Supporting our Troops

This past Memorial Day Weekend, the Idaho Association of Free and Charitable Clinics Executive Director, Carly Erickson shared a column co-authored with our ISU intern Rachael Hayes in the Idaho Capital Sun on the importance of supporting behavioral health care for our service men and women when they return home to Idaho as beloved veterans.

"Our state has one of the highest rates of rural military populations, and it has a higher rate of VA reliance for health care than the national average"

May is Mental Health Month, and the topic is of personal importance to Erickson whose husband served in the United States Marine Corps, including multiple tours during the Iraq war. Link to full column HERE

"For veterans who are unable to access mental health services through the VA, safety net options such as the Idaho free and charitable clinics are crucial."

Idaho Capital Sun Image: Soldiers from Fort Lee, Virginia, help mark Veterans Day ceremonies at the World War II Memorial on Nov. 11, 2011, in Washington, D.C. Veterans Day in the United States honors those who have served in the nation’s military and also coincides with the anniversary of the conclusion of hostilities on the western front in World War I. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The Safety Net for Idaho's Safety Net

MARCH 2025 Newsletter

Updates from Idaho's Free and Charitable Clinics

The past few months have been busy for Idaho's Free and Charitable Clinics. We'll share a number of updates here but first we must share our ever constant gratitude for our volunteers, donors, partners and amazing fellow non-profits across the state and country. Thank you!

We also appeal to all of our friends to spread the word of the good work done by Idaho's Free and Charitable Clinics, and our ever growing need for volunteers, resources and funding.

This year please remember to support IAFCC through the Idaho Gives Campaign. Share our link and our posts throughout the campaign!

Click here for the full newsletter

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/The-Safety-Net-for-Idaho-s-Safety-Net.html?soid=1137732552871&aid=m-KPt343KBU

Healthcare, No Matter What Life Hands You

This fall, as families settle back into their routines, and we make plans to enjoy our favorite autumn traditions, many families are settling into a very different reality.

43% of Idahoans are working poor

ALICE*, a term the United Way coined as a way to discuss America's working poor, refers to Americans who are living above the poverty line, hardworking and employed, but still limited in assets and income to the point of compromising basic needs for their families.

The ALICE population in Idaho is at 43%, and it represents a large percentage of the patients served by Idaho Free and Charitable Clinics.

What is often misunderstood about free and charitable clinics is that most of our patients are employed and hardworking.

However, when choosing between food, housing, transportation, child care, basic household necessities, and healthcare, in a working poor household, something will be compromised.

So often, due to cost, those without insurance will end up compromising their health and Idaho's Free and Charitable Clinics are here to make sure that doesn't have to happen.

We aren't just providing healthcare, we are the reason people can keep their jobs, and afford to support their families.

*Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed