Who We Are
Click here to download a printable PDF of the 2021 VFRC Annual Report.
Vermont’s Free and Referral Clinics (VFRC) and its nine member clinics play a unique and vital role in healthcare delivery and public health efforts in Vermont.
We serve patients across Vermont from Bennington to Burlington. In many cases, our patients would have nowhere else to turn, often arriving having delayed care due to lack of access and/or financial constraints.
We provide medical, dental, mental health services, as well as insurance enrollment and navigation, prescription assistance, referrals, and much more. VFRC also participates in Vermont’s efforts to reduce tobacco use and increase screening and treatment for cervical and breast cancer.
Impact – in 2021, VFRC clinics provided
- Care to 10,128 patients
- Conducted 8,198 medical and dental visits
- In addition to medical and dental care, clinics provided a wide range of consultations, case management, enrollment assistance and other support accessing services from personal care to childcare, totaling 33,340 instances of patient assistance
- The 9 clinics provided $2.5 million worth of free medications
- Over 2,000 COVID vaccines administered
The value of these services in avoided Emergency Room and hospitalization charges is an estimated $3.9 million.
OUR 9 MEMBER FREE CLINIC PROGRAMS INCLUDE
Bennington Free Clinic – Bennington, VT – Medical and Dental Services
Good Neighbor Health Clinic & Red Logan Dental Clinic – White River Junction, VT – Medical and Dental
Health Assistance Program at the University of Vermont Medical Center – Burlington, VT – Referral
Health Connections at Gifford – Randolph, VT – Referral
Open Door Clinic – Middlebury, VT – Medical and Dental
People’s Health & Wellness Clinic – Barre, VT – Medical and Dental
Rutland County Free Clinic – Rutland, VT – Medical and Dental
Valley Health Connections – Springfield, VT – Referral
Windsor Community Health Clinic at Mt. Ascutney Hospital – Windsor, VT – Referral
Thank you… for your kind work. You saved my life when I ran out of insulin, and I had no other way to get more.
The world can seem like a dark place during a pandemic; it’s people like you that brighten it up. Thank you for the shining care you provide our community!
“General consultations” encompass a wide range of clinical and social supports.
Formerly known as the Vermont Coalition of Clinics for the Uninsured (VCCU)
Vermont’s Free and Referral Clinics (VFRC) is an association of nine free clinic programs that provide access to medical and dental care on site or by referral, and enrollment assistance free of charge to Vermonters without adequate medical and dental insurance. The clinics are located throughout the state and are supported by the tremendous work of volunteers, community hospitals, local fundraising, and an annual grant from the state of Vermont.
Funding
There is never a charge or a fee for any of the services we provide. In addition to our Vermont Department of Health grant of $1,028,000, we leverage nearly $4 million of in-kind materials and services, $500,000 of which represents in-kind clinical care, provided by a team of volunteers. We also receive grant funding and support from towns, individuals, organizations, and donated materials, medications, space, and more.
To address the needs and challenges of Vermonters, we have built strong relationships with volunteers, community partners, and other healthcare providers over the last 25 years:
| Many Volunteers Provided Free Clinic Services in 2021 | |
|---|---|
| 76 MDs (medical) | 5 Dental Hygienists / Asst. |
| 5 MDs (psych) | 10 Mental Health Professionals |
| 18 DMDs (dentistry) | 36 Medical and Dental Students |
| 66 RNs | 25 Medical Interpreters |
| 28 Mid-levels (NP, MA, EMT, etc.) | 310 Other Volunteers |
| Organized and assisted by 32 paid staff | |