-
Partnering with 22 safety net clinics, Access Now’s physician volunteers have provided specialty medical care for more than 6,000 residents of Greater Richmond who are disadvantaged and lack health insurance
-
Physician volunteers have donated more than $15 million in charity care
-
926 specialists provide care at 124 medical practices and hospitals
-
For every $1 donated, Access Now has delivered more than $17 in specialty care services
Visit our Profile Page on GiveRichmond.org
The Patient's Navigator
Access Now's electronic newsletter
Click below to read the Fall edition of The Patient's Navigator
The Patient's Navigator - Fall 2011
Click below to read the Winter edition of The Patient's Navigator
The Patient's Navigator - Winter 2011
Click below to read the first edition of The Patient's Navigator
The Patient's Navigator ~ August 2010
In the Media
Area Medical Specialists Volunteer to Serve the Indigent
Dr. Hazle Konerding's interview with NPR's John Ogle.
Virginia Free Health Clinics See 11% Rise in Patients Slam-Dunk
Slow Economy Contributes to Increased Need for Services in Richmond...read more
"Slam-Dunk Job" of Access Now Volunteers Praised
On April 9, 2011, Carolyn E. Thomas, MD, Board Chair of Access Now, had this letter of thanks to our volunteers published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Click here to read the entire letter.
Access Now Featured in MDNews
MDNews, a business and practice magazine about physicians, featured Access Now in the cover story of its March/April issue for the Richmond/Tri-Cities area. The headline, “Physician Volunteers Create Ripple Effect of Care Across Central Virginia Helping People Find ‘Another Chance to Live,’” reflects the powerful stories and good works of our more than 900 physician volunteers! Click here to read the full story.
Richmond Physician Honored by MSV
Carolyn E. Thomas, MD, has been honored by the Medical Society of Virginia Foundation with a Salute to Service Award for her lifetime of volunteer work helping Richmond-area patients and doctors.
Citing her more than 30 years of service to the medical profession, the statewide foundation noted Dr. Thomas "has helped tens of thousands of patients and doctors by working selflessly to improve access to care, advance patient safety, and make a measurable difference on individual and community health."
Thomas is Chair of Access Now, which has 900 physician volunteers who volunteer their services for uninsured residents of the Richmond area. Thomas, former president of the Richmond Academy of Medicine, was also cited for her work before the 9/11 attacks in preparing physicians to respond to acts of mass destruction.
In 2000, "Dr. Thomas had the foresight to spend a week training for worst-case terrorist scenarios," said Thomas H. Auer, MD, chief executive officer of Bon Secours Medical Group, who presented the award Oct. 25.
As president of RAM, Thomas "was well-prepared to coordinate an area-wide physician response,” Auer noted. Thomas was appointed by then-Gov. Jim Gilmore to the Governor's Bioterrorism Task Force, where "her pragmatic, calm and well-coordinated response" helped Virginia become "one of the best prepared states in the nation," Auer said.
Thomas was also lauded for her work at RAM laying the foundation for Access Now, which delivers specialty medical care to thousands of Central Virginians who lack health insurance and the means to afford it.
"Those that know Carolyn believe she is just getting started," Auer said. Thomas serves on the board of the Virginia Health Quality Center and as a volunteer medical alumnus at VCU, where she screens medical school applicants for admission.
Governor McDonnell Lauds Access Now
Speaking to nearly 300 members of the Richmond Academy of Medicine, a dozen members of the Virginia General Assembly, and other state officials and guests, Gov. Bob McDonnell on Sept. 23, 2010 recognized the ongoing efforts of the more than 900 physician volunteers donating their specialty care services to the thousands of patients of Access Now.
RAM President Gigi deBlois, MD, presented McDonnell with a symbolic check for $7 million representing the total amount of donated free services from physicians and mid-level practitioners since Access Now began in 2008.
The check was signed by Carolyn E. Thomas, MD, Chair of the Access Now Board of Directors.
Dr. deBlois also gave McDonnell a monogrammed white coat, "so that you'll always be welcomed among us," and a surgical tray full of gifts. These included "a prescription pad so that you can write a prescription for healthcare reform the Virginia way," deBlois told a chuckling McDonnell, and a "tongue depressor to help you with those who are too vocal in their opposition to your plans."
Access Now and RAM in September issue of Richmond Magazine!
Access Now's volunteer physicians and staff, along with the Richmond Academy of Medicine, are highlighted in a feature article in the September issue of Richmond Magazine. In "Heave It Yank It Pull It Cut It Out," writer Bethany Emerson chronicles the work of Access Now volunteers Polly Stephens, MD, a surgeon at the Virginia Breast Center at Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center, and Elke Friedman, MD, an oncologist at the Virginia Cancer Institute.
