Article: The Case for Strong Partnerships Between Free Clinics and Health Systems

Back in November, I had a conversation with Jane Weber Brubaker about the important role free and charitable clinics are playing during the pandemic. For people who don’t qualify for Medicaid but who can’t afford commercial health insurance, free clinics are a great option. This is extremely relevant right now with so many individuals losing their jobs and their employer-sponsored health insurance. Unfortunately, many of the newly uninsured individuals aren’t aware of all that free clinics offer; nor are they aware of the high-quality care free clinics deliver. And many have negative perceptions of free clinics that keep them from considering them as a viable option for care.

This conversation was self-serving on my part because my firm had just launched a public awareness campaign for the Virginia Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (VAFCC) and I was hell-bent on spreading the word about the importance of free clinics. Jane immediately saw the relevance of the story and ran with it.

In her recent Strategic Health Care Marketing article “The Case for Strong Partnerships Between Free Clinics and Health Systems,” Jane tells the story of the relationship between Mary Washington Healthcare and the Lloyd F. Moss Free Clinic in Fredericksburg, Virginia. This is just one example of how free clinics and health systems collaborate to pursue their shared mission of improving health within their communities. Use this link to read the story.

To learn more about VAFCC’s public awareness campaign, go to FreeClinicsCare.org.