[Mpls] U of MN Opens Clinic to Provide Healthcare to Uninsured

[Eric Meininger, MD]

Title: U of MN Opens Clinic to Provide Healthcare to Uninsure

I wanted to forward this to the list. It is a project we have been working on for some time with CUHCC and members of the Phillips Neighborhood.

NEWS RELEASE

For immediate release

Contact:        Ashley Burt, Academic Health Center, 612.624.2449

                Brenda Hudson, Academic Health Center, 612.624.5680

U OF MN OPENS CLINIC TO PROVIDE HEALTHCARE TO UNINSURED

Opening of Phillips Neighborhood Clinic

marks National Cover the Uninsured Week

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (March 10, 2003) The University of Minnesota opens the Phillips Neighborhood Clinic during National Cover the Uninsured Week, March 10-16. The clinic will provide high-quality, affordable health care to uninsured and underinsured people living in the Phillips Neighborhood. The clinic opens on Monday, March 10 at 6 p.m. at the Oliver Presbyterian Church, 2647 Bloomington Ave. S., Minneapolis.

        �The number of Minnesotans living without safe and stable shelter has tripled in the last decade and, with welfare reform, a slowing economy, and the state budget crisis, this situation will surely worsen. The challenges these individuals face in staying healthy and alive are staggering,� says John Song, M.D., M.P.H., M.A.T., medical director of the Phillips Neighborhood Clinic and assistant professor in the Center for Bioethics at the University of Minnesota�s Medical School. �We all have a responsibility to promote the health of all our neighbors, but this responsibility is greater for those of us who work and learn at a publicly funded university. This clinic and the service we will provide is a part of our fulfillment of this responsibility."

        The Phillips Neighborhood Clinic, run by volunteers in the health professions, will offer patients basic health screening, acute medical care services, physical therapy, and referrals to other health-care providers. Medical interpreters will be on site to aid in communication. No one will be denied care for lack of ability to pay.

        �The Phillips Neighborhood Clinic is the result of a three-year collaborative process of identifying needs, working with the community, and building relationships. It is truly a student-driven initiative, informed by the voices of our community,� says Eric Meininger, M.D., clinic coordinator for Phillips Neighborhood Clinic. �It is timely that we will be opening during Cover the Uninsured Week. The greatest health-care need in this time of economic instability is for those people who are living on the edge. They don�t have time or can�t afford to get sick. We exist to provide accessible, culturally appropriate health care services.�

        The clinic initially will be open on Monday evenings from 6-9 p.m., with a possibility for longer hours in the future. The Phillips Neighborhood Clinic is a partnership between the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center, the Community-University Health Care Center, the Center for Health Interdisciplinary Programs, and the Oliver Presbyterian Church.

The Academic Health Center is home to the University of Minnesota�s seven health professional schools and colleges as well as several health-related centers and institutes. Founded in 1851, the University is one of the oldest and largest land grant institutions in the country. The AHC mission is to prepare the new health professionals who improve the health of communities, discover and deliver new treatments and cures, and strengthen the economy.

end

Eric Meininger -- Lowry Hill East (Wedge) - home / Phillips - work

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Eric Meininger, M.D. ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) 
Internal Medicine / Pediatrics 

Adolescent Health

Director of Outreach, Community University Health Care Clinic (CUHCC)

University of Minnesota

612/638-0700

Direct dial: 612/638-0765  Fax: 612/627-4205

Medical Director, YouthLink Health and Wellness Clinic

612/252-1258

Direct dial: 612/252-1257 Fax: 612/252-1264

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