Posted on

COVID-19 Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

Underlying health and social inequities put many racial and ethnic minority groups at increased risk of getting sick, having more severe illness, and dying from COVID-19. Racial and ethnic minority groups are also unequally affected by unintended economic, social, and secondary health consequences of COVID-19 mitigation strategies such as social distancing.

“Health equity” means that everyone has the opportunity to be as healthy as possible. Equitable opportunity includes equal access to and distribution of resources. When policies, programs, and systems that support health are equitable, poor health outcomes can be reduced, health disparities can be prevented, and the whole of society benefits.

Madison ranks 58th (out of 133) in the state for overall health outcomes, a situation compounded by lack of access to clinical care (including lack of access to telemedicine via high-speed Internet). Greene ranks 36th, Culpeper 42nd, and Orange 53rd, according to statistics provided by the Robert Johnson Wood Foundation.

The Madison Free Clinic is committed to providing quality healthcare to all uninsured residents of Madison County. You can determine your eligibility and apply online at https://madisonfreeclinic.org/patient-application/.

Communities, Schools, Workplaces, & Events

Click each link above to learn about underlying health and social inequities that put many racial and ethnic minority groups at increased risk of getting sick, having more severe illness, and dying from COVID-19. Racial and ethnic minority groups are also unequally affected by unintended economic, social, and secondary health consequences of COVID-19 mitigation strategies such as social distancing.

Posted on

Virginia Indoor Radon Program

Exposure to indoor radon, a colorless, odorless radioactive gas, is thought to be the second leading cause of lung cancer, and the leading cause of lung cancer among people who have never smoked.  Exposure to radon may contribute to 21,000 cases of lung cancer each year in the United States, including almost 700 cases per year in Virginia.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies radon risk areas as Zones 1, 2, or 3.  Virginia has 46 counties and 15 cities that are classified as Zone 1 (high risk), and 24 counties and 8 cities classified as Zone 2 (moderate risk).  Click here for a VA risk map.  Testing your home, workplace or other normally occupied area is the only way to know for sure if an indoor radon problem exists.  For more details about radon testing and mitigation, see this page:  Radon Testing & Mitigation Radon informational brochures and documents are available here: Radon Publications.

VDH is making a limited supply of short-term, do-it-yourself radon test kits available for only a $3 shipping fee.  NOTE: This offer is only available between the dates of September 1 and May 31. To order your $3 test kit click on this link.

NEW-VDH-Radon-Facts-for-Virginians-proof-2019
Posted on

Financial Assistance for UVa Specialty Care and Hospitalization

The University of Virginia Health System (UVa) is an academic health care center associated with the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. The health system includes a medical center (with the main hospital, children’s hospital, and clinic network), school of medicine, school of nursing, and health sciences library. The health system provides inpatient and outpatient care and patient education and conducts medical research and education.

Most Madison Free Clinic patients qualify for UVa’s Financial Assistance for specialty and hospital care. We are happy to help with the paperwork, and will gladly fax your application and supporting documents to their office. Please feel free to call us at 540-948-3667 to schedule a time for us to help you with your application!

For more information…

Are You Eligible for Financial Assistance?| UVA Health

Every patient has unique financial needs. We look at many things when deciding how much aid you qualify for. If you need help paying your medical bills, our team will guide you through the financial aid process. We’ll work with you to provide as much help as possible.

Posted on

A Flu Shot Might Reduce Coronavirus Infections, Early Research Suggests

Flu season will look different this year, as the country grapples with a coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 234,000 people. Many Americans are reluctant to visit a doctor’s office and public health officials worry people will shy away from being immunized.

Although sometimes incorrectly regarded as just another bad cold, flu also kills tens of thousands of people in the U.S. each year, with the very young, the elderly, and those with underlying conditions the most vulnerable. When coupled with the effects of COVID-19, public health experts say it’s more important than ever to get a flu shot.

Flu shots are available at no charge for all Free Clinic patients. Call us at 540-948-3667 or 540-729-4373 or email us at intake@madisonfreeclinic.org for an appointment. Not a Free Clinic patient, or need to renew your application? You can do that right here Patient Application/Renewal

It might seem far-fetched that a vaccine designed to protect against one infection could protect against others, too. But a growing body of research suggests that this does, in fact, occur through a process called “trained innate immunity.” Vaccines are known to work by stimulating the adaptive immune system, causing the body to make antibodies that can recognize and attack a specific pathogen if it is encountered again. But recent studies suggest that some vaccines also train the body’s faster-acting and less specific innate immune system, improving its ability to fight off many kinds of infections.

A Flu Shot Might Reduce Coronavirus Infections, Early Research Suggests

U.S. health officials are urging Americans to get their flu shots this year in the hopes of thwarting a winter ” twindemic”-a situation in which both influenza and COVID-19 spread and sicken the public. But a new study suggests that there could be another key reason to get a flu jab this year: it might reduce your risk of COVID-19.

Posted on

This might be your most important flu vaccine ever

The flu vaccine won’t protect you from coronavirus, but CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains why it’s more essential than ever to get the shot this year.

A flu vaccine is needed every season for two reasons. First, a person’s immune protection from vaccination declines over time, so an annual vaccine is needed for optimal protection. Second, because flu viruses are constantly changing, flu vaccines may be updated from one season to the next to protect against the viruses that research suggests may be most common during the upcoming flu season.

The 2020-2021 vaccine is now available for Madison Free Clinic Patients during regular business hours. To schedule an appointment, please call our office at 540-948-3667.

To apply or renew your application, please complete the  Patient Application/Renewal form on this website.

