[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 134 (Thursday, September 18, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S5860]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOGNIZING GRACE MEDICAL HOME

 Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, I wish to recognize the outstanding 
work of Grace Medical Home, a comprehensive medical clinic in my 
hometown of Orlando that provides a broad range of health services to 
low-income, uninsured residents in Central Florida.
  Grace Medical Home provides 8,500 patient visits annually allowing 
2,300 Floridians access to high quality medical services at little or 
no cost to the patient.
  Both nationwide and in Florida, free and charitable clinics are a 
critical component of America's medical safety net.
  Our country has a strong tradition of neighbors caring for neighbors, 
and nowhere is that more apparent than in our free and charitable 
clinics. There are approximately 1,200 of these clinics throughout the 
Nation that since the 1960s have been filling in the gap for those who 
``fall through the cracks'' in our current health care system. These 
clinics believe in giving people a hand-up not a handout, and they 
activate at the grassroots level, utilizing a volunteer and staff model 
to provide a range of health care services to economically 
disadvantaged individuals.
  Free and charitable clinics do not receive dedicated Federal funding. 
Instead, these clinics rely heavily on private donations from 
individual donors, foundations, grants, and volunteers, which allow 
them to keep their doors open and to deliver health care to those who 
need it the most.
  Currently, the Affordable Care Act is making great strides to help 
millions of people gain insurance and access to health care. However, 
even with the most optimistic projections of health insurance 
enrollment or Medicaid expansion, roughly 30 million people will still 
be without health coverage. Therefore, free and charitable clinics are 
and will continue to be an important part of our country's safety net.
  I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in Congress 
to better address the needs of the underserved with respect to 
affordability, accessibility, and portability of primary, specialty, 
dental care, and medication access. And I am thankful that free and 
charitable clinics across the country like Grace Medical Home are 
continuing to build a healthy America--one patient at a time.

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