Have RSD/CRPS & no place to go for help?

FINDING A FREE CLINIC
by Christin Egelhardt

If you need to see a doctor but cannot afford one, a free or low-cost clinic may be able to help you. Keep in mind that all free clinics have eligibility rules for patients: typically free clinics see only patients who have low income and who do not have insurance for the treatment needed. Depending upon their eligibility rules, not all clinics will be able to treat you. However, there may be some flexibility with the eligibility rules, so even if you think you do not qualify, it may still be worth calling the clinic to ask about your situation. Sometimes the care at a free clinic is not completely free; there may be a small charge, depending upon any income you have. In addition, free clinics are not always able to provide care for complicated conditions like RSD/CRPS, but they still may be of at least some assistance.

If you are searching for a free clinic near you, you may be able to find one through your local phone books. You may also find a free clinic through the Internet and may need to try more than one website before you find a clinic to help you as not all the websites have complete lists. Several state and regional associations have their own websites.

Please cut & paste links in your browser:
*Arkansas Association of Charitable Clinics; http://www.aacclinics.org/
*Free Clinic Association of Pennsylvania; http://www.freeclinicpa.org/
*Free Clinics of the Great Lakes Region (for Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin); http://www.fcglr.org/directory/directory.htm
*Georgia Free Clinic Network; http://www.gfcn.org/
*North Carolina Association of Free Clinics; http://www.ncfreeclinics.org/mc/page.do
*Ohio Association of Free Clinics; http://www.ohiofreeclinics.org/
*South Carolina Free Medical Clinic Association; http://www.scfmca.org/
*Vermont Coalition of Clinics for the Uninsured; http://www.vccu.net/
*Virginia Association of Free Clinics; http://www.vafreeclinics.org/

If your state does not have its own website, there are three other websites which have information about free clinics across the country. Please cut & paste links in your browser:
1. The National Association of Free Clinics, a non-profit organization, has a list of state and regional associations of free clinics on its website; http://www.freeclinics.us/StateRegionalFreeClinicNews/tabid/72/Default.aspx
Find your state or region’s association, and contact that organization for a list of clinics near you.

2. RxAssist (an information center created by Volunteers in Health Care that helps people find out how to get medications) also has a list of state and regional associations of free clinics on its website;
http://www.rxassist.org/patients/res-free-clinics.cfm
Find your state or region’s association, and contact that organization for a list of clinics near you.

3. Medkind Corporation (which produces software for clinics) has a list of many free clinics on its website;
http://www.medkind.com/Scripts/Modules/Module6/A1.idcCode=1004&NewCode=3895369&Index=3336028
Choose the state that you want, and then click “Search” to get a list of clinics in that state.

You may also contact charities in your area (such as the Salvation Army or Catholic Charities) to see if they offer any health care services. If caregivers at the free clinic need a copy of the RSDSA Treatment Guidelines (published in June 2006), you can download it LINK or contact the RSDSA office to have a copy sent to the clinic.