Lorain County Free Clinic receives grants

CVS Health Foundation funds will further support chronic diseased management programs

CVS Health Foundation funds will further support chronic diseased management programs.

Two free clinics in Northeast Ohio are benefitting from grants totaling $35,000, thanks to the CVS Health Foundation and National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics.

Last week, Paineville’s Lake County Free Clinic and the Lorain County Free Clinic were chosen to receive $20,000 and $15,000, respectively. The additional funding will support management programs and health initiatives at each clinic.

Overall, NAFC awarded an additional $20,000 each to two other facilities — Lakewood’s North Coast Health Clinic and Xenia’s Living Well Clinic.

The CVS Health Foundation — a private charitable organization created by CVS Health — recently extended its commitment to the NAFC with $1 million in new grants. The selected Ohio clinics are four of 49 free clinics nationwide receiving funding as part of the foundation’s ongoing effort to make quality healthcare convenient and affordable for more Americans.

According to a CVS Health Foundation news release, diabetes has reached epidemic proportions nationally, and lower-income residents of Lorain, Lakewood, Xenia and Painesville, in particular, have been disproportionately affected by the disease.

“The rising cost of healthcare can make finding quality and affordable care harder to come by for many Americans,” said Eileen Howard Boone, president of CVS Health Foundation. “Through our support of the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, we’re able to increase access to quality care, improve chronic disease management and care coordination to help improve health outcomes for the most vulnerable patients and reduce health care costs in the communities we serve.”

Lake County Free Clinic confirmed it will use its $20,000 grant to expand its chronic disease management services and ap- pointments, specifically for patients who are uninsured with diabetes and/or have high blood pressure. The funding will also allow the clinic to add additional hours for medical staff and will cover a portion of the increase in associated costs, including lab equipment and medication.

“This funding will allow the clinic to add an additional half-day of service, which is critical for staffing, and increase resources for our nurse practitioner,” said Martin Hiller, acting executive director of Lake County Free Clinic. “The more capacity we can have with staff and equipment, the more patients we can serve.”

With the number of diabetic patients rapidly in- creasing, Lorain County Clinic will utilize its $15,000 grant to launch a comprehensive program to help uninsured diabetic patients manage their conditions. The grant will also allow patients to receive annual vision screenings, podiatry evaluations, nutrition counseling and quarterly A1c (blood) tests, in addition to access to endocrinology referrals and medical supplies, including blood glucose monitors and test strips.

“The generous grant we’ve received from the CVS Health Foundation will be critical in developing and expanding our comprehensive health programs to treat our diabetic community and uninsured population, as well as providing additional pre- ventative healthcare resources to our patients,” said Paul Baumgartner, executive director of Lorain County Free Clinic.

The new funds bring the foundation’s total contribution to NAFC to more than $4.5 million since 2015, the release stated.

To date, CVS Health and its foundation have contributed almost $290,000 in grants, event sponsorships, foundation scholarships, gift cards and product donations, among other initiatives and items, to nonprofits in the state that align with the company’s purpose of helping people on their path to better health.

For more information, visit www.cvshealth.com/ social-responsibility.