Free clinic for uninsured to open in April

While the government doesn't provide free health care for the 46 million Americans without health insurance, a small group in Bloomington is doing what it can. \nThe Volunteers in Medicine clinic will be opening on April 23, four months earlier than planned. Mary Roberts Henderson, public relations chairperson and member of the organizing committee, said there were two reasons for this: the number of volunteers signing up, and the large amount of money donated. \nMore than 100 doctors from many disciplines are signed up and $900,000 has been raised, Henderson said.\n"This program got up to speed quickly," Henderson said. The idea was conceived less than a year ago. "The more people heard about it, the more people came to work on it."\nMonroe County has the highest poverty rate in the state, with an estimated 16,000 people who do not have health insurance, Henderson said. \nNicole Quon, an acting assistant professor for the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, said this is a good solution for the community, but would not solve the national problem of more than 46 million uninsured citizens. \n"A direct solution would be to implement more public health insurance programs by increasing taxes or encouraging small employers to offer insurance to employees," Quon said. "A lot of the movement to solve this problem will be state by state." \nMeanwhile, uninsured Bloomington residents will receive free health care for anything from aches in the abdomen to diabetes medication. Free dental service will also be available through referral to volunteer dentists working out of their own offices. Previously, those without health insurance would commonly wait until they could use the emergency room. \n"A lot of people who don't have insurance rely on emergency rooms because emergency rooms are required by law to treat people even if they can't pay," Quon said. "From the public standpoint this is problematic because the hospital is more expensive than going to a doctor's office." \nThat expense should soon be gone, thanks to the donations from Bloomington Hospital, the City of Bloomington, private citizens and the Cook Group, a company specializing in medical equipment.\nThe VIM clinic will be located at 333 E. Miller Drive.