Establishing a Free Clinic for the Uninsured

Grantee Name

Ithaca Health Alliance

Funding Area

Expanding Health Care Coverage

Publication Date

April 2008

Grant Amount

$48,769

Grant Date:

January 2007 – December 2007

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Some 10,000 residents of Tompkins County, N.Y., lack health insurance; many of the uninsured live below the poverty line.

The Ithaca Free Clinic, the first to provide free medical care to uninsured residents, opened with limited hours in January 2006. With additional funding, Ithaca Free Clinic hoped to recruit additional volunteer health professionals, enabling significant expansion of the clinic’s operating hours and services offered, including a new pediatric clinic and public health education program.

Outcomes and Lessons Learned

With the clinic offering both conventional medical care and holistic care, some 19% of their patients received care from a holistic provider.
Statistics compiled by the clinic reveal that its practitioners had 1,880 patient visits in 2007—a 218% increase over 2006.
Shifts in clinic offerings during the year were aided by Ithaca Free Clinic’s data tracking and activity monitoring process, which enables continuous evaluation.

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