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Wheeling Health Right, one of more than 400 U.S. clinics in AmeriCares’ partner network, serves nearly 20,000 of West Virginia’s uninsured each year. AmeriCares supports the free clinic with medical aid and educational materials to help patients in need better manage their chronic respiratory diseases and live longer, healthier lives.
In addition to ongoing medical aid, AmeriCares has recently selected Wheeling Health Right to receive a chronic disease bundle for respiratory diseases—including education materials for their patients and Patient Assistance Program software to help patients manage their illness and reduce the burden on local hospitals.
“We are extremely grateful for our relationship with AmeriCares. You have been a huge asset on many levels and you support of the Chronic Disease Initiative is extremely exciting. We are honored,” said Kathie Brown, the clinic’s Executive Director.
Established in 1985 to serve a growing number of the area’s “working poor”—those earning enough to be ineligible for Medicaid yet unable to afford insurance—Wheeling Health Right clinic serves more than 19,000 patients and fills 212,000 prescriptions each year. The median household income in the region served by the clinic is $32,527, the unemployment rate is over 10 percent, and 17.2% of the population in their congressional district is uninsured.
The clinic employs 30 staff and is helped by more than 200 volunteers, including a certified diabetic educator and a health educator. Diabetes has been a primary focus of the clinic since 1993 and in 2011, a comprehensive chronic obstructive pulmonary disease program was added.
Helping more uninsured Americans gain access to basic healthcare
AmeriCares delivers health and hope to American families who can’t afford basic health care by providing free medicines and supplies to more than 400 safety net clinics across the country. The clinics provide primary care services to the uninsured and underinsured, including adult and pediatric exams, and chronic disease maintenance. Supporting these crucial safety net clinics with resources helps them stretch their budgets and expand services so they can treat a growing number of people in need.
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