Iron River, Wisconsin—NorthLakes Community Clinic (NLCC) received $50,000 in emergency grant funding from the medical aid organization Direct Relief, in partnership with the National Association of Community Health Centers.
NLCC was among 518 federally qualified health centers to receive funding this week through Direct Relief’s $25 million Covid-19 Fund for Community Health, which recognizes the profound effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the finances, services, staff, and patients of community health centers.
The funds will primarily be used to purchase personal protective equipment to ensure patients and staff remain safe as NLCC slowly expands in-clinic services throughout northern Wisconsin.
“Access to primary care is what keeps people healthy and out of the hospital, and the frontline work of NorthLakes Community Clinic and other nonprofit community health centers across the U.S. is more critical than ever with the onset of Covid-19,” said Direct Relief President and CEO Thomas Tighe. “Direct Relief is doing everything possible to bolster the work and support the staffs at the safety-net health facilities on which so many patients and their families rely for excellent care and trust for advice in this public health emergency.”
Nearly 30 million (1 in 12) of the country’s most vulnerable residents — including 1 in 3 individuals living in poverty, 1 in 5 Medicaid beneficiaries, and 1 in 9 children — rely on federally qualified health centers like NorthLakes Community Clinic for their health care. That number is expected to rise as more people lose employer-sponsored insurance.
“We are grateful for this critical and immediate support as Community Health Centers work hard to keep communities safe during an unprecedented pandemic,” said Tom Van Coverden, President & CEO of the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC). “We are also deeply appreciative of our longstanding partnership with Direct Relief in these uncertain times and their efforts to ensure that health centers confronting multiple challenges in underserved communities have the resources when and where they need them. We know that many donors and contributors have helped to make this fund possible, and we further extend our appreciation to all of them.”
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About NorthLakes Community Clinic
NorthLakes Community Clinic is a regional Community Health Center, with clinic locations in Ashland, Birchwood, Hayward, Hurley, Iron River, Lakewood, Minong, Oconto, Park Falls, Turtle Lake, Washburn and White Lake. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization managed by a patient majority board of directors. Services we offer include: medical, chiropractic, dental, behavioral health counseling including substance use disorder and recovery services, optometry, psychiatric services, pediatric speech and occupational therapy, physical therapy and prescriptions for patients.
NorthLakes Community Clinic provides care to individuals with Medicaid and Medicare, those without insurance, and also those with private health insurance. We also provide a Sliding Fee Scale available for patients who qualify. For more information, please visit: nlccwi.org.
