MILWAUKEE – A new collaborative effort among free health clinics in the Milwaukee area will be kicked off at a reception Thursday, May 4, from 5-7 p.m. at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Center for Continuing Education, Plankinton Building, seventh floor, 161 W. Wisconsin Ave.
This new effort will take a comprehensive approach to addressing barriers to health care, leveraging community resources and networking. “The free clinics are being organized under the banner of the Primary Care Alliance, a collaboration between Milwaukee’s health systems and federally funded community health centers, in order to increase the coordination of activities and fund-raising to better assist those patients most in need,” said Bill Bazan, vice president of the Milwaukee metro region, Wisconsin Hospital Association.
The reception also serves as part of national Cover the Uninsured Week, May 1-7. Special guests include Helene Nelson, secretary, Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services; Scott Gelzer, executive director, Faye McBeath Foundation; and Dennis Brown, president and CEO, Delta Dental of Wisconsin.
Sponsored by the members and friends of Partnerships for Healthy Milwaukee, the event will include elected officials, health providers, business leaders and community members. The reception also will share local successes that preserve and extend the health care safety net. Contributions by volunteers and health professionals will be cited. In addition, foundations and businesses that have committed time and resources to support the work of free clinics will be recognized.
“This is the fourth year we have hosted a communitywide reception to share local successes that preserve and extend the health care safety net,” said Lora Taylor, executive director of Partnerships for Healthy Milwaukee.
Other sponsors include Aurora Health Care, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin, Columbia St. Mary’s, and Covenant Healthcare.
Cover the Uninsured Week 2006 calls attention to the fact that eight out of 10 uninsured Americans live in working families. “The price of health care increases, fewer families can afford coverage and fewer businesses cover their employees. It is a problem that affects all of us,” says Taylor. “This reception is one of many activities during the week that attempts to elevate this issue locally.”
The event is free and open to the public. RSVP to Lora Taylor at ltaylor@uwm.edu.
