Catherine McAuley MERCY Foundation awards $50,000 grant to ABCCM’s Medical Ministry Clinic and Pharmacy

Press release from Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry:

The Catherine McAuley MERCY Foundation recently awarded a $50,000 grant to ABCCM’s Medical Ministry clinic and pharmacy for their work with uninsured, low-income workers in Buncombe County. The ABCCM Medical Ministry provides urgent care, medication assistance, and crisis dentistry to nearly 4,000 Buncombe County adults aged 18-65, many of whom are working two or more jobs to make ends meet.

Founded in 1991, the ABCCM Medical Ministry is the only free clinic in Buncombe County. The clinic served 9,031 patients in 2021, and its two pharmacies filled more than 15,500 prescriptions. That amounts to about $2.5 million in medical and dental care, and about $3.3 million in prescriptions at no cost to the patients. Patients are Buncombe County residents with no private or public insurance and incomes below 200% of the Federal Poverty Threshold, about $28,000 annually.

The Catherine McAuley MERCY Foundation provides financial resources to support Mercy Urgent Care’s important work, as well as outreach support to centers such as ABCCM’s Medical Ministry.

Rachel Sossoman, CEO, Mercy Urgent Care, emphasized the need to address healthcare disparities in our community. “Mercy Urgent Care and the Catherine McAuley MERCY Foundation exist to bring excellent healthcare in the spirit of Mercy to all those who seek it,” she said. “That means looking for creative ways to bring healthcare to everyone in our community. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent needs and healthcare disparities in our own communities. This contribution is one of many ways Mercy seeks to eliminate healthcare disparities in the communities we serve.”

The Mercy Foundation helps to:

-purchase medical equipment;
-assist patients without the financial means to pay;  and
-send relief teams and supplies internationally to communities in need

ABCCM Executive Director Scott Rogers is grateful for the MERCY Foundation’s generosity. “ABCCM has partnered with Mercy Urgent Care for over 30 years,” he said. “We are honored to knit this relationship even closer as we jointly work to care for uninsured patients who need access to health care and medicine to be healthy, productive members in their families and our community. Mercy Urgent Care joins our Clinic in filling vital needs for medical care in our community. They join 300 churches, 525 volunteers and leading foundations that include Dogwood Health Trust, WNC Bridge Foundation, The Leon Levine Foundation, Sisters of Mercy of NC, plus a host of individuals who bring hope and healing to vulnerable adults.”

The ABCCM Medical Ministry needs donations of medical equipment, medical supplies, and cleaning supplies; as well as prescription medications and over the counter medications. Medical donations must meet the following criteria:

-Must be in a manufacturer’s sealed container or package
-Must not be past the expiration date on the packaging
-Must not be a controlled substance or chemotherapeutic agent
-Must not require refrigeration for storage

Medication donations should be dropped off at ABCCM Doctors’ Medical Clinic, 155 Livingston, Asheville, NC, 28801, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 9 am – 6 pm and Wednesday 9am – 1 pm.

Medical equipment donations should be clean, in working order, and have no missing parts. Items most needed in the community include: walkers, shower chairs and benches, bedside commodes, manual wheelchairs, and automatic blood pressure cuffs. NOTE: Large items (hospital beds, lifts, electric wheelchairs, etc.) cannot be stored at 155 Livingston Street.

For questions regarding donations, please contact the medical clinic at (828) 259-5339.