We Care Manatee Raises $25,000 – Funds Matched by Grant From Manatee Matches

BRADENTON, Fla. - July 29, 2015 - PRLog -- We Care Manatee (WCM) – a non-profit organization committed to addressing the healthcare needs of low-income, uninsured residents – announces the expansion of its operations with the hiring of a staff nurse. This addition to its team of care providers was made possible by a $25,000 grant awarded by Manatee Matches, a small group of local philanthropic men who support organizations through a fund at the Manatee Community Foundation. “Due to this staffing addition, we expect an initial increase of 2.5 times our current unduplicated patient appointment counts because of the additional days of service,” said Jill Gass, Executive Director of We Care Manatee. “Simply, we’re better positioned to provide care for more people in need.”

Manatee County’s medical community has been working to find a solution to the healthcare crisis that faces our county’s uninsured, and We Care Manatee wants to be a part of the answer. To help address the needs of low income, medically uninsured people and provide an alternative to the emergency room, We Care Manatee has long sought to expand the hours and services offered at its free Primary Care Clinic by hiring a nurse. In April 2015, We Care Manatee presented Manatee Matches with a proposal and was awarded with a challenge to raise $25,000. When raised, Manatee Matches would match that amount, giving We Care Manatee $50,000 to commit to a nurse position for the next three years. The challenge was accepted and the money was raised, allowing WCM to hire Jenny Koselak, RN, to fill the nurse position.

We Care Manatee contributes its success in raising $25,000 for the challenge due to the generosity of ManateeMemorialHospital’s medical staff, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center’s medical staff and the Manatee Chapter of Florida Association for Woman Attorneys (FAWL). “We Care Manatee is an organization that we as a medical staff at Manatee Memorial have supported for many years,” said John T. Peters, D.O., F.C.C.P., Chief of Staff at Manatee Memorial Hospital. “The opportunity to assist with the expansion of the free primary care clinic through the matching grant is a way our donation can go even further and make a bigger impact in our community."

"The Manatee Chapter for Women Lawyers was pleased to support We Care Manatee as our local charity of designation,” said Terri Cromley, Immediate Past President of FAWL. “We Care Manatee and their volunteer physicians provide much-needed medical care for those who need it the most, the low income and uninsured. They are a caring example of the many wonderful charitable organizations in ManateeCounty."

For more information on We Care Manatee, please visit www.WeCareManatee.org or call 941-755-3952.

About We Care Manatee

We Care Manatee was founded by the Manatee County Medical Society in 1999 to address the increasing need of uninsured residents to be seen and treated by a medical specialist. Since then, We Care Manatee physicians have provided over $8 million in donated care to patients who would otherwise go without. For information, contact Info@WeCareManatee.org.

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