Facts About Arlington Free Clinic and Virginia Free Clinics

What is Arlington Free Clinic
AFC is a private, nonprofit, community-based organization that provides medical care at no charge to low-income, uninsured persons utilizing volunteers and partnering with other health providers.

Number of Unduplicated Patients treated in FY07 = 1,407
.

Numbers of Medical Visits
In FY06, AFC provided 8,119 patient visits, including primary care, specialty care, mental health, physical therapy, and patient education.

Value of Service
Total program services provided by AFC in FY07 were valued at $2,738,791.

Top Ten Patient Reported Reasons for Appointments

1. GYN
2. Musculoskeletal
3. Hypertension
4.Gastroenterology
5. Diabetes
6. Cardiovascular
7. Mental Health
8. Dermatology
9. ENT
10. Respiratory

Prescription Services
AFC operates its own small licensed pharmacy. Two part-time staff pharmacists and over two-dozen pharmacy volunteers dispensed more than 20,200 prescriptions worth over $1,498,523 in FY07.

Volunteers at AFC
Over 500 people currently volunteer at AFC. These include 270 medical professionals,145 are physicians. Last year volunteers provided over 15,215 hours of volunteer service worth over $794,094.

Community Partners
Our Community Partners provided incredible medical care; diagnostic testing and special services in FY06. Of note is Virginia Hospital Center's provision of lab and x-ray services valued at $591,169. Special services were also provided through other groups including Arlington ENT, Arlington-Fairfax Hematology-Oncology, Dr. Ricardo M. Bennett & Associates, Joseph Buchino, MD & Associates, The Cardiovascular Group, Commonwealth Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation, Dermatology Associates of McLean, Dominion Anesthesia, Healthcare for Women, Health South Diagnostic Center, Medical Imaging Center of Arlington, Metropolitan Surgical Associates, MRI of Reston, Nirschl Orthopedic Center for Sports Medicine, Northern Virginia Gastrointestinal Associates LTD, Northern Virginia Neurological Associates, Pulmonary and Medical Associates of Northern Virginia, Vienna Diagnostic Imaging, Virginia Hospital Center-Radiation Oncology, Virginia Radiological Associates, Washington Hospital Center, Washington Radiology Associates, and through the Sharon McGowan Breast Health Fund and Colorectal Memorial Fund.

Patients
AFC patients represent many cultures. In Arlington County, 20% of the population is Hispanic. Hispanics are four times more likely to be uninsured than non-Hispanic Whites or Blacks. Almost half of all Hispanic households have someone without insurance. At AFC, 90% of our patients are non-native speakers, 60% are Latino, while 15% are African and Middle Eastern.

75% of AFC patients have one or more chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, cancer, arthritis, thyroid dysfunction and/or obesity. About 70% of patients are female. All AFC patients have total family incomes at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Level which is approximately $30,000 for a family of four.

The Uninsured
Arlington is ranked 12th in density of county population in the U.S. The most recent study done in 2005 showed that 12% of Arlingtonians are uninsured. Additionally, there are approximately 474,937 uninsured Virginia adults (19 and older) with incomes at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty level. These are the people most likely to seek the services of a Free Clinic when the need arises.

Free Clinics in Virginia
Virginia has 49 Free Clinics with 61 clinic sites serving 14 cities and counties. In the U.S., only North Carolina has more Free Clinics than Virginia. Virginia is the home of the first Association of Free Clinics in the US.

Value of Services in Virginia Free Clinics
A 2005 study showed that 12% of Arlingtonians are uninsured. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, Virginia ranks 49th among all states and the District of Columbia in Medicaid coverage of low-income adults (19-64).

In 2005, Virginia Free Clinics:

• provided 128,243 general medical visits and 39,016 specialty medical visits worth $18.1 M; 7,720 mental health visits worth $777,000;
• provided 601,734 prescription medications worth $40.1M, and 23,351 dental visits valued at $4.9M.

A National Association of Free Clinics was established in 2002.