The Charlotte Volunteers in Medicine Clinic (CVIM)
(TWS PR Firm) Charlotte, NC - Here's the issue: forty-six million Americans are uninsured. Nine million of them are children. More than eight out of 10 are in working families. They are our friends, neighbors and colleagues--forced to gamble every day that they won't get sick or injured. In this economy, living without health insurance is a risk no one should have to take and Donna Murray Lacey, executive director of CVIM and staff, along with community partners, will be observing Cover the Uninsured Week providing free vision screening; open to the public, on Wednesday, March 25th at the clinic's site at 1315 Beatties Ford Road from 5pm - 8pm. They will also have a community outreach on Friday, March 27th from 10am - 2pm with several health screenings and health education sessions at The Greenville Center located at 1330 Spring Street.
Cover the Uninsured Week, entering its 7th year in 2009, is the nation's largest campaign to draw attention to the plight of America's uninsured. This campaign is a national effort to highlight the fact that too many Americans are living without health insurance and to demand solutions from our nation's leaders. Through Cover the Uninsured, we are working to build and sustain broad-based support for change.
In North Carolina, almost 1.3 million people are without health insurance. Cover the Uninsured Week is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This is a nationally recognized week that helps build support and provide awareness to America's uninsured.
Early detection is the key to living a long and healthy life. Screenings provided during this event may provide a path to a proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Educational materials provided will equip the community with the proper tools and resources necessary to make wise and healthy decisions.
Volunteers will be on hand to provide prostate cancer screening and HIV screening. In addition, our community partners will provide health and wellness information. Our partners include: Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, The McCrorey YMCA, Prevent Blindness North Carolina, Mecklenburg County Health Department, National Marrow Donor Program, American Stroke/American Heart Association, State Farm Insurance 50 Million Pound Challenge, Total Touch Chiropractic Wellness Center, Metrolina AIDS Project, Pfizer Pharmaceutical, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of North Carolina.
National highlights from 2008 include:
Nearly 1,500 events took place in 44 states and Washington, D.C.
More than 800 events provided enrollment opportunities for eligible families
More than 200 national organizations supported the campaign
CVIM is committed to helping residents of Mecklenburg County who do not have health insurance coverage and continues to have a major impact within Charlotte-Mecklenburg County. CVIM is credited for changing peoples' attitudes about their health and healthcare delivery and has been covered by media such as: V101.9, Q92.7, WFAE, WGIV, News 14 Carolina, WSOC-TV, Pride Magazine, The Charlotte Observer, The Charlotte Post and Advance for Physician Assistants.
Please support us and our partners as we support the community to bridge the health gap. For more information about CVIM and its vision of service to Charlotte-Mecklenburg's uninsured or to inquire about becoming a donor, partner or volunteer, please visit www.cvimnc.org or call Donna M. Lacey at 704-350-1300.
All media inquiries should be directed to The Write Stylz Public Relations Firm at 704-577-7257.
About Cover the Uninsured Week
Led by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Cover the Uninsured Week is the nation's largest mobilization on behalf of America's 46 million uninsured. Since 2003, the Week has brought together business owners, union members, educators, students, patients, hospital staff, physicians, nurses, faith leaders and their congregants, and many others to speak out on behalf of the uninsured and demand that our national leaders make the issue of the uninsured their top priority.
Each year, Cover the Uninsured Week seeks to raise awareness about the need to cover America's uninsured, amplify diverse voices, demonstrate support for change, and demand solutions from our nation's leaders. In 2008, the Week convened diverse groups across the political spectrum to demonstrate widespread support for Americans living without health coverage.
About The Charlotte Volunteers in Medicine Clinic
The Charlotte Volunteers in Medicine Clinic is a program of Project HealthShare, Inc. Project HealthShare, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is committed to promoting the objectives of Healthy People 2010. Project HealthShare, Inc. supports the federal government's initiative to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Disparities in health, which focuses on "closing the gap" with regard to racial and ethnic differences in diabetes, AIDS, cardiovascular disease, and cancer screening.
For more information or to inquire about volunteer opportunities, donor/sponsor opportunities or patient services, please call (704)350-1300 or visit www.cvimnc.org .
Photo:
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