Direct Relief Research Data on U.S. Uninsured Cited in New England Journal of Medicine Article
December 4, 2009, SANTA BARBARA, Calif. —A “Perspective” article in the newly-released December issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, entitled “America's Safety Net and Health Care Reform — What Lies Ahead?”, cites findings from a 2009 survey conducted by Direct Relief International intended to measure the impact of the economic recession on the nation’s clinics and community health centers, who collectively treat a disproportionate amount of the uninsured population.
The article is authored by Irwin Redlener, M.D. and Roy Grant, M.A. Redlener is Director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University as well as President and Co-Founder of the Children’s Health Fund.
With an estimated 100 million Americans relying on safety-net health providers for their primary health care, these clinics and health centers play a key role in the delivery of U.S. health care and in expert and public discussion of the economy and healthcare reform.
The authors conclude that, “the combination of increased demand and greatly diminished resources has placed enormous stress on the safety net,” citing Direct Relief’s findings that:
“[B]etween June 2008 and June 2009, visits to community health centers increased by 14%, and visits by uninsured patients by 21%. Many of these new patients have complex health care needs: a survey of community health centers and free clinics showed that almost 15% of their patients had diabetes, and nearly 60% of those patients were uninsured.”
Direct Relief conducted the nationwide survey in partnership with the National Association of Community Health Centers, the National Association of Free Clinics, and medical technology company BD, which donated 5 million needles and syringes to help newly unemployed people with diabetes seeking care at nonprofit clinics. Direct Relief has released the survey findings in a report entitled “The Economic Recession and Nonprofit Safety-Net Health Centers and Clinics in the United States”, available on Direct Relief’s Web site. The report compares the volume of overall patients and patients with diabetes at safety-net clinics in 50 states (and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) between January and June 2009 against volumes reported in 2008.
The intended application of the survey was to inform assistance efforts through the organization’s Direct Relief USA program, the nation’s largest nonprofit provider of prescription medications and supplies nationwide for low-income, uninsured patients at nonprofit safety-net facilities. Since 2004, the program has delivered more than $150 million (wholesale) worth of material medical assistance to more than 1,100 sites.
Direct Relief’s continual communication with this nationwide network of clinics and health centers is also a critical tool in the face of potential regional or national emergencies. In November, Direct Relief provided 478 clinics in 49 states with needed H1N1 protective items to help clinic workers stay healthy and on the job through flu season. These shipments were in response to a survey conducted by Direct Relief which determined that 80 percent of clinics and health centers have less than a one-month supply of key personal protective equipment needed to protect staff and patients from infection.
About Direct Relief International
Founded in 1948, Direct Relief is a Santa Barbara, California-based nonprofit organization focused on improving quality of life by bringing critically needed medicines and supplies to local healthcare providers worldwide. Direct Relief has provided more than $1 billion in privately funded humanitarian aid since 2000, including more than $150 million in assistance in the United States. It has earned a fundraising efficiency score of 99 percent or better from Forbes for the past eight years, and is ranked by the Chronicle of Philanthropy as California’s largest international nonprofit organization based on private support. For more information, please visit www.DirectRelief.org.
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