PROGRAM TO HELP UNINSURED IN EAST COUNTY GETS $100,000 GRANT FROM GROSSMONT HEALTHCARE

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The Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) board of directors has unanimously voted to approve a $100,000 grant to Volunteers in Medicine (VIM) to help cover expenses for X-ray and ultrasound tests, as well as diagnostic lab fees and medical supplies, for uninsured East County residents who are treated at an El Cajon clinic by retired physicians and nurses who donate their time.

 

The non-profit VIM operates a free medical clinic at 1457 E. Madison Ave., behind Chapel of the Valley United Methodist Church, in El Cajon. More than 60 medical professionals, including doctors, nurses and staff volunteers, donate thousands of hours in providing primary care services to about 1,000 patients annually. The majority of patients are employed but do not have healthcare insurance, according to VIM officials.

 

Founded in 1994, VIM is a nationwide, all-volunteer organization that brings together retired medical professionals and patients who don’t have health insurance. Many patients are working families with children who earn too much to quality for a government health program, yet earn too little to afford health insurance. When the El Cajon clinic opened in the fall of 2006, it was California’s first VIM clinic.

 

The Grossmont Healthcare District GHD is a public agency that supports various health-related community programs and services in San Diego’s East County. The District is governed by a five-member board of directors, each elected to four-year terms, who represent 500,000 people residing within the District's 750 square miles in San Diego's East County. For more information about GHD, visit www.grossmonthealthcare.org.
 


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