Drug Development Company Sponsors NAFC Free Health Clinic in New Orleans

Covance successfully reached more than 800 uninsured and underinsured patients in the New Orleans area through a free health clinic held in partnership with the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) on July 3. More than 800 volunteers — including 35 Covance employees from across the United States — participated in the NAFC’s C.A.R.E. (Communities Are Responding Everyday) Clinic, sponsored by the Covance Charitable Foundation to provide patients in New Orleans with free medical care.

“Covance is committed to improving the lives of patients, both through our mission of developing and delivering new therapies as well as our charitable efforts. We came to New Orleans to serve those most in need of quality medical services in the local and surrounding communities,” said Lisa Uthgenannt, Corporate Vice President, Human Resources at Covance. “The Covance Charitable Foundation has made a significant and incredibly worthwhile investment in C.A.R.E. clinics. We look forward to our continued partnership with the NAFC at similar clinics in the future.”

Patients travelled from as far as Texas and Mississippi to attend the clinic, where they received medical examinations and, when necessary, additional tests and services, including electrocardiograms (EKGs), cholesterol blood tests, glucose tests for diabetes, muscular-skeletal exams, urinalyses, hemoglobin tests, pregnancy tests, strep tests, kidney disease tests, medical education and mental health counselling. Patients needing continued or follow-up care also received referrals to nearly 50 free clinics in the area.

“Almost 21% of the people in Louisiana — about 938,000 people — are uninsured, many with significant illnesses. We have returned to New Orleans because it is one of the least healthy cities in the country, and we thank Covance for making a difference in this area,” said Nicole Lamoureux, Executive Director of the NAFC.  “With generous support from organisations like Covance, we are able to treat and educate hundreds of uninsured patients, many with chronic conditions, with dignity. Together, we’re building a healthy America — one patient at a time.”   

This is the second C.A.R.E. Clinic sponsored by the Covance Charitable Foundation in recent months. In October 2012, Covance partnered with the NAFC to serve more than 1,200 uninsured patients in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

 Covance Inc., +1 609 452 4082, melissa.thompson1@covance.com, www.covance.com.