Free Mission Frankfort Clinic gets grant to buy new equipment

Help the clinic purchase new diagnostic tools to enhance primary care

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – Mission Frankfort Clinic, a free health care clinic serving uninsured residents of Franklin County, Ky., is one of 15 clinics in the U.S. to receive a 2021 grant from Family Medicine Cares USA, a signature program of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Foundation.

The $9,990 grant will be used to help the clinic purchase new diagnostic tools to enhance primary care.

Over the past several years, free clinics like Mission Frankfort Clinic have seen a dramatic rise in patient visits – and those patients include men, women, and children, often from working households.

“All of our patients are contributing to our economy and community, but unable to access affordable health care and insurance,” says Michelle Carroll, clinic director. “As the only free clinic in Franklin County, we stand in the gap of the health care system to provide much-needed care to those without insurance, avoiding costly health emergencies with basic preventive care and medicines.”

Dr. Rebecca Jaffe, president of the AAFP Foundation, says the need for free clinics – throughout the U.S. – far exceeds the existing capacity.

“Our family physician donors understand the incredible demands that clinics like Mission Frankfort Clinic face these days,” says Jaffe. “Thanks to their generosity, we doubled the amount of Family Medicine Cares USA grant money this year to help the clinics enhance care for patients without the safety net of insurance.”

After this funding cycle, 94 free clinics – in 32 states and one U.S. territory – will have been awarded a Family Medicine Cares USA grant.