The Community Free Clinic is now able to provide free healthcare and medications to adults in Cabarrus County who are within 300% of the Federal Poverty Levels (FPL). With this change, an adult who doesn’t have insurance and makes less than $43,740 would be eligible for care at the Clinic. The FPL is set on a scale, based on the number of people in the house and the household income.
This increase follows other free and charitable clinics in North Carolina, and other medical centers across the US. “As a free clinic, we are a health safety net for adults, so must be conscious of all barriers to getting healthcare,” Executive Director Laura Lyerly Milliken said. “We started to see more people coming to us who were over the 200% threshold but couldn’t afford healthcare. This increase is to best support our neighbors in Cabarrus County who need healthcare and medications.”
To become a patient at the Clinic, patients enroll and provide proof of income and residency. They then come to the Clinic for labs, health care, and even specialty clinics for podiatry, nutrition, vision, and gynecology, completely free of charge.
“We are the only free clinic in the county, so this increase will allow us to provide the care the people of the community need,” said Board Chair Lynn O’Neill.
The Community Free Clinic has been operating in Cabarrus County since 1994, helping adults with acute and chronic illnesses to get free care and medications. Last year, Community Free Clinic provided $8 in services for every $1 received, and saved area emergency rooms $1.96 million in costs, serving more than 500 patients.