Bill Text: VA HJR246 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Commending Arlington Free Clinic.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-06 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ246ER) [HJR246 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HJR246-Introduced.html
WHEREAS, Arlington Free Clinic, a volunteer-run clinic that provides high-quality health care to adult Arlingtonians living with a low income and without health insurance, celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2024; and
WHEREAS, founded by Dr. Joseph A. Backer and Dr. Stephen J. Sheehy, Arlington Free Clinic first provided medical services in space borrowed from an Arlington County Middle School in 1994; and
WHEREAS, over the past 30 years, Arlington Free Clinic has expanded into a comprehensive primary, specialty, dental, and behavioral health facility where the staff is supported by a team of medical and non-medical volunteers who now annually provide more than 11,680 hours of medical and care coordination services to 1,400 community members who lack access to care; and
WHEREAS, Arlington Free Clinic's mission has grown from the simple provision of medical care to providing care in conjunction with identifying and addressing the upstream factors contributing to patients' poor health, as well as advocating for enduring systems-level change; and
WHEREAS, to minimize health care costs for its patients, Arlington Free Clinic provides free comprehensive services, including primary and specialty medical care, dental care, mental health services, physical therapy, vision and hearing services, women's health services, pharmacy services, patient education programs, and patient support groups; and
WHEREAS, Arlington Free Clinic also works with community medical and non-medical partners to help patients access free laboratory and diagnostic services, treatment programs, and social services to address food, housing, and transportation needs essential to overall health; and
WHEREAS, the ability of Arlington Free Clinic to faithfully serve the Arlington community over the last three decades would not have been possible without the volunteers, donors, and community partners who dedicate their time, expertise, and funds to helping those in need; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Arlington Free Clinic on the occasion of its 30th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Lesley Daigle, chief executive officer of Arlington Free Clinic, as an expression of the General Assembly's respect and admiration for the clinic's commitment to providing quality health care to the Arlington community.
