Good Samaritan Clinic gets $28,000 pharmacy grant

A local free clinic's in-house pharmacy will continue to dispense free medications to the uninsured thanks to a grant from The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida.

Santa Rosa Interfaith Ministries, Inc. (SSRIM), today received a $28,000 grant from The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida, the philanthropic affiliate of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF). The funding will be used to purchase medications for the Good Samaritan Clinic (GSC), a free clinic providing health education and health care services to the working poor, temporarily unemployed and homeless.

The GSC is the only free clinic in Santa Rosa County and provides medical care, limited dental care and pharmaceutical care.

An all-volunteer staff is comprised of 15 doctors, 25 nurses and 20 lay people. In 2006, more than 2,300 patients received medical services at GSC, a 53 percent increase in patients from 2005. In 2007, GSC expects to serve at least 2,600 patients. The grant will also support the Patient Assistance Program that assists patients with long-term medication needs. Eighty-five patients are currently enrolled in the program.

"This grant ensures GSC's ability to provide free medications to those in our community who lack access to quality health care services," said Shirley Cornett, executive director for Interfaith Ministries. "The Blue Foundation's support enables us to provide a complete continuity of care for the patients that we serve."

The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida is dedicated to making a constructive contribution to the health and well-being of all Floridians - especially the uninsured and undeserved. The SSRIM grant is one of nine, totaling $651,890, The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida has presented this winter to nonprofit health clinics and community outreach programs across Florida. With the completion of the 2006 winter grant cycle, The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida will have awarded 123 grants totaling nearly $6.7 million since its founding in 2001.

"The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida is proud to support South Santa Rosa Interfaith Ministries and the Good Samaritan Clinic," said Susan Towler, executive director of The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida. "With increased funding to health care services in Santa Rosa County, we are working together to improve health care availability and access to Florida's communities."

The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida is a separate, philanthropic affiliate of BCBSF incorporated in the state of Florida. The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida, and its parent, BCBSF, are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. For more information on The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida, please visit its web site at www.bluefoundationfl.com.

South Santa Rosa Interfaith Ministries aims to improve the quality of life for people in need by assisting with housing, utilities, medical care, food, clothing, emergency travel and other emergency needs. The Good Samaritan Clinic opened for regular patient care in January 2005 and is designed to serve the community's undeserved. The vision for GSC is to marshal volunteer, professional and lay resources to provide high quality medical, dental and pharmaceutical care to the working poor, temporarily unemployed and homeless population of South Santa Rosa County.