BC/EFA Annual Report 2004 - Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS

BROADWAY CARES/EQUITY FIGHTS AIDS
THE AL HIRSCHFELD FREE HEALTH CLINIC
In a situation similar to one that took place in 1987, when The Actors’ Fund created The AIDS Initiative in concert with the
establishment of funding support from Equity Fight AIDS, in 2003 The Actors’ Fund established The Al Hirschfeld Free Health
Clinic with an initial grant of $300,000 from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Dedicated to the memory of the famed Broadway caricaturist who died in January 2002 just short of his 100th birthday, The
Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic was initially located in three small offices on the 2nd floor of The Aurora, adjacent to The Colleen
Dewhurst Community Rooms.
In 2004, BC/EFA provided an outright grant of $325,000 to The Actors’ Fund for the operation of The Hirschfeld Clinic.
In June 2004, an additional one-time grant of $300,000 was made to The Fund to pay for The Clinic’s renovation and move to
the 4th floor of The Aurora Residence where it now occupies a suite of offices and examination rooms taking up half the entire floor.
This expansion enables Dr. Jim Spears and his staff to serve double the number of clients who otherwise would lack access to adequate
medical care.
The Hirschfeld Clinic was launched to address the very clear, immediate needs of members of the entertainment community
who are uninsured or underinsured. People who work in the entertainment industry have a high-uninsured rate. They work in
uncertain careers and may not make medical care a priority, ignoring symptoms, concealing diagnoses, and putting off treatment.
With the contributed services of a corps of physician volunteers under the fulltime direction of Dr. Spears and working in
collaboration with the Columbia University College of Physician and Surgeons, The Hirschfeld Clinic provides necessary medical
services and works to prevent illness and emergency room visits that result from neglecting health care.
The clinic provides primary and specialty care, health screenings, and patient education. Lab testing provided through the clinic
is free to uninsured patients. The clinic is open five days a week and has a physician on-call even when closed. Primary care includes
routine preventive medical care, ongoing management of medical problems, and urgent sick visits. A primary care doctor provides
specialty care following an evaluation. Then a referral is made to a specialist – whenever possible, to a volunteer specialist at the clinic.
Preventative care includes flu vaccinations, mammograms, prostate exams, breast examinations, tuberculosis and diabetes screening,
blood pressure and cholesterol testing, and vision screening.
At a series of annual health fairs offered in partnership with New York Presbyterian Hospital and Better Wellness and You
(BWAY), the clinic provides diagnostic screenings on a broader scope, including blood glucose levels, blood pressure measurements,
blood cholesterol levels, and mammograms to hundreds of health fair participants.
The Hirschfeld Clinic physicians are sensitive to these health issues and aware of the warning signs of neglect, malnutrition,
substance abuse, and mental health concerns. If needed, eligible patients are also referred to The Actors’ Fund social service
programs, through which they may receive individual counseling, referrals, and financial assistance toward living expenses. Many
individuals who receive social services and case management at The Actors’ Fund first made contact at an initial visit to The
Hirschfeld Clinic.
BC/EFA considers its support for The Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic to be an important new priority in the catalogue of services
offered by The Actors’ Fund.
In 2004, doctors at The Hirschfeld Clinic saw 951 patients, providing a total of 1,716 client visits in such areas as dermatology,
family and general medicine, infectious diseases, and internal medicine.
the actors’ fund of america
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