NC Association of Free & Charitable Clinics awarded $135,000 grant to aid in Hurricane Matthew recovery at Eastern NC healthcare clinics

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Dec. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The North Carolina Association of Free & Charitable Clinics (NCAFCC) is pleased to announce it has received a $135,000 grant to provide financial assistance for disaster recovery to free and charitable healthcare clinics affected by Hurricane Matthew in Eastern North Carolina. The grant comes from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Hurricane Matthew hit the North Carolina coast in mid-October, resulting in the loss of life and causing more than $1.5 billion dollars in property damage. Free and charitable healthcare clinics near the coast lost electrical power for an extended period, suffering a loss of vaccines, insulin, diagnostic materials and other medical items needing refrigeration. Some clinics were unable to reopen until power was restored, leaving many uninsured patients without access to medical care.

The grant will help member clinics in Brunswick, Onslow, Pasquotank, Wake and Wayne counties replace medical equipment and enable some to purchase emergency power generators. "This gift is particularly meaningful because it was the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust that reached out to our Association offering help for our clinics – and ultimately their patients," said Randy Jordan, CEO of NCAFCC. "Our clinics are grateful to be able to return full-strength to serving uninsured patients across Eastern Carolina."

NCAFCC is a private, nonprofit organization that provides advocacy, research, communications, resource development, training and technical assistance on behalf of its 70 member clinics and the people they serve.  Member clinics provide life-changing access to quality healthcare and a voice for more than 77,000 uninsured patients in North Carolina.

The Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust was established in 1947 and is now one of the largest private trusts in North Carolina.  Its mission is to improve the quality of life and quality of health for the financially needy of North Carolina.  The Health Care Division promotes wellness statewide by investing in prevention and treatment.  The Poor and Needy Division of the Trust responds to basic life needs and invests in solutions that improve the quality of life and health for financially needy residents of Forsyth County.  Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. serves as sole trustee.

SOURCE North Carolina Association of Free & Charitable Clinics