Access to vital care for Rhode Island’s most vulnerable communities will be the focus of the Rhode Island Free Clinic’s 2021 Founders’ Event being held virtually on Oct. 13. The event, which serves as a major fundraiser for the Clinic, will be hosted by NBC10 Health Reporter Barbara Morse and will include an awards ceremony and auction.

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) will be recognized with the Founders’ Award, which honors organizations for their commitment to healthcare access and ensuring vital care for vulnerable individuals in our state. Sybil Cineas, M.D., the associate director of the Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, will receive the Dr. Steven Brin Physician of the Year Award. She will be honored for her nearly two decades of volunteer commitment and exceptional care for patients at the Clinic. The award embodies and promotes the spirit of excellence of the late Dr. Steven Brin.

The 2021 Founders’ Event comes at a time when the Clinic has faced its most challenging year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Even though we are 18 months out from the start of the pandemic, our state’s most vulnerable communities – uninsured, underserved, majority Spanish speaking – continue to feel its impact,” said Marie Ghazal, DNP, RN, CEO of the RI Free Clinic. “Worsened socioeconomic conditions and greater financial insecurity persist and will far outlast the virus itself.”

Ghazal, who was recently inducted as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, noted that support for the free clinic is more important now than ever to support vulnerable communities. “We know that health impacts will linger – both symptoms from long-haul COVID-19 and the accumulated impact of disrupted routine medical care. The support we get through donations, volunteers and community partners is critical, allowing us provide vital care to uninsured, low-income Rhode Island adults,” Ghazal said.

In the past year, the Clinic saw a 218 percent increase in adults in need of vital care at the Clinic from the previous year, with the number of patients in need reaching more than 5,600. Care included more than 10,000 COVID-19 tests and vaccinations, and comprehensive medical home care, including primary care, dental, behavioral health, medicine and more. All proceeds from the virtual Founders’ Event will directly aid the Clinic in continuing to provide this care for those in dire need and helping Rhode Islanders achieve a better state of health.

Learn more by visiting www.rifreeclinic.org.