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Free health clinics have long been places people turn to when they don't have health insurance or money to pay for care. But the health law’s expansion of coverage puts free clinics in uncharted territory. READ MORE...
What a wonderful 2 days in Clearwater, FL at the FAFC 2nd Annual Conference. Over 85 attendees from across the state shared their passion and commitment to Free Clinics. A terrific slate of speakers presented on various topics from ranging from Grants to Medication Access to Health IT.
Please take a few minutes to view the Conference Presentations - share the information with your colleagues and community members.
May we suggest you share the FAFC Annual Report with your local legislators and constituents - it is important they learn more about the work of Free Clinics, FAFC, and the communities we serve. The brief report is an excellent mailing piece to inform and provide feedback to supporters and stakeholders in your respective communities.
You can view the conference pictures in our Picture Gallery.
Respectfully yours,
Marisel Losa, MHSA
FAFC Founder
Mark R. Cruise, MDiv
Chair, FAFC Executive Committee
Day 2 of the FAFC 2nd Annual Conference started off with a presentation by Nicole Lamoureux, Executive Director of the National Association of Free Clinics. One of the most important takeaways from Nicole's presentation was to reach out to your local legislators (especially members of Congress) and get them to visit your Free Clinic. We at FAFC are working on a database of Free Clinics in Florida, which will be geo-tagged and list the congressional district (and name of legislators). We will open up access to this database to FAFC members in early 2012.
Nicole's wonderful presentation was followed by yet another great presentation by Mark Cruise, FAFC Executive Committee Chair and Principal, Free Clinic Solutions. Mark's presentation entitled "8 Major Trends that Will Impact Volunteer-Driven Donor-Supported Health Clinics in the Coming Decade" was packed with nuggets each one of us should read and re-read. One point Mark made so eloquently is that we need to get out of the "constant crisis" state of mind in our management of Free Clinics. The presentation will be posted on-line shortly. Mark has also graciously agreed to send you yet another presentation titled "Tips For Writing an Executive Fundraising Letter" that you will also find quite beneficial.
As requested by FAFC members who attended the break-out session "Building Your Volunteer Provider Workforce", we will be setting up a wiki (portal) to serve as a repository of good information from the Department of Health (DOH). Ashely J. Rivera our presenter at the session today will be working with FAFC to populate the wiki with appropriate and relevant information for our FAFC members. Stephanie Garris JD, Executive Director of Grace Medical Home has agreed to moderate the forum on the wiki. We certainly hope you will participate in the conversations on our wiki.
More to follow shortly..
Peace,
;)
Marisel Losa, MHSA
FAFC Founder
Day 2 of FAFC’s 2nd Annual Conference is underway. We welcomed Nicole Lamoureux Busby, Executive Director of the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, to the podium this morning to give an update on free clinics at the national level and what NAFCC is doing to support clinics. Thank you for coming to Florida, Nicole!!!
Breakout sessions are now taking place covering a variety of interesting, relevant, and timely topics. We have recruited some excellent speakers, inside and outside of the free clinic sector, to deliver these presentations. Thanks to each and every one of them!!
We’re looking forward to our luncheon presentation from Dr. Julie Darnell, America’s foremost researcher on the free clinic sector. Her talk is entitled, “Free Clinic Outcomes Evaluation 101.” With the enormous paradigm shift from access to quality taking place in our sector, her remarks couldn’t come at a better time.
All of the presentations at the conference that included power point slides will be posted on this website shortly following the conclusion of the conference.
Sincerely,
Mark R. Cruise
Chair, FAFC Executive Director
Friends,
By the time you read this, the final week of committee meetings will be happening - the only week in December, and we'll be headed towards a January l0 Session opening day. As of today there are about l000 pieces of legislation that have been filed including resolutions, repealers, and trust fund bills. In the 20ll Session there were 2432 pieces of legislation filed - we're not quite at Bill filing deadline but by all indications there won't be much done this year in terms of legislation other than the hand full of big ticket items "they" are choosing to do.
Reapportionment is at the top of the agenda - and it is an interesting issue since it's the only issue in Tallahassee where no lobbyists are involved. And it's personal. And it's paramount in the minds of legislators as it's their very survival as a legislator. We will have a large number of open Senate seats and to create the perfect storm for the Senate becoming "the House" we are losing every long standing Senator including friends to this industry. Names like Sen. Dennis Jones, the Dean of the Legislature, Sen. Mike Bennett, Sen. Mike Fasano, Sen. Paula Dockery, Sen. Larcenia Bullard, Sen. Nan Rich, Sen Evelyn Lynn, among others.
The budget will be one of those big ticket items. This past week, Speaker of the House Dean Cannon squelched the rumor mill that the budget would be done in Special Session in March and/or April. It was Senate President Mike Haridopolis who felt "extra time" might be needed to finish the budget, in addition to waiting for new revenue estimates released in the Spring to give them less cutting to perform. Speaker Cannon said the Legislature "can and should be able to finish the budget by the end of the regular legislative Session."
State economists are projecting a shortfall of $l.2 billion to $2 billion. Because Session begins in January as opposed to March due to reapportionment, lawmakers will miss out on updated estimates hey would normally get. But the Speaker doesn't anticipate the Spring estimates being drastically different from current projections, and said they would "simply need to have a special Session if there is any large shift in revenue projections." The January l0, 2012 Session is scheduled to end March 9, 2012.
Gambling - another high ticket item - I have personally never seen so much money spent on a single issue in Florida's immediate past over 30 years in my experience. Gambling will have it's day but don't expect it to pass or fail without a major battle and a lot of money flowing to campaign funds and lobbying expenditures.
PIP insurance - a month ago I would have suggested PIP wouldn't survive the Session. Now I believe it but they must get their hands around the fraud (Miami Dade being the epicenter of that fraud). With the Governor and the CFO leading this train - something will happen and PIP as we know it today will not survive this Session.
Also be mindful that this is an election year and the entire House and Senate run in new seats making it even more expensive to communicate to voters many of whom have never voted for those legislators.
We also have a Presidential election and a US Senate race, as well as all congressional members and local races of course.
We hope the New Year brings increased business to the members of the Florida Association of Free Clinics - Jose Diaz, Erica Chanti and Kristin Pickens wish you a happy and healthy New Year 2012.
Respectfully yours,
Robert M. Levy
Robert M. Levy & Associates
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