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The Changing Face of the Homeless and Uninsured

July 26
By, Michelle Webb

Last week, we had the opportunity to sit down with Maureen Neal, Director of Development and External Affairs at The Daily Planet. She's also our latest participant in the ConnectRichmond Asks video series. Established in 1969 on a shoestring budget, The Daily Planet has evolved into a sanctuary for those in need.

The face of homelessness changes every day in our community. For example, a recent study found that an astonishing one third of the homeless populations are returning war veterans.

As a federally qualified health center, The Daily Planet shines as a beacon for hope and transformation, offering life-changing services that help prevent homelessness and get those in need back on their feet. Like many non-profits in the area, it has seen a drastic increase in those seeking assistance, providing help to 80 new patients each month. The Daily Planet provides services for the homeless and uninsured, and it prevents homelessness by providing various healthcare services in their four clinics. The Daily Planet also:

  • Offers banking services, laundry, clothes closet, food and mail services to the Richmond area underprivileged;
  • Has two offsite facilities; Medical Respite in Northside, a 21-bed facility that helps the homeless and uninsured transition and recover from surgery; and Safe Haven, a 21-bed facility which is located on the Southside and helps those suffering from mental illness or who have become chronically homeless;
  • Offers outreach in our jails that help inmates prepare for re-entry into society, as well as outreach counselors who go out into the community and homeless encampments to build awareness of the services available.

Although there is hope with the new federal healthcare reform, many will be left out and remain uninsured. It is imperative to support local Federally Qualified Health Centers and free clinic providers in today’s tough economic times. ConnectRichmond’s 2010 RMHF fellow, Charlotte Arbogast, is focusing much of her work on free clinics in the Richmond metro area. As Charlotte has discovered, although they vary slightly from Federally Qualified Health Centers, free clinics also serve uninsured and low-income populations. There are several free clinics in the Richmond metro area, including Love of Jesus Health Center in Midlothian, Goochland Free Clinic and Family Services, and the Fan Free Clinic located in the heart of Richmond.

A potential project Charlotte has been working on is with the Richmond Free Clinic Consortium, an association of local free clinics who “collaborate and combine all available resources to expand and enhance access to quality healthcare for those who cannot afford health insurance and are medically underserved.” With only one clinic in the Consortium currently capable of providing vision care, and none equipped to provide hearing screenings, the project is attempting to reconcile a solution that could provide much needed vision and hearing screenings to patients at the locations they are already familiar with.

If you have any knowledge or information on hearing and vision screening programs for the uninsured in the Richmond area, please contact Charlotte Arbogast.

Despite the passage of the Affordable Care Act this year, it is estimated that millions Americans will remain uninsured for years to come. Therefore, the organizations that support those in need become an even more vital piece of ensuring a healthy region.