MichaelMoore.com

Uninsured get free medical service

By Abe Martinez / KUAR

Saturday's free health clinic at the Statehouse Convention center in Little Rock treated more than 1,000 uninsured Arkansans with a variety of health problems.

The event drew national attention when liberal commentator Keith Olberman lent his support and Arkansas Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter appeared on Olberman's show last week to promote the clinic. But leaders of the National Association of Free Clinics that organized the event are adamant that their aim is to provide free health services, not influence health reform legislation or promote particular politicians.

NAFC Senior Director, Carrie Thompson says over 12-hundred volunteers participated in the Little Rock event and provided sometimes critical care for the uninsured who came. A final tally on the clinic showed that more than 90 percent of those who came had three or more life-threatening conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, cardio-vascular, and pulmonary disease.