Sonia Rich-Mazzeo, Coastal VIM’s clinical director, met this week with Rich Palmer, a BioReference phlebotomist, at the Oasis Patient Service Center in Toms River to discuss the diagnostic tests that will be offered free of charge for those who qualify through the clinic.Debbie B. of Tuckerton suffers from chronic hypertension, but she had not seen a physician in the last 2 years because her job does not offer health insurance. She recently discovered she qualified for free health care through the new Coastal Volunteers in Medicine (Coastal VIM) clinic, Manahawkin, NJ. While she is now under the care of a clinician, Debbie still cannot afford the diagnostic tests needed to monitor her medical conditions.
Bio-Reference Laboratories Inc, Elmwood Park, NJ, a national clinical diagnostics company, stepped in to help patients like Debbie who qualify for services at the clinic, but are ineligible for free diagnostic tests. Bio-Reference and Coastal VIM have joined forces to provide routine lab tests for free to patients who are unable to obtain necessary testing due to cost.
Coastal VIM Clinic, which opened in April, is the first and only, free, family clinic serving medically uninsured people who live in southern Ocean County and neighboring communities. The facility has provided services to more than 130 patients – many of whom are still rebuilding their lives after Hurricane Sandy.
It is staffed completely by volunteers: physicians, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, therapists, nurses, and technicians. Some 100% of its operations are supported by donations and in-kind services.
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Coastal VIM, a nonprofit organization, estimates there are more than 13,000 individuals without health insurance living in southern Ocean County. It received a start-up grant from the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey to address the pressing need for free health care in this community. While seeking a permanent location for its operation, it is temporarily located in donated space at a church. Coastal VIM does not have any religious affiliation and embraces cultural, racial, and religious diversity. |
Bio-Reference has committed to providing a full range of routine clinical tests to qualified patients of the clinic for free, including tests that screen for hypertension, diabetes, liver and kidney function, cholesterol levels, gastric health, and more. For patients of the clinic requiring more advanced diagnostic testing, Bio-Reference offers a 70% discount on tests performed by the company.
Patients with a valid test order from Coastal VIM can visit the Bio-Reference Lab located at 1851 Hooper Avenue in Toms River, where no appointment is necessary.
“Routine diagnostic tests are critical to patient care,” says Marc D. Grodman, MD, president and CEO, Bio-Reference Laboratories. “They can prevent the development of full-blown emergent health conditions by monitoring ongoing medical problems or addressing new health problems at their onset.”
Sonia Rich-Mazzeo, Coastal VIM’s clinical director, concurs. “Uninsured individuals tend to put off obtaining medical care until they have a serious health issue,” she says. “Then, the local emergency room is their only option, where by law no patient can be turned away. The clinic offers qualifying patients the opportunity to receive an annual physical as well as early testing and intervention when symptoms first become apparent, or before they progress to more serious conditions. We also provide management of some chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol.”
| EDITORS NOTE: I inquired how the company can afford to perform free testing. The response: “We hope to provide a service to the southern Ocean County community which was especially hurt by Hurricane Sandy. Many of the families who were patents at these clinics are still rebuilding their lives after losing their homes or their livelihoods due to the storm. Bio-Reference is pleased to assist those clinic patients who do not qualify for charity care and who fall between the cracks of qualifying for appropriate services. ” Marc Grodman, MD, CEO, Bio Reference Laboratories. |
[Source: Bio-Reference Laboratories]
