Building a Voice for the Uninsured

History                          Structure

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.

FCGLR Structure

FCGLR Convener

Jane Zwiers (FCGLR Convener)
First Presbyterian Church Health Clinic
2918 Portage St.
Kalamazoo, MI 49001
269-344-0044(office)
269-352-2507 (cell)
269 344-0914 (fax)
fpchc@iserv.net

State Coordinators

Illinois:

Laura Michalski
Community Health Clinic
2611 W. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 395-9901
michalski@communityhealth.org

Indiana:

Sealscott Teresa
St. Clare Clinic
1000 S. Court St.
Crown Point, IN 46307
(219)757-6272
Teresa.Sealscott@ssfhs.org
 

Iowa:

Michigan:

Karen Kaashoek
224 Carrier NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49505
(616) 336-88001
kaashoekCCC@aol.com

Minnesota:

Theresa Adam
Salvation Army Good Samaritan Medical Clinic
20 N.E. First Ave.
Rochester, MN 55903
theresa_adam@usc.salvationarmy.org

Ohio:

Sharon Sherlock
Reach Out of Montgomery Co.
25 E. Foraker Street
Dayton, OH 45409
(937) 258-2000, Ext 105
reachout@SBCglobal.net

Wisconsin:

Linda Smith
Community Outreach Health Clinic
W180 N8085 Town Hall Rd.
Menomonee Falls, WI 53051
lsmith@communitymemorial.com

Members at Large:

Sandy Cowgill
wgmc_execdir@ameritech.net

Barb Tylenda
barbtylenda@tds.net

Last modified January 29, 2008

© 2000 Free Clinics of the Great Lakes Region
Webmaster: Jim Van Buren