ORANGE FREE CLINIC INC
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Mission Statement
The Orange County Free Clinic (OCFC) is a healthcare safety net providing both acute and chronic care services in Orange County Virginia. Our mission is to provide access to free primary medical care and medication assistance to low- income uninsured and underinsured adult residents of Orange. The Orange County Free Clinic (OCFC/Clinic) continues to practice with the belief that everyone should have equal and equitable access to health care services.
About This Cause
As the only full time healthcare safety net in Orange County serving low income, uninsured residents, the Clinic works hard to sustain and maintain programs and services and has done so for over 18 years (opening its doors in 2007); adjusting or reimagining processes and operations when needed, impacting local residents and its broader community as a resource for other healthcare providers, medical interns and healthcare students. Patients’ healthcare is managed for the best possible outcomes through OCFC’s Primary Health Care services that includes mental health counseling and medication assistance. Of the 800+ unduplicated patients served annually, according to current clinic statistics, about 50% of patients are diagnosed with chronic illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, COPD, and depression. Patients come to the Clinic often after these conditions have gone untreated for years, and usually because they cannot afford the healthcare, medications or supplies prescribed for their condition. According to the National Health Council- “poverty is directly correlated with poor health outcomes, and it is important to acknowledge the impact that financial and social limitations can have on one’s quality of life….People in poverty tend to have higher disease burden.” According to 2024 projected US Census Quick Facts, Orange County’s population is around 38,574 and shows 8.7 % of residents are still uninsured with 10.1 % living in poverty. Living in poverty makes it difficult to prepare for unexpected circumstances like an illness or keeping consistent healthcare visits. We help to alleviate some of this worry. The Clinic’s Primary Health Care Services available to patients includes OCFC’s Chronic Disease Care Management Program, Mental Health Counseling, Medication Assistance, Dental Health screenings for referrals, the OCFC Cares Program for take home medical devices and supplies and the availability of a Spanish Language Translator. Direct patient healthcare is managed through these primary programs along with professional medical staff and administration. Medications and supplies are the Clinic’s costliest direct patient care expense, al medications are free to patients, however, the impact greatly impacts the patients’ out of pocket expenses and creates better outcomes. Having access to specific medications ie free prescriptions, supplies and devices that help patients with management of their specific illness, falls under the umbrella of primary care services at OCFC. OCFC provides all medications and supplies to patients, issuing over 1,200 prescriptions monthly and costing the Clinic between $5,000-$6,000. In-kind support from big pharmaceutical manufacturers helps to provide those medications too costly for the Clinic to supply. These medications in total are valued at over $3.5 million and while there are income eligibility requirements, the program does not require enrollment at OCFC or that they live in Orange County. The Clinic also provides medical supplies and devices through its OCFC Cares Program to help create better health outcomes for chronic care patients and helps alleviate out of pocket costs for patients as they meet the challenges of affordability when trying to manage their illnesses. This program provides diabetic supplies, nebulizers, pulse oximeters and digital blood pressure cuffs to patients who are diagnosed with a chronic illness, all of which vastly increase success of at home monitoring and immediate impact on their health and finances. Imagine having diabetes for example, and not having health insurance or medication(s) to control the disease. Your job does not offer benefits. You do not qualify for government assistance because you are earning a little too much to qualify. Your paycheck barely covers fundamentals. You cannot afford the $175 office visit, let alone the lab work, or medications needed to treat the disease. This describes our patient before enrolling for services. Patient enrollment remains steady, averaging over 215 annually affirming what we know, that the need for free healthcare services continues to exist. The Clinic consistently reaches out to the community to bring awareness of services, however, word of mouth is still the Clinic’s best source for new patients, one of the major reasons for increases is our Hispanic patient enrollment, now at 35% of all patients. Measuring successes of patient healthcare is a critical component of patient care, and also for the continuation of Free Clinic services in the community we serve. The improved health of an individual is determined through a specific individual healthcare plan including diagnostic tests with pre-set parameters that help to determine the wellness, or improvements made for the patients’ specific condition. All components of the Primary Care Services at the Clinic work together to create successful patient outcomes. Success is determined in part by how well a patient responds to his overall regimen of care. This includes keeping appointments with the Provider and clear communications in regard to his regiment of care plan. A Spanish language translator is available, and a sign language interpreter can be available if needed. These measures help create a clear path of communications for better health outcomes. The OCFC serves low income adult (18+) residents of Orange County, VA-uninsured, under-insured and below 300% of the federal poverty level with intermittent histories of healthcare. Females make up about 58% of enrolled patients and 39% of patients are between 30 and 50 years old. Far less are unemployed and most have a high school + education. Poverty no longer has a typical demographic. Most patients suffer from chronic illnesses including High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Depression/Anxiety, and COPD with a variety of the usual ailments that have gone without attention. Patients coming to the Clinic are typically without a healthcare home and OCFC provides the opportunity to have regular and consistent care for their concerns. The Clinic is the only full time, healthcare safety net in Orange County, VA and provides a full scope of care for most concerns. Many patients come back for services if they lose their insurance, or employment. OCFC patients can expect access to specialty care through the Clinic’s partnership with UVA Culpeper Medical Center, and others specialists if needed. Worth mentioning is that our patients receive careful instructions and education on their particular illness or disease to help them better understand treatment and instructions for medications etc. OCFC patients are appreciative and do not take the service for granted. Eager to learn, Patient exam rooms and waiting area are equipped with “Patient Point” T.V., a healthcare technology company that installed healthcare education television, giving Staff and patients access to targeted education enhanced with helpful and interesting topics on health and wellness. The tool creates more interest in healthcare, generating questions and encouraging patients to initiate important conversations with their Provider. According to VA Rural Health, a community’s health is reflective of the resources available to its most vulnerable. We can assume that the availability of free health care to residents who are still without healthcare impacts the entire community and benefits the patients’ quality of life. OCFC is guided by a fully participating Board of Directors who have medical, legal, personal and community service backgrounds. OCFC's staff includes a diverse team including medical professionals, Pharmacy technicians, Executive Director, Resource Development Director, bi-lingual staff and office manager. The Clinic is centrally located in the Town of Orange, easily accessible by town transit and serves all of Orange County, that borders the counties of Culpeper and Madison to the North West, Spotslyvania to the North East, Albemarle to the South and Fluvanna (Lousia) to the East! The Orange County Free Clinic prides itself on its history of providing quality, confident services to individuals who look come out of need and more importantly without hesitation.