Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic

The Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic[1] is a free clinic in Pontiac, Michigan, United States. It provides primary free medical health and dental services to individuals who are low income and uninsured. The Burnstein free clinic faces strong demand due to high unemployment in Michigan.[2]

Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic
Location
  • Pontiac, Michigan
Staff
5
Volunteers
120+
Websitehttp://www.garyburnsteinclinic.org/

History

In 1997, Dr. Gary Burnstein, a cardiologist, started caring for patients from a local shelter in Pontiac, Michigan. Dr. Burnstein died in September 2003. His family took up his goal of providing healthcare access to the uninsured and founded the Dr. Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic in October 2004.

90 West University building

Volunteers from the Kensington Community Church renovated a building into an operating medical clinic, dental clinic and pharmacy from January 2004 through October 2004. The clinic opened in October 2004. In 2005, a fire at the clinic forced the clinic to move temporarily to the Grace Centers of Hope church.

The clinic reopened in December 2005. The volunteer medical team sees about 150 to 200 patients and fills 300 to 400 prescriptions per month. The clinic has four examination rooms, a procedure room, two dental examination rooms with X-ray capabilities, and a pharmacy-laboratory.

45580 Woodward Avenue building

In 2013 the Robert S. Peterson Foundation purchased a new building for the clinic. After a little over a year of fundraising and design, construction began on the new building in October 2014 and the clinic moved into its new space in February 2015. The new building has seven medical exam rooms, two dental operating rooms, a dental hygiene room, a pharmacy, a room for panoramic dental X-rays, and an educational room.

Services

All of the following services are provided free to qualifying patients:

Patient requirements
  • Supply the clinic with most recent financial information
  • Supply the clinic with valid picture identification
  • Be a resident of the State of Michigan
  • Fall within the clinic's income guidelines (250% of the federal poverty level)
  • Be uninsured

Fund raising

The clinic receives no funding from the federal government and about 1% of annual budget comes from state government. The financial support of the clinic is based almost entirely on community donations, corporate and charitable grants, private donations, and public fund-raising events.

Events
  • Annual spring fundraiser
  • Esteemed Women of Michigan luncheon[3][4]
  • Annual Winter fundraiser

References
  1. Stolarz, Christina.(December 5, 2008) Detroit News. "Patients flood free health clinics"
  2. Czarnik, Eric (November 9, 2009). "Clinics face growing need". C & G Newspapers. Archived from the original on 12 May 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
  3. Esteemed Women of Michigan Luncheon. "Esteemed Women of Michigan Luncheon" Archived 2010-07-12 at the Wayback Machine
  4. WWJ AM. Esteemed Women of Michigan Luncheon

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