 Dr. Stephens
 Dr. Friedman
Furthermore, artist and poet Theodora Anne Merry, who is treated for breast cancer, said "the Access Now staff was extremely patient in dealing with her invoices, " which stretched over a 17-month period.
Access Now's Patient Care Coordinator Jenée Johnson handled her case.
 Johnson
In a related article, Deborah Love, executive director of the Richmond Academy of Medicine, was interviewed about the mission of Access Now.
Click here to read the article.
WCVE/NPR Richmond Profiles Access Now
June 30, 2010
The program has received widespread publicity, from National Public Radio, which provided an in-depth interview with Program Manager Marilyn Nicol. The report by WCVE-Richmond’s special correspondent John Ogle noted the growing need for Access Now due to the recession, commenting, “Access Now serves most of Central Virginia and is hearing from more clinics every day.”
Lifesaver for the Uninsured Needs Community Support
MATTHEW SCOTT TIMES-DISPATCH GUEST COLUMNIST
Published: May 30, 2010
Near-universal health coverage may be the law of the land, but it'll be years before nearly all Americans can count on health insurance to cushion the economic devastation that so often accompanies the diagnosis of a serious illness.
Key provisions of the law won't take effect until 2014. In the meantime, disgruntled legislators and federal appellate courts could demand significant revisions. Yet even if the new mandates survive intact, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that in 2019 -- five years after the main components are implemented -- about 23 million Americans will still be uninsured because they can't afford coverage...
Health Care: Access Now
By Staff Reports
Published: May 13, 2010
Free clinics, community health centers, and public health agencies do great good in providing medical care to individuals without health insurance and the means to pay for treatment on their own. They cannot do everything, however. Enter Access Now.
Access Now provides specialized treatments that clinics and the like are not able to perform. The Richmond Academy of Medicine sponsors Access Now, which relies on physicians and other practitioners who volunteer their time and expertise...
Access Now arranges free health services in Richmond area
By Tammie Smith
July 24, 2009
A Richmond program that helps uninsured people get specialty medical care and surgeries has arranged for more than $2 million in free physician care since it began.
"We have, in a year and a half, returned $2.4 million in charity care to the community," said Deborah Love, executive director of the Richmond Academy of Medicine, which manages the Access Now program...
Uninsured in Area Have Access Now
By Patricia N. Reams, MD
January 28, 2009
Guest Columnist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch
In the Metro Richmond area, an estimated 57,000 low-income residents are uninsured. Most are members of the working poor, who live precariously despite regular employment. For these low-wage earners struggling to make ends meet, health insurance is a luxury that can’t compete with the more immediate concerns of food, shelter, and transportation...
Health Care Solutions: Access Now
The American health care system is confusing, complex, and expensive. Debates about fixing it are often heated and highly politicized.
So it’s exciting to hear about a program in Richmond that cuts through the controversy and costs to achieve real results for some of our region’s most vulnerable: low-income families and individuals who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to pay the high cost of health insurance...
Securing specialty care for uninsured patients / Access Now arranges free, donated services in Richmond area
By Tammie Smith
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Orthopedic surgeon Anthony Shaia has taken care of uninsured patients, but it has been a challenge at times to arrange other services the patient needed after surgery.
After hip surgery, for instance, a patient would need crutches and an elevated toilet seat. The patient might also need a hospital bed and home health care...
Access Now Doctors' Day Ad in the Richmond Times Dispatch
Sunday, March 30, 2008
In the Richmond area there are approximately 57,000 people who have no health insurance and no means to pay for it.
These working class families, young college graduates, and employed low-income adults do not qualify for Medicaid or Medicare. They need specialty services like Radiology, Gynecology, Gastroenterology, General Surgery, Cardiology, Oncology, Neurology, Ophthalmology – to name just a few. Often the only recourse available is an Emergency Department. That’s a far more costly venue than a doctor’s office. That’s one reason why the Richmond Academy of Medicine created a stand-alone network of volunteer specialists who donate their services. These volunteer doctors provide a compassionate alternative to expensive ER care. They enable our local clinics to offer access to more comprehensive services for their patients...
Doctor's Day: A Salute to Physicians' Good Works
By E. Claiborne Irby, MD
March 28, 2008
Guest Columnist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch
As a working orthopedist and president of the Richmond Academy of Medicine, I hear a lot about the frustrations of medical practice today: Byzantine insurance bureaucracies, ever-climbing patient volumes, stagnant government and insurance reimbursements, the constant threat of malpractice lawsuits.
But I’ve also got a panoramic perspective on the everyday triumphs of practicing medicine—the therapeutic relationships forged with patients and the satisfaction that comes from relieving suffering and improving lives...
|