Posted on

Virginia free clinics care for more patients during the pandemic, as donations drop

 

Virginia free clinics care for more patients during the pandemic, as donations drop
The coronavirus pandemic is putting pressure on free clinics across Virginia. They’re providing care to some of the people most vulnerable to the virus at a time when clinic resources are strained.

https://www.nbc29.com/2020/05/19/virginia-free-clinics-care-more-patients-during-pandemic-donations-drop/
Posted on

Five Things to Remember When Interpreting Epidemiologic Data

We know that the number of cases we have on record is an underrepresentation of the true burden for several reasons. Some underrepresentation is because testing for SARS-CoV-2 might not be available for the infected person… Another factor is that not everyone will need to see a doctor for COVID-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) published a very detailed report about the outbreak of COVID-19 in China and found that 80% of cases were mild or moderate. Since then, there have been studies that have identified infections in people who never develop symptoms. If someone gets infected and recovers on their own, then public health may never find out about the case.

Five Things to Remember When Interpreting Epidemiologic Data – Coronavirus
Data will change some overtime. VDH gets data on COVID-19 from a number of different sources. Laboratory results, morbidity reports, death certificates, medical records, and patient interviews are a few of the ways we collect data. Sometimes these different sources will disagree on something. For example, we may get a positive lab result that doesn’t have the patient’s address. To count this case, we use the address of the doctor who ordered the lab test. During the course of the interview, we may find out that the case-patient sought care from their doctor in one county, but actually lives in a different county. In another example, we may receive a report of a case-patient who has all of the symptoms of COVID-19 and meets the criteria for a ‘Probable’ case. If later laboratory testing comes back negative, then we won’t count that person as a case anymore. Every time that we report data, we are reporting the most up-to-date information we have, even if it’s different from what we reported before.

https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/2020/05/01/interpreting-epidemiologic-data/
Posted on

Free Wi-Fi for Madison Residents During COVID-19

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Ren LeVally
Phone: 540-948-3667
Email: info@madisonfreeclinic.org

MADISON FREE CLINIC ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF FREE WIFI
Maintaining social distancing in the time of the COVID-19 emergency

Public Wi-FiMADISON, VA, April 6, 2020— The Madison Free Clinic, Inc. is pleased to announce that it has launched free Wi-Fi for our patients, students, job seekers, and other Madison residents impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Effective April 8, 2020, our highspeed Internet will accessible in our parking lot regardless of whether the Clinic itself is open at the time.

The Clinic expects that those using the service do so in accordance with all relative State and Federal laws, and limit their usage to those productive purposes mentioned above, remaining respectful of overall bandwidth consumption. Please see the Acceptable Use Policy below.

The staff, patients, and volunteers of the clinic are extremely grateful to our partners and donors for their continued support during this unprecedented and challenging time.

 

The Madison Free Clinic, Inc. is 501(c)3 nonprofit organization providing medical, dental, vision and nutrition services to uninsured adults living in Madison County who meet certain financial qualifications.

###

 

Guest Wireless Access Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)

This Policy is a guide to the acceptable use of the Madison Free Clinic’s public wi-fi services (Services). Any individual connected to the Clinic’s network in order to use it directly, or to connect to any other network(s), must comply with this policy and the stated purposes and Acceptable Use policies of any other network(s) or host(s) used. The following guidelines will be applied to determine whether or not a particular use of the Services is appropriate:

Users must respect the privacy of others. Users shall not intentionally seek information on, or represent themselves as, another user unless explicitly authorized to do so by that user. Nor shall Users obtain copies of, or modify files, other data, or passwords belonging to others.

Users must respect the legal protection applied to programs, data, photographs, music, written documents and other material as provided by copyright, trademark, patent, licensure and other proprietary rights mechanisms.

Users must respect the integrity of other public or private computing and network systems. Users shall not intentionally develop or use programs that harass other users or infiltrate any other computer, computing system or network and/or damage or alter the software components or file systems of a computer, computing system or network.

Use should be consistent with guiding ethical statements and accepted community standards. Use of the Services for malicious, fraudulent, or misrepresentative purposes is not acceptable.

The Services may not be used in ways that violate applicable laws or regulations.

The Services may not be used in a manner that precludes or significantly hampers network access by others. Nor may the Services be used in a manner that significantly impairs access to other networks connected to the Clinic’s network.

Connections that create routing patterns that are inconsistent with the effective and shared use of the Services may not be established.

Unsolicited advertising is not acceptable. Advertising is permitted on some Web pages, mailing lists, newsgroups, and similar environments if advertising is explicitly allowed in that environment.

Repeated, unsolicited and/or unwanted communication of an intrusive nature is strictly prohibited. Continuing to send e-mail messages or other communications to an individual or organization after being asked to stop is not acceptable.

By logging on, you agree to hold the Madison Free Clinic harmless for any damages that may result from access to the Internet or inappropriate usage.

The intent of this policy is to identify certain types of uses that are not appropriate, but this policy does not necessarily enumerate all possible inappropriate uses. Using the guidelines given above, we may at any time make a determination that a particular use is not appropriate.

Posted on

Madison Free Clinic Announces Free Telemedicine Solution

Distance and travel time between patients and care providers can limit access to care. Fortunately, telemedicine can overcome geographic barriers to healthcare, especially for specialized providers. Telemedicine can be particularly beneficial for patients in medically underserved communities and those in rural geographical locations where clinician shortages exist.

A recent study showed that with telemedicine, patients had:

• 38% fewer hospital admissions
• 31% fewer hospital re-admissions
• 63% more likely to spend fewer days in the hospital
• Were more engaged in their healthcare

A strong doctor-patient relationship is the foundation for high-quality patient care and reducing health care costs. Telemedicine should support, not replace, traditional care delivery. With telemedicine care providers can continue to care for patients in-person care while still providing the flexibility and convenience of seeing patients remotely for follow up visits, check-ups, and education when appropriate or necessary.

Download (PDF)