Frederick CVS Pilots Free Program

ACROSS MARYLAND - From The CVS Health Foundation: The CVS Health Foundation – a private charitable organization created by CVS Health – in partnership with the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics (NAFC) has awarded a $15,000 grant to the Mission of Mercy, an organization focusing on reducing health disparities for patients who are uninsured in Frederick, Maryland. The grant will allow the organization to provide primary healthcare and chronic disease management services to patients, with a concentration on helping patients manage hypertension and diabetes.

The CVS Health Foundation recently extended its commitment to the NAFC with $1 million in new grants. The Frederick clinic is one of 49 free clinics across the country receiving funding as part of the Foundation’s ongoing effort to make quality healthcare convenient and affordable for more Americans.

“We are pleased to receive this grant, as it will ensure continuous treatment for men and women suffering from diabetes and hypertension so their conditions are property controlled and they are adhering to the physicians’ directives for improving health,” said Linda Ryan, Executive Director of Mission of Mercy.

Mission of Mercy is a 501 c 3 non-profit organization providing a medical home for uninsured and underinsured patients in five counties in the Maryland and Pennsylvania region. This grant will be used for additional direct patient care services for those suffering from hypertension and diabetes. With the extra support, the clinic will be able to provide at least 3,500 physician visits to approximately 1,500 patients, providing prescription medications as needed.

The program’s success will be measured by quality of care, effectiveness of hospital partnerships, meeting community need gaps, patient feedback and quantitative program impacts such as number of patients served, visits provided, and medications dispensed. The grant is helping the clinic achieve its almost 25-year long tradition of operating without relying on government support.

"The rising cost of healthcare can make finding quality and affordable care harder to come by for many Americans,” said Eileen Howard Boone, president of the CVS Health Foundation. “Through our support of the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics, we’re able to increase access to quality care, improve chronic disease management and care coordination to help improve health outcomes.”

The new funds bring the Foundation’s total contribution to NAFC to more than $4.5 million since 2015. To date, the CVS Health Foundation has contributed more than $160,000 consisting of grants, event sponsorships, foundation scholarships, gift cards and product donations, among other initiatives and items, to nonprofits in the state of Maryland that align with CVS Health’s purpose of helping people on their path to better health.

For more information on how the Free and Charitable Clinics will be utilizing their grants to improve community health, please visit www.cvshealth.com/NAFC.

About the CVS Health Foundation

The CVS Health Foundation is a private charitable organization created by CVS Health that works to build healthier communities, enabling people of all ages to lead healthy, productive lives. The Foundation provides strategic investments to nonprofit partners throughout the U.S. who help increase community-based access to health care for underserved populations, create innovative approaches to chronic disease management and provide tobacco cessation and youth prevention programming. We also invest in scholarship programs that open the pathways to careers in pharmacy to support the academic aspirations of the best and brightest talent in the industry. Our philanthropy also extends to supporting our colleagues' spirit of volunteerism through Volunteer Challenge grants to nonprofits where they donate their time and fundraising efforts. To learn more about the CVS Health Foundation and its giving, visit www.cvshealth.com/social-responsibility.

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