The Free Clinics of the Great Lakes Region was formed in December 1996
by a group of clinic directors from Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, and
Ohio. These individuals hoped to formalize the grassroots networks of free
clinics in the Midwest and draw attention to the hundreds of thousands of
uninsured working poor in the United States. The Free Clinics of the Great
Lakes Region is the first regional network of free health clinics in the
country.
The network received a $6,900 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to
fund a conference for all of the clinics in the region and to formalize
the organization of the network. More than twenty-five clinics from six
states attended this regional conference in April 1997. Participants discussed
ways that the new regional network of free clinics could collaborate and
develop common strategies to cope with the demands of the increasing population
of medically uninsured. Though the clinics all operate independently and
have different areas of focus (dental, preventative, etc.), they are united
by a common mission – to address the needs of the uninsured with dignity
and respect, with the hope that health care will be available to everyone
at some point in the future.
A second regional conference was held in April 1998, with more than forty-two
clinics representing seven states. Awareness of the network grew exponentially
in April 1999, when fifty-three clinics from the seven-state Great Lakes
region and six other states gathered for the third annual conference. Much
of the increased awareness of the network in 1999 can be attributed to the
"Accessing the Impact of the Free Clinics of the Great Lakes Region"
survey that Volunteers in Health Care (funded by the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation) conducted for the network. The goal of the survey was to identify
all of the free health clinics in the region and involve them in the network.
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation funded an additional grant of $38,000 to facilitate
the growth and development of the Free Clinics of the Great Lakes Region.
This grant is administered by Jane Zwiers, R.N., the Executive Director
of the First Presbyterian Church Health Clinic in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and
is facilitated by a steering committee of seven clinic directors, each representing
a regional state. The grant has enabled the network to focus on the areas
of partnering, visibility, mentoring and communication between clinics.
Today, the 200+ clinics of the network are linked via a list serve and e-mail.
The challenges facing free clinics are discussed in, "SURVIVAL STRATEGIES
FOR MICHIGAN’S HEALTH CARE SAFETY NET PROVIDERS" (the paper resulting
from the research of Peter D. Jacobson, Vanessa Dalton, Julie Berson-Grand
and Carol S. Weisman and funded by The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Foundation) released in November, 2003.
The Free Clinics of the Great Lakes Region is currently drafting proposals
for additional grants to fund the network for the next three to five years.
In the coming years, the network plans to focus on continuing to meet the
needs of the uninsured in the region, increasing the visibility of clinics
in the region, and "telling the story" of the uninsured at a regional
and national level.