December 31, 2019

A Year in Review at the NAFC – 2019

It has been another busy year for the NAFC!

We want to take a moment to thank our members for the important work they do providing accessible health care to the medically underserved in our country.  We also want to thank all of our partners, funders, donors and supporters whose dedication to the NAFC, our members and our patients is beyond appreciated.  Together, we will all continue the important work towards our mission to ensure that the medically underserved have access to affordable, quality health care.

Below please find a summary of some of the 2019 NAFC efforts broken down into the categories of the NAFC governance policy priorities.

NAFC ENDS PRIORITY 1.1 – The medically underserved have information to attain quality healthcare.

  • The NAFC staff speaks to patients daily regarding where they can access care.
  • A zip code searchable list of clinics is located on www.nafcclinics.org
  • Downloadable resources for patients and clinics on www.nafcclinics.org
  • The NAFC used targeting messaging through GoogleAds to ensure that people searching for a clinic online are connected to the NAFC’s “Find a Clinic” webpage.

NAFC ENDS PRIORITY 1.2 – Public Policy, regulations and legislation effectively address the needs of the medically underserved.

  • The NAFC reported to the membership throughout the year on public policy issues important to the organization, our members and our patients.
  • The NAFC coordinated letter writing campaigns on a range of topics including the Public Charge Rule, appropriations and NAFC policy priorities, SNAP benefits, Civil Rights protections, the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law.
  • The NAFC conducted/coordinated over 60 visits with policy makers to discuss NAFC approved public policy issues.

NAFC ENDS PRIORITY 1.3 – Free and Charitable Clinics have resources that increase their capacity to serve those with unmet healthcare needs.

  • The NAFC held 28 Webinars for members in 2019: Membership/Advocacy Updates (5), NAFC Standards (2), Technical Assistance (21)
  • The NAFC held a record breaking 2019 Charitable Health Care Symposium with over 475 attendees.
  • The NAFC maintained and grew our strong network of partnerships with over 40 partners that offer free or discounted supplies or services to NAFC members.
  • The NAFC connected members from across the country through various listservs and Facebook groups to facilitate sharing ideas, questions and best practices.
  • The NAFC launched an ER & Hospital Utilization Case Study – Through the study, we will interview clinics that have conducted an analysis of reduced costs to hospitals and/or lower utilization of ER and hospital services for clinic patients. The first goal of this project is to develop a toolkit of approaches, methods, lessons learned, and resources for clinics interested in conducting this kind of evaluation. In addition, we will combine the results from each clinic to gain a broader understanding of the impact and range of results.

NAFC ENDS PRIORITY 1.4 – There is growth in public awareness and support of the medically underserved, and the critical role of Free and Charitable Clinics.

NAFC ENDS PRIORITY 1.5 – There is a recognized standard of excellence for Free and Charitable Clinics

  • The NAFC launched the NAFC Standards Assessment Phase January 2019 – February 2019, through the annual NAFC Membership Data Collection survey and self-reporting process.
  • The NAFC developed and launched a resource toolkit for members to utilize during the 2020 implementation phase of the NAFC Standards program.