clinic2

Clinic

OPEN M operates the only free medical clinic in the city of Akron and serves all of Summit County.

OPEN M Free Clinic is a medical office that serves as the primary care home to a large number of Summit County
uninsured residents. Patients of the clinic receive basic medical and dental care. In addition, many specialists volunteer
at the clinic allowing patients to have specialized medical and ancillary care in one place. Our patients also receive
medication free of charge at the full-service pharmacy at OPEN M. Since our clinic is run strictly by volunteers we
are unable to offer "walk-in" appointments. Interested individuals must call the clinic first to verify
eligibility and then are placed on a waiting list.

The clinic opened its doors in 1995 and moved in 1999 to its current location inside the OPEN M Neighborhood Center.
Since its 2006 expansion (now 14,000 square-foot), the clinic has five general exam rooms, one dental room and one
optometry room. Extra space also includes a storage room, nurses' office, doctors' office and a retail-size pharmacy.
Specialties represented by OPEN M volunteer physicians include cardiology, pulmonology, endocrinology, pediatrics,
psychiatry, podiatry and others.

In 2008 we accommodated nearly 3,000 patients using the OPEN M Free Clinic as their primary care institution. As part of
medical visits 1,342 lab tests were performed by OPEN M volunteer nurses and medical assistants. The medical visits
and lab test for 2008 are valued $401,157. Moreover, the pharmacy filled 6,412 prescriptions (3,209 prescriptions filled in 2007)
valued at $1,052,644.

The children’s clinics provide immunizations which are added to a state-wide database called Impact SIIS, this database
can track immunization data across the state. This is beneficial due to the fact the, once the shot record goes home with
the family, it is sometimes lost or damaged. Consequently, when the child appears later at a health department, physician’
s office or clinic, there is no real way of verifying which shots have already been administered. These records can now be
accessed simply by logging onto the Ohio Department of Health’s vaccine registry.

Adequate facilities are important, but they are only a portion of the clinic picture. Without dedicated staff and volunteers,
help would not be able to reach those in need. The clinic is operated under the guidance of Roger B. Chaffee, MD, the
clinic's Medical Director, whose medical expertise is well documented in the community and whose humility is an
example for all.

With the number of uninsured rising, there is much work to be done to ensure that the OPEN M Free Clinic can continue to
provide care for the uninsured of Summit County. In addition to normal grant writing and fund raising activities, the clinic
staff continues to explore opportunities to improve patient care by creating and fostering relationships between the clinic
Pink Ribbon Project, Access to Care, Healthy Connections and other community health partners.

Clinic Staff: