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While our community continues to grow and prosper, there are many among us who, for various reasons, are either left out of the healthcare system or seem to simply fall through the cracks. Healthcare costs continue to spiral, leaving many in our county either without medical insurance or the ability to pay for needed medical procedures. Some residents may have lost their jobs and their healthcare coverage in the process. As citizens of Central Arkansas , we can either turn our backs on those who are suffering from a lack of medical attention or join together to minimize their illness and hardship. Through our organized efforts, we can alleviate the silent suffering of many and exemplify the caring community we are.

An extended discussion of these issues is contained in our Business Plan which we invited you to review. A summary of the problem is discussed below.

What Difference Does The Lack Of Access To Health Care Make In Our Community?

HEALTH INSURANCE MATTERS: Because there is a strong relationship between health insurance and access to medical services, whether or not people have health insurance directly impacts whether, when and where people obtain necessary medical care, and ultimately how health people are—it also has financial effects on families and societal effects on our community

LACK OF INSURANCE AFFECTS ACCESS: For example, the uninsured are up to three times more likely than those with insurance to report problems getting needed medical care, even for serious conditions—over 40% do not have a regular place to go when they are sick or need medical advice, compared to just 9% of those with coverage—approximately 20% of the uninsured report that their usual source of care is an emergency room

DELAYED OR SACRIFICED CARE: In 2003, nearly half of uninsured adults postponed seeking medical care, and over a third said that they needed medical care but did not get it—Anticipating costly medical bills, many of the uninsured are not able to follow the recommended treatment, i.e., over a third of uninsured adults state that they did not fill a drug prescription in the past year and over a third went without a recommended medical test or treatment due to cost

AVOIDABLE HEALTH PROBLEMS: Because uninsureds are less likely than insureds to have regular outpatient care, they are more likely to be hospitalized for avoidable health problems—when they are hospitalized they are more likely to receive fewer services and to die in the hospital than are insured patients

PREVENTATIVE CARE: The uninsured are also less likely to receive timely preventative care—for example, insured nonelderly adults are at least 50% more likely to have had preventative care such as pap smears, mammograms and prostrate exams compared to uninsured adults—because people with insurance are significantly more likely to have had cervical, breast and colon cancer screenings, uninsured cancer patients are diagnosed in later stages of the disease and die earlier than those with insurance

MORTALITY RATES: Having insurance improves health overall and could reduce mortality rates for the uninsured by 10-15%—the Institute of Medicine estimates that at least 18,000 Americans die prematurely each year solely because they lack health coverage

FAMILIES’ FINANCIAL WELL-BEING: Insurance helps reduce the financial uncertainty associated with health care, as illness and health care needs are not always predictable and care can be very expensive. Those lacking coverage are therefore more financially vulnerable to the high cost of care, are exposed to higher out-of-pocket costs compared to the insured, and are more often burdened by medical bills—Over a third of the uninsured have a serious problem paying medical bills, and nearly a quarter are contacted by collection agencies for medical bills. Medical-related bills are a substantial factor in the number of personal bankruptcies in the United States.

SOCIETAL EFFECTS: Lack of health care exacts an indirect toll on society in terms of more disability, lower productivity, and an increased burden on the health care system.

How Many Americans And Arkansans Lack Health Insurance?

AMERICANS: The majority of Americans (62%) under the age of 65 receive health insurance coverage through their employers and almost all of the elderly are covered through Medicare—Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) cover millions of nonelderly low-income people, especially children

In 2000, approximately 39.6 million Americans did not have health insurance and by 2004, that number had climbed to approximately 45.5 million Americans—Now more than one in six of the nonelderly population is uninsured (18%)

Depending upon whether one counts the number of people who are uninsured during a specific month, for an entire year, or just for short periods, experts agree that on any given day of the year the number of uninsured is now about 45 million—the number of people ever uninsured over the course of a year is much greater than 45 million, by as much as 40%

ARKANSANS: —In 2001, approximately 392,000 Arkansans did not have health insurance, i.e., 15% of the population—However, by 2004 approximately 456,000 Arkansans did not have health insurance, i.e., 17% of the population

Through federal, state and private programs, approximately 9 out of 10 (89.6%) Arkansas children (0-18 years) have health insurance, and more than half of all children received coverage from the state’s Medicaid program, ARKids First, in 2004

Medicare covered virtually all (98.5%) elderly (65+ years) Arkansas adults in 2004

However, only 3 out of 4 (75.6%) working-age (19-64) adults had insurance in 2004

In Arkansas in 2004, estimates of uninsurance rates ranged from a high of 23% in the north central mountain counties to a low of 6% of residents in central Arkansas ( Pulaski County) —however, because of Pulaski County ’s large urban population, many thousands of our neighbors have no health insurance, and thus little or no access to basic health care

Who Are Our Uninsured Neighbors?

EMPLOYMENT: In 2004 the majority (61%) of the uninsured were working in either full-time (45%) or part-time (16%) jobs—Nationwide in 2003, over 8 in 10 uninsureds came from working families, 70% from families with one or more full-time workers and 12% from families with part-time workers (only 19% of the uninsured are from families that have no connection to the workforce)

In Arkansas, 92.9% of private employers with 50 or more employees offered health insurance—however, only 25.7% of businesses with less than 50 employees offered health insurance—When Arkansas employers offered health insurance benefits to their employees, most (78%) employees purchase it

EARNINGS: In 2004 more than one-fourth (26%) of Arkansans with family incomes below $19,000 (100% of the federal poverty level [“FPL”] for a family of 4) did not have health insurance coverage—the same (26%) was true for Arkansas families who earned between $19,000 and $38,000 (100-200% of the FPL for a family of 4)—significantly, more than half of all Arkansas families make less than $35,000 annually

In Arkansas, children in low-income families (<200% FPL) qualify for Medicaid (ARKids First) and most of these children are insured—however, low-income working-age adults do not qualify for Medicaid unless they are also disabled and have limited financial assets—almost one-half (46%) of Arkansans between 19 and 64 years of age with family incomes less than 100% of the FPL were uninsured in 2004

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT: Nationally, adults who have not graduated from high school are about twice as likely to be uninsured as those with a high school diploma (40.2% vs. 20.3%)—Having a college degree is strongly associated with multiple factors that increase the likelihood of being insured, such as employment in sectors more likely to offer coverage, higher income, and a greater likelihood of choosing employment-based coverage if it is offered—Significantly, Arkansas has the lowest percentage of residents possessing college degrees than any other state in the nation

GENDER AND AGE: Among Arkansans without health insurance, approximately 50% were males and 50% were females—10% of uninsured Arkansans were between 0-18 years old, 30% were between 19-44 years old, 17% were between 45-64 years old, and 2% were 65 years or older

ETHNICITY: In 2004, 15% of White Arkansans had no health insurance, 17% of African-American Arkansans had no health insurance, 39% of Hispanic Arkansans had no health insurance, and 22% of Arkansans who are members of other ethnic groups had no health insurance

Within virtually all ethnic groups in Arkansas in 2004, the uninsured were concentrated in the 19-64 year-old age group—specifically, 1 out of 5 (20%) Whites, 1 out of 4 (25%) African-Americans, and 1 out of 2 (49%) Hispanics in the 19-64 year old age group did not have health insurance

IMMIGRATION STATUS AND NATIVITY: The foreign born population in the United States is almost three times as likely to be uninsured as the native born population—Among the foreign born, citizens are almost twice as likely as non-citizens to have health insurance—With exceptions, i.e., those needing emergency care and refugees, all legal immigrants who arrive in the U.S. after August 1996 are barred from participation in public health insurance programs (Medicaid and SCHIP) for their first five years of residency in the country, and this prohibition adds to the discrepancy in insurance rates between the native and foreign-born populations. Needless to say, undocumented adults and children present in this country also suffer from insufficient access to decent health care.

This effort was incorporated on July 25, 2006 as “Central Arkansas Volunteers in Medicine Clinic, Inc. (CAVIMC),” and has obtained its § 501(c)(3) non-profit organization status. We hope to commence operations as soon as we locate a sufficient facility. It was formed by a group of concerned citizens who began meeting in August 2005 to serve the under-insured and under-served population who live in Central Arkansas but do not have sufficient access to healthcare.

This group then formally affiliated with the Volunteers In Medicine Institute based in the State of Vermont (www.volunteersinmedicine.org) to obtain their assistance in helping to start a VIM-modeled clinic in the Central Arkansas area. In March of 2006, funds generously provided by the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church were utilized to cover the travel-related expenses of hosting a VIM representative for a series of public forums wherein ideas were explored as to how to start a free clinic. The assistance of the Arkansas Association of Charitable Clinics (www.aacclinics.org) and help from various other free clinics and interested individuals and entities were also crucial to the success of the early efforts.

The Volunteers in Medicine Institute (“VIMI”) itself originated in Hilton Head, South Carolina . In 1992, one out of three people who lived on Hilton Head Island had no access to health care. At the same time, a number of retired medical personnel (physicians, nurses, dentists) began expressing an interest in finding a way to continue practicing their profession on a voluntary, part-time basis to help those without access to care. So in 1993, a group led by Dr. Jack McConnell brought these two groups together and created the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic, a 501(c)(3) free health clinic utilizing retired health care professionals (www.vimclinic.org). The response from the medical community was extraordinary: 55 physicians, 64 nurses, and 15 dentists were recruited, all of whom were retired. They were able to do what they always wanted to do: to be able to practice their professions in a "hassle-free" environment.

Specifically, like the original VIMI clinic and other VIMI clinics, the "Culture of Caring" will be the heart and soul of Harmony Health Clinic. It is rooted in an ethical standard in medicine that was once practiced and should be again: how people are treated during a visit to the Clinic is as important as the medical care they receive. Those who will come to our Clinic will be good people in need of help. Surviving on limited resources, they often exhibit great courage simply trying to get through each day. Our “Culture of Caring” will recognize the strengths of those in need and respect their dignity. We will seek to heal not only physical illnesses, but also the injury caused by bias, prejudice and indifference. Policies and procedures for implementing and maintaining the "Culture of Caring" will be established as a required component of our Clinic.

The “Culture of Caring” concept is summarized by the following vision statement which guided the original VIM Clinic and has guided many others since: “May we have eyes to see those that are rendered invisible and excluded, open arms to reach and include them, healing hands to touch their lives with love, and in the process, heal ourselves.”

CAVIMC will conduct operations under the name “Harmony Health Clinic.” The name symbolizes not only the inner-connectedness between a healthy mind, body, and spirit, but also reflects the unique diversity of both the individuals who have collaborated to found this Clinic but also the diversity of those who will benefit from its services.

Our Board of Directors consists of a diverse and accomplished collection of individuals from throughout the Central Arkansas community.

Six committees, overseen by an Executive Committee consisting of some of the Board members listed above, have been formed in order to provide the administrative and functional support needed to plan, organize, implement, and open the Clinic. Committees include:

* Medical/Clinical Committee

* Program Development Committee

* Facilities Committee

* Fundraising/Development Committee

* Media/Public Relations Committee

* Financial/Legal Committee

Anyone who is interested in volunteering for or supporting these committees should contact Matt House (501-372-6555), Dr. Sunny Anand (501-364-6611), or Amy Johnson (501-975-3000). We need your help.

Since the Clinic desires to provide all services and medications at no charge to the patients, the Clinic relies upon contributions from individual donors; churches, synagogues, and temples; local businesses and corporations; grants from local, state and national foundations, special events, and in-kind gifts in order to support the delivery of services. Specific ways in which you or your organization can volunteer or donate are summarized here.

It will take substantial amounts of money, supplies, equipment, medications, lab tests, and a lot of hard work to provide first class care to those who seek our help. Consequently, please consider giving voice to your compassion by helping meet the hidden healthcare needs within Central Arkansas . The Clinic is an opportunity for you or your organization to help by committing time or talent, donating medical or office equipment, or contributing monetarily to this vital effort. No matter the type, size, or amount of your gift, its benefit will ripple throughout Central Arkansas and our community will be all the stronger for it.

When you support the Clinic, you are helping to make Central Arkansas a healthier community. When the Clinic takes care of an individual’s health problems, that individual’s problems will most likely not, for example:

* worsen because of going untreated.

* need to be treated at a costly emergency care center.

* keep the person from working or from getting a job.

Indeed, there are many benefits to using, supporting, donating to, or encouraging the Clinic.

* Patients: Delivering health care in a compassionate and respectful environment that ministers to the whole person, not just their physical needs.

* Hospitals: Non-paying patients will be taken out of the emergency room and cared for in a proper primary care setting where they can be treated cost effectively.

* Local Businesses: Increasing the health and wellness of a substantial part of their workforce.

* Caregivers and Volunteers: Building a sense of community and caring that transcends barriers and delivers a sense of joy and worth to those who serve.

Please support the Clinic now by donating or volunteering. Thank you.