|
LOS ANGELES
FREE CLINIC RECEIVES $40,000 GRANT FROM BAXTER INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION
Expanded Case Management
Will Make Health Care and
Social Services More Accessible to People in Crisis
LOS ANGELES, Calif.,
June 6, 2002 -- The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic
arm of Baxter International Inc., has awarded a $40,000 grant to help
The Los Angeles Free Clinic expand case management services to a third
clinic site at the Hollywood Wilshire Health Center (5205 Melrose Ave.).
The Los Angeles Free Clinic is the access point for medical and dental
care, counseling and social services for hundreds of homeless, uninsured
and working poor people in Los Angeles.
Health care represents one of the most urgent needs in Los Angeles County.
More than two million county residents live in households with incomes
below the poverty level and more than 2.7 million lack health insurance,
including one in three adults. The Los Angeles Free Clinic, through its
case management services, works one-on-one with people who are in need
of healthcare, many of whom are homeless, to help ensure they receive
the care they need.
"Case management may be the first contact for a homeless person who
cannot call to make an appointment at the clinic, or for a victim of domestic
violence who is too overwhelmed and scared to know how to ask for assistance,"
said Joseph W. Dunn, Ph.D., M.B.A., executive director, The Los Angeles
Free Clinic. "Case managers ensure that every client who walks in
the door receives the appointments and referrals that he or she needs."
Last year, the clinic provided nearly 65,000 patient visits, with 89 percent
living at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
Case managers direct clients to a range of services at the clinic, including
medical care, dental care and legal services. They can provide short-term
counseling or refer people to crisis intervention counseling by the clinic's
psychiatric social worker. Case managers are also knowledgeable about
accessing community resources for food, shelter, substance abuse treatment,
mental health counseling and social services.
Last year, The Los Angeles Free Clinic reorganized to better integrate
case management with the medical department. The arrangement facilitates
referrals not just from case management to medical services, but also
in the opposite direction, for example, if a health-care provider suspects
domestic violence.
"The Los Angeles Free Clinic is making a positive and lasting impact
on the health of its community," said Patricia Morgan, executive
director, The Baxter International Foundation. "For someone who has
fallen through the cracks of the health-care system, a case manager can
serve as a strong advocate for making sure their needs are met."
The Los Angeles Free Clinic was founded in 1967 and is the oldest, continuously
operating free clinic in the country. At its headquarters on Beverly Boulevard,
the clinic serves medically indigent adults. The Hollywood Boulevard Center
targets runaway and homeless youth. The Hollywood Wilshire Health Center,
which opened in April, is a family health center operated in partnership
with Los Angeles County.
The clinic has received awards for its achievements from the United Way,
the California Department of Health Services and the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services. For information on volunteer opportunities
at The Los Angeles Free Clinic, call (323) 330-1617.
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 health care company that, through
its subsidiaries, provides critical therapies for people with life-threatening
conditions. Baxter's bioscience, medication delivery and renal products
and services are used to treat patients with some of the most challenging
medical conditions, including cancer, hemophilia, immune deficiencies,
infectious diseases, kidney disease and trauma. Baxter employs more than
2,500 people in California at its facilities in Duarte, Glendale, Hayward,
Irvine, Los Angeles, Ontario, Thousand Oaks, Van Nuys and Westlake Village.
FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION:
 |
- Media Contacts:
- Tanya Tyska, Baxter, 847-948-3256
Chuck Ellis, Los Angeles Free Clinic, 323-330-1612
-
|
|
