News

Vancouver Fire Fighters Union to make substantial donations to 2 local charities.

The Vancouver Fire Fighters Union (IAFF Local 452), having recently taken over management of their group benefits, is now in a position to donate a gift of approximately $30,000 to two local area charities,  The Free Clinic of SW Washington will garner a grant of approximately $20,000.

“As fire fighters (and paramedics) we see the suffering of local residents every day-so we’re excited to now have the chance assist two well deserving charities enhance their good works,” said Mark Johnston, President of the Vancouver Fire Fighters Union.

Johnston continued, “Last fall we concluded a landmark agreement with the City of Vancouver in which the Vancouver Fire Fighters Union took over provision of medical and dental insurances from the City. We partnered with LBG Advisors who ultimately brought in Aetna to help us better control costs and provide benefits for our membership.”  The donated monies were a result of a policy that LBG Advisors has to not take insurance carrier bonuses and instead donate them to local charities in the name of the client.

“This move resulted in wins on many fronts” cited Johnston, “it allowed us to provide high quality insurance for our members, help control costs for the City (and taxpayers) and provide the opportunity to give grants to highly valued local charities. With the innovative, market driven and efficient business model of our advocates at LBG we’re now in a position to do a lot of good even in a tough economy.”

 

Wells Fargo awards $5,000 to Free Clinic of Southwest Washington to fund urgent health services for low-income patients 

More uninsured residents of Clark County will be able to receive free medical and dental services, thanks to the Free Clinic of Southwest Washington and Wells Fargo.

Wells Fargo donated $5,000 to the clinic in Clark County, which provides free healthcare to children and adults who are otherwise unable to access such services. The facility is the largest free clinic in Washington. It will use the funds to support urgent services for uninsured patients.

“Thanks to Wells Fargo, our volunteer physicians and dentists will have resources to provide high quality health care,” said Barbe West, executive director of the clinic at 4100 Plomondon St.

Wells Fargo has repeatedly been named one of the most generous companies in the nation.

“Health services and education for low-income residents is among the central focus areas of our corporate philanthropy in Southwest Washington,” said Wells Fargo Community Banking District Manager Amanda Dolley of Vancouver. “We partner with nonprofit agencies such as the Free Clinic to support the great work they do to improve our communities.”

 

Southwest Washington
Free Clinic Classic Raised $50,000

Vancouver, WA. – Friday, June 4th witnessed the successful completion of the 6th annual Free Clinic Classic at Royal Oaks Country Club. Despite the damp weather during this event, spirits were not dampened as more than 129 participants joined in the festivities. The tournament raised $53,675 for the Southwest Washington Free Clinic. 

 "We are - without a doubt - grateful for all those that supported this year's golf tournament," says Executive Director Barbe West.  “During this recession it is so important that we continue to support our neighbors that are in great need of health care services,” West continues, “Our clinic prevents unnecessary emergency room visits, keeps people from missing work, and keeps children healthy and able to stay in school.”

Big Al’s and Tully’s Coffee were the Presenting Sponsor of the 6th Annual Classic Golf Tournament. Other sponsors include Southwest Washington Medical Center, Physicians Insurance, Dr. Stan & Colleen Freidberg, The Vancouver Clinic, Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center, Cost Less Auto Parts, Clark County Medical Society and Optometric Physicians of Washington.

Thank you to all sponsors, golfers and volunteers who helped make this day such a great success!

 

Honors and Awards

Free Clinic wins Vancouver Business Journal's Non-Profit of the Year Award

The Free Clinic of SW Washington was named non-profit of the year for 2009 by the Vancouver Business Journal through their Business Growth Award. This annual program recognizes innovators and successful, growing businesses in Southwest Washington and recently added a category specifically dedicated to well run and growing non-profit organizations. This was the first year the Free Clinic was nominated for this award and we are deeply grateful to the community for recognizing  the work our volunteers do each day.

Free Clinic Director, Barbe West, Receives Public Health Honor

Barbe West, Executive Director at the Free Clinic of SW Washington, received the individual Clark County Public Health Community Award this past week. This award recognizes “individuals or organizations for their significant contributions and commitment to promoting and protecting the health of our community". This is a great honor for Barbe as she has spent her professional career working to address causes of poor health and improve upon health care delivery. Please join all of us here at the Free Clinic in not only congratulating Barbe on being awarded this distinguished honor, but also thanking her for the continued work she does to make our community a better, healthier place to live.

 

Click here to read the entire article about Barbe and this award.

 

Volunteer Information

Free Clinic services are provided by volunteers – learn more 

Vic Net - Volunteer Scheduling Center

Convenient online scheduling available for registered volunteers.

 

Volunteer Speaks about his Free Clinic Experience

Long-time Free Clinic volunteer, Eric Holden, PA-C, MPA, EMT-P, speaks about his extensive involvement at the Free Clinic of SW Washington.

 

Q: What motivated you to become an emergency care physician assistant?
A: I worked as an ER tech through college and worked with a lot of PAs. The career looked like a good fit for me. Going from EMT to paramedic to EM physician assistant seemed like a natural transition.

Q: One of your positions is a volunteer gig at the Free Clinic of SW Washington. What kind of facility is it?
A: FCSW is a seven-room clinic that offers urgent and episodic care for those without access to other heathcare in Vancouver, Washington. We see lots of working families who do not get health benefits through their work. In addition to primary care, the FCSW offers dental services, diabetic counseling, immunizations, sports physicals, vision clinic, and a host of other needed services.

 

 

Read the entire interview with Eric HERE.

 

Check out this month's volunteer spotlight

Volunteer Newsletter

Volunteers are the primary providers of service at Free Clinic.  In fact, during 2009 over 600 volunteers spent more than 22,000 hours providing services to Free Clinic patients.  With so many volunteers it can be challenging to effectively communicate the everyday news of clinic work, equipment changes, or other, more vital information. Beginning in January 2010, program administrators from each service area, such as basic health clinics, dental, vision, etc., are communicating directly with their team of volunteer staff via monthly e-mail updates and quarterly newsletters.  They look forward to more direct discussions with their team of service providers, along with feedback and suggestions for improvement.

 

 

Free Clinic of Southwest Washington is a 501(c)3 nonprofit  |  Tax ID# 91-1707542

 4100 Plomondon Street, Vancouver, WA  98661 | Get directions  at  www.google.com

(360) 313-1390 | (360) 313-1391 fax

Free Clinic of Southwest Washington meets all of the Better Business Bureau's standards for charity accountability.  For more information go to www.bbb.org