Free Clinic Pioneers Show Visionary Resolve
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Free Clinic Pioneers Show Visionary Resolve - (Editorial) River Falls Journal, June 15, 2006 In Pierce and St. Croix Counties, help is on the way for those lacking medical insurance. As reported in last week's Journal, a group of local volunteers in the healthcare field is moving ahead to set up a free clinic that would open next spring in a wing of the River Falls Medical Clinic. We all know about rising medical insurance premiums and healthcare costs, about people without insurance who skip doctor visits. One recent study put the number of uninsured in Wisconsin at 375,000. The same state study showed an above-average amount of people in Pierce and St. Croix counties who went without medical care due to financial hardship. The free clinic organizers say they're motivated by those and other dire facts. They believe that a safety net must be established for our area so that no one should feel unable to seek basic care for a medical problem. This is a noble, humane cause. We commend the primary backers of this free clinic - River Falls Area Hospital, River Falls Medical Clinic and the Kinnickinnic Health Foundation - along with a host of volunteers now serving on a steering committee aimed at getting this project launched. Heather Logelin, executive director of the local Kinnickinnic Health Foundation, believes access to basic health care is a "human rights issue." We couldn't agree more. The most affluent, freest and technologically advanced nation on Earth should not have an untreatable underclass of sick and ailing citizens. And so now, here in our own neck of the woods, a group of visionaries has taken the initiative to see that this is no longer the case. More groundwork must be prepared before this free clinic goes beyond the planning stage. Look for further announcements in the coming months in the Journal. To find out if there's any way for you to contribute or for your business to get involved, here are key contacts:
Article reprinted with the permission of the River Falls Journal.
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