Central Vermont’s only free healthcare clinic is launching a Holiday Fundraising Appeal to support the organization’s mission of delivering essential healthcare services to people who cannot afford healthcare.
The People’s Health & Wellness Clinic (PHWC), a 501c3 charity, hopes to raise $100,000 over the next two months to support their efforts to serve the uninsured and underinsured residents of Central Vermont who otherwise would not receive healthcare.
The organization is on track to serve more than 450 distinct patients in 2023, which includes more than 500 visits with a primary care doctor and nearly 250 visits with a dental hygienist.
PHWC has also helped more than 60 people sign up for health insurance plans.
“This was our first full year in our new location at 51 Church Street in Barre and our first year fully reopened for in-person visits since the start of the pandemic,” said Daniel Barlow, executive director at PHWC. “As you can see from our 2022 data, this was the clinic’s busiest year in recent memory and we expect to see our patient load increase again in 2023.”
Founded in 1994, PHWC’s mission is to deliver essential healthcare services to Vermonters without access to a doctor. The clinic employs a small staff, including a full-time Registered Nurse and a part-time Dental Hygienist. The clinic also has a roster of more than 40 volunteer doctors and nurses who meet with patients.
PHWC receives about one-third of its annual budget from the federal government, but fundraises the rest from individuals, businesses, and foundations.
“The annual Holiday Appeal is our biggest fundraiser of the year,” said Daniel Barlow, the Executive Director of PHWC. “We are so thankful for the support we receive from the community.
These donations keep our doors open and ensure that our patients right here in Central Vermont receive the care they need.”
In addition to seeing patients at the Barre clinic, PHWC also held monthly clinics this summer and fall at area hotels and motels where unhoused Vermonters are staying. The clinic also began tackling food insecurity in the community this year. In partnership with the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps. and Central Vermont Medical Center, the clinic distributed more than 100 bags of fresh farm vegetables to needy families since the summer.
Checks can be made out to “People’s Health & Wellness Clinic” and sent to PO Box 544, Barre, VT, 05641. Donations can also be made online at www.phwcvt.org/donate.