October 26, 2022 – The Owens & Minor Foundation today announced a donation of $100,000 to the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC), a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that the medically underserved have access to affordable quality healthcare. The donation was presented at NAFC’s annual Charitable Healthcare Symposium by Dan Starck, EVP and President of Patient Direct for Owens & Minor and CEO of Apria.
“We deeply value the support of like-minded partners such as the Owens & Minor Foundation that are committed to the benefits of a community-based approach in improving access to healthcare,” commented Nicole Lamoureux, President, and CEO of the National Association for Free and Charitable Clinics. “This contribution will help NAFC continue providing the vital support our member clinics and pharmacies rely on to deliver patient care to those in need.”
The NAFC represents more than 1,400 free and charitable clinics and pharmacies across the United States that serve as safety nets for uninsured and underinsured people who may not otherwise have access healthcare, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. Health clinics and pharmacies affiliated with NAFC are 501(c)(3) organizations that provide a range of medical, dental, pharmacy, vision and/or behavioral health services and utilize a primarily volunteer-based service model to administer patient care. In 2021, NAFC clinics and pharmacies delivered care to approximately 1.8M patients nationwide.
“We’re proud to support an organization like the NAFC, which has a mission so closely aligned with our own,” said Faith Cristol, President, Owens & Minor Foundation. “Helping to build healthier communities and creating possibilities for people to lead healthier lives is an essential part of the focus for the Owens & Minor Foundation and builds on Owens & Minor’s longstanding legacy of service.”
The donation will be used for NAFC programming and to create health equity scholarship opportunities for members to participate in NAFC activities. Earlier this year, the Owens & Minor Foundation contributed $10,000 to NAFC to help clinics in Florida impacted by Hurricane Ian.