- 2009 - Annual Report
Click on the following to view or download:
-
2009 Annual Report
Clinic Closing
-
September, 5 - Labor Day
November, 21 - 24 - Thanksgiving -
December, 22 - January 02 2012 – Christmas/New Year
- Newsletter
BRIDGING THE GAP – WE HAVE MOVED!!
Through
the support of the City of Killeen and a Community Development Block
Grant, the
Free Clinic has moved to a home of its own in the City of Killeen Arts and
Activities Center
complex at 718 N 2nd Street.
BRIDGING THE GAP – BECOME OUR PARTNER
We
still have Room Naming and Sponsorship opportunities. As you review
your year-end
charitable giving, please consider a gift to the Free Clinic.
Room
Naming
- $10,000 Share a Room - $5000
Contact
Marlene DiLillo, Executive Director, 254-618-4211, if you
are interested in this opportunity to honor someone special in your
life.
Sponsorship Levels:
Friend of the Free Clinic $250 - $2,499
Bronze Level $2,500 - $4,999
Silver Level $5,000 - $9,999
Gold Level $10,000 - $29,999
Again, contact Marlene if you wish to become a sponsor for this project
and for the clinic. Free clinics constitute a large part of the current
health safety
net nation- wide, and Greater Killeen Free Clinic bridges the gap in our
Central T
exas area with its programs to care for those in medical need.
- Mammogram Clinics
The Free Clinic
Komen grant funds are expended for 2010 and no
more clinics will be scheduled. However, Metroplex Hospital will offer
free mammograms to uninsured, low income women during the month
of October. Appointments can be made beginning September 1, 2011,
by calling 254-519-8838.
From the Executive Director:
The Free Clinic - Our Past
Central Texas is
a great place to live and work. There are many reasons to be proud
of our residency here, but from my perspective as the leader of an
agency that helps
those in medical need, the most important reason is that when our
community identifies
a need, it steps up to the plate and does whatever it takes to come up
with a solution
that works – a solution that has not just a single impact, but provides
economic
opportunity and creates a more stable living environment for children and
families,
thus improving the community overall. Seventeen years ago, before
healthcare
became a national issue, the need for affordable healthcare for the
working poor
in Killeen and surrounding communities came to the forefront. A group of
concerned
citizens and community and medical leaders began meeting, and a year
later the
Greater Killeen Free Clinic opened its doors, using Health Department
space during
the evening hours. It was open one night a week, and used medical
volunteers to
treat patients.
The Free Clinic
has provided primarily acute care through the years. In 1999,
programming expanded to two nights a week, and in 2000 a mammogram clinic
was added. During the months following the Hurricane Katrina disaster, a
morning
clinic was temporarily added for hurricane evacuees who came to Bell
County. In 2005,
in partnership with local physicians and other entities, we instituted a
Pharmaceutical
Assistance Program, receiving free medications from drug companies for
individuals
with chronic diseases who could not afford to pay for their medications.
In 2008
a social work component was added, providing assessment and referral and
follow up
for those needing additional services outside of medical care.
Our Present Reality
Each year,
patient visit numbers have increased at the Free Clinic. In 2009 we
began seeing more people who have moved to the area after losing their
jobs in other
states, along with those who have lost or can no longer afford health
insurance.
Increasing numbers of patients are being turned away because we have
reached capacity in our nightly clinics. Uninsured patients seeking
treatment for
chronic medical conditions and assistance with their medications has
become a
critical need in this community, mirroring national healthcare
statistics.
Our Future!
We are moving!
Bell County Health Department has provided free space and
other resources for 16 years, but it is time to expand: to providing
chronic disease
care and management, health education, and daytime clinics. Thanks to a
Community
Development Block Grant awarded by the City of Killeen, we have a
foundation
of funding to renovate space in the Killeen Arts and Activities
Center.
Bridging the Gap Takes All Of Us
Just as building
the Golden Gate Bridge was an almost impossible venture during
the Great Depression, the challenge of bridging the gap between the
tremendous need
and the vision of the Free Clinic is daunting. We must have medical and
office
equipment, a telephone system, electronic medical records; there are
staffing costs
for the day time clinics; medication needs; ongoing operational costs.
Join us in
fulfilling this dream by partnering with us financially as we provide
care for the
increasing numbers of people in medical need in our communities!