Uninsured People Should Call Now to Register for Free Health Clinic in New Orleans

Uninsured People Should Call Now to Register for Free Health Clinic in New
Orleans

NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Uninsured residents of Louisiana who want
to attend a free health clinic in New Orleans on Saturday, Nov. 14, should
call 877-233-5159 toll-free as soon as possible to schedule appointments.

About 400 doctors and other medical providers and 700 other volunteers are
expected to participate in the C.A.R.E. (Communities Are Responding Everyday)
Clinic at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center sponsored by the National
Association of Free Clinics (NAFC). They will provide care for all types of
medical issues at no cost to participants or taxpayers from 8 a.m. until 5
p.m.

"People without insurance are up to four times less likely to have a regular
source of health care and are more likely to die from health-related
problems," Jeanette Alcon, executive director of the Louisiana Association of
Free Clinics, said. "The C.A.R.E. Clinic could give many of them their first
opportunity in a long time to receive professional help for their medical
problems."

Almost 22 percent of Louisiana residents do not have health insurance,
according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. That's one of the highest rates of
uninsured residents in the nation.

"Almost 2,000 people turned out for a similar one-day, free clinic in Houston
in September, so we urge people to register in advance to be seen by health
care professionals at the New Orleans C.A.R.E. Clinic," NAFC Executive
Director Nicole Lamoureux said. "We also will try to accommodate as many
walk-ins as possible, but that will be on a first-come-first-served basis."

In addition to the toll-free number for patients to register for the C.A.R.E.
Clinic, patients and volunteers also can find information about the clinic
online at: http://freeclinics.us/. All types of medical volunteers are needed
to help with the C.A.R.E. Clinic in New Orleans. Non-medical volunteers also
are needed to help with documentation, logistical support and patient intake,
as well as assisting patients with scheduling follow-up appointments at their
local charitable clinics.

More than 1,200 free clinics across the United States, including a dozen in
Louisiana, provide health care for uninsured people at no charge to the
recipients. The majority of free clinics use no federal or state funding.
During 2008, four million people received health care from free clinics with
the help of more than six million volunteers, including doctors, nurses, nurse
practitioners and support staffs.

"Free clinics have been serving America's working poor since the 1960s, but
over the last year, our patient base has grown to include white-collar and
blue-collar workers who have lost their jobs and health insurance," Lamoureux
said.

In addition to the C.A.R.E. Clinic in New Orleans on Nov. 14, similar clinics
will be held at the State House Convention Center in Little Rock on Nov. 21
and the Kansas City Convention Center's Bartle Hall in Kansas City on Dec.
9-10.

About the National Association of Free Clinics:

The National Association of Free Clinics is the only nonprofit 501(c)(3)
organization whose mission is solely focused on the issues and needs of more
than 1,200 free clinics and the people they serve in the United States.

Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the NAFC is an
effective advocate for the issues and concerns of free clinics, their
volunteer workforce of doctors, dentists, nurses, therapists, pharmacists,
nurse practitioners, technicians and other health care professionals, as well
as the patients served by free clinics in communities throughout the nation.

SOURCE National Association of Free Clinics

Nicole Lamoureux, National Association of Free Clinics, +1-703-577-7204,
nlamoureux@freeclinics.us