The Challenge: Access to Health Care:

Over 89 million Americans were without health insurance for all or part of 2006 and 2007. Among the total uninsured, 64.2 million are adults (18 to 64 years of age) and the vast majority (79.3%) were from working families.

The medically under-served are scattered around the United States in every city, town and village. If you look around, it is not difficult to find them. They are our neighbors. Their lack of health care is not just a problem for them, but for all of us.

No community can be truly healthy if a significant portion of the population is excluded from basic health care services. In the absence of a national health policy that includes health care for everyone, concerned citizens need to find other ways to provide the medically under-served with the health care services they need. Sick people can't wait!

The most recent statistics show that there are currently 120,000 - 150,000 uninsured residents in Lee County of the estimated 615,741 residents that reside here, and 10.6% of it's residents are living in poverty.

Compared to other counties in Florida, Lee County ranks 16th (of the 67 counties)* in the proportion of individuals without health care.  According to state labor figures, Lee County jumped to near highest unemployment in the state, with over 14% of its work force out of work.  The median income in Lee County is $50,667.00, with 63% of the population earning less than $50,000.00.*

Lee County VIM Clinic is alleviating the pressure of the congested hospital emergency rooms in the region which are required by law to treat anyone with an injury or illness. Emergency Room care costs an estimated six times more than treatment in a physician's office.  For many of the poor and uninsured, the emergency room is their only current option for health care. 

When an uninsured person is in crisis and cannot pay, that burden falls upon the insured population, the hospitals, the doctors, and the government.  The impacts of going uninsured are clear and severe.  In the event of patients not affording basic healthcare, their neglect of initial symptoms can lead to more serious and inevitably more costly conditions.

At this time, the Lee County VIM Clinic does not offer the following services:

• routine and/or Labor & Industries physical exams
• pediatric care
• HIV or STD screening
• dental care
• outpatient OB-GYN services
• fertility testing/treatment
• pre-employment drug screening
• obstetrics or paternity testing
• routine immunizations for children
• controlled medications
• mental health and substance abuse treatment
• emergency or major trauma services

Lee County VIM Clinic is committed to helping people take responsibility for keeping themselves healthy by promoting health and well being, preventing illness, and contributing to the overall welfare of the communities we serve.

* by Lee County Economic Development Board