4 May 2005

Governor Sebelius tours JayDoc Free Clinic as part of Cover the Uninsured Week

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – As part of a week dedicated to expanding access to health care, Governor Kathleen Sebelius today travels to the JayDoc Free Clinic. There she’ll thank volunteers for their efforts to provide free health care to area residents.

“One out of every six local residents can’t afford health insurance. This makes it very difficult for them and their families to get health care. Simple things like seeing a doctor at the first sign of illness can head off more serious and more expensive health problems, but if you don’t have health insurance, going to the doctor often isn’t an option,” Governor Sebelius said.

“That’s why we must expand access to health care, and it’s why clinics like JayDoc are so important to the community. I want to thank the clinic workers for the service they provide, and to highlight the need to make health care more affordable here, and all across Kansas,” she continued.

During her visit, Governor Sebelius will tour the clinic and thank volunteers for their work. Her visit takes place during Cover the Uninsured Week, which is dedicated to expanding access to affordable health insurance for the more than 40 million Americans who lack health insurance.

In Kansas, nearly 300,000 people have no health insurance. Wichita has the highest rate of uninsured in the state – 16.8 percent – with the Kansas City, Kansas, area having the second highest rate at 16.4 percent.

Last November, Governor Sebelius traveled to the KU Medical Center to announce her plan to expand health insurance coverage for Kansas children and families. The cornerstone of this effort was an expansion of health insurance to 70,000 Kansas children and working families.

While the Legislature unfortunately did not act on that plan, it did pass the Governor’s initiatives to help small businesses provide health insurance to employees and to make the state’s health care programs more efficient, saving taxpayers money.

The KU Medical Center operates the JayDoc clinic and provides free primary care services and preventive education to the people of Wyandotte County. It also offers language interpretation and adolescent youth outreach.

Governor Sebelius is scheduled to visit the clinic at 5 p.m. today.