medicaid may
be cut from the program as teens due to more stringent family income guidelines
for older children.
"Many of our families had no other avenue for well-child care for
their teens," said Carole Little, executive director, NAM. "The
children were not getting medical care until their illnesses became acute,
often requiring emergency room care."
With the expanded age range, patient visits at The Children's Clinic have
increased from about 450 to 550 per month. The Baxter International Foundation
grant covers additional costs for prescriptions, lab work, x-rays and
medical supplies.
"We are proud to support Northwest Assistance Ministries in their
efforts to provide quality, affordable health care to underserved families,"
said Patricia Morgan, executive director, The Baxter International Foundation.
"By expanding their services to adolescents they are addressing an
important health-care need in the Houston-area community, and helping
to prevent serious and costly health-care issues for families in need."
NAM, established in 1983, is an interfaith coalition of 48 congregations
and 17 civic organizations united to meet the basic needs of residents
of northwest Harris County and greater Houston. It opened The Children's
Clinic in 1994 to provide prenatal care and primary health care to children.
The clinic served approximately 6,500 children in 2001.
As the philanthropic arm of Baxter International Inc., the Baxter International
Foundation helps to increase access to health care in the United States
and other countries. In 2001, foundation grants totaling $4.8 million
improved access to care for children, the uninsured and the elderly, helped
prevent child abuse and neglect, promoted health education, expanded education
opportunities for health-care providers, and helped victims of global
disasters.
Baxter International Inc. is a global medical products and services company
that, through its subsidiaries, provides critical therapies for people
with life-threatening conditions. Baxter employs nearly 40 people in Texas
at its facilities in Grand Prairie and Houston.
FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION:
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- Media Contacts:
- Tanya Tyska, Baxter, 847-948-3256
Courtney Andrews, NAM, 281-885-4610
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