Resources for Living

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Resources for Living

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Here's a useful tool to help keep things organized.

http://www.cshcn.org/resources/CareNtbk.cfm

Here's an extensive list of valuable resources:

Mercy Medical Airlift Charitable Air Transportation is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing charitable air transportation for patients in need.

http://www.mercymedical.org/

MedicAlert provides identification and information for emergencies.

http://www.medicalert.org/home/Homegradient.aspx

Directory of Prescription Drug Patient Assistance Programs provides the contact information on pharmaceutical companies that provide prescription medicines free of charge to physicians (available in PDF).

http://www.nami.org/Content/ContentGroups/Helpline1/Prescription_Drug_Patient_Assistance_Programs.htm

RXList-The Internet Drug Index This site will help you research medications and link you to other helpful sites.

http://www.rxlist.com/

The Wheelchair Foundation is a nonprofit organization leading an international effort to create awareness of the needs and abilities of people with physical disabilities, to promote the joy of giving, create global friendship, and to deliver a wheelchair to every child, teen and adult in the world who needs one, but cannot afford one.

http://www.wheelchairfoundation.org/

National Organization of Social Security Claimant's Representative (NOSSCR) provides representation and advocacy on behalf of people who are applying for Social Security and Supplemental Security.

http://www.nosscr.org/

All 50 States and DC's Home Pages and Workers' Compensation Agencies This site lists sites for worker's compensation laws in all 50 states. Just click onto a state and you're in!

http://www.comp.state.nc.us/ncic/pages/all50.htm

Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is an international consulting service that provides information about job accommodations and employability of people with disabilities. JAN also provides information regarding the American with Disabilities Act and can link you to 250 other helpful Internet sites.

http://www.jan.wvu.edu/

Workers Comp RX is a pharmacy service for injured workers with open claims. It provides injured workers medications when they need them without any out-of-pocket costs.

http://workerscomprx.com/

The National Foundation for the Treatment of Pain provides support for people suffering from intractable pain, their families, friends, and the physicians who treat them. It is also a resource for medical professionals and attorneys concerned with legal issues regarding the legitimate treatment of pain.

http://www.paincare.org/

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Home Page (NINDS) has a listing of clinical trials for neuropathic pain and good information about RSD/CRPS.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pain Consortium coordinates activities and programs related to pain research.

http://painconsortium.nih.gov/

Pain.Com has a special "Ask the Doctor" section that contains frequently asked questions and answers about RSD's diagnosis, treatment, and management.

http://pain.com/

Pain and Sleep Apnea (ASAA). Most patients with sleep apnea do not know they have the disorder, but it should be ruled out before patients are given paid medications that can affect their respiratory drive or relax their muscles.

http://www.sleepapnea.org/info/practitioner/painandsleepapnea.html

Health Assistance Partnership provides help and resources in the areas of Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance, and for those who are unisured.

http://www.healthassistancepartnership.org/

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This interactive tool, provided by the Federal Government, helps answer your questions about health coverage and your rights and protections under the HIPAA.

http://www.cms.hhs.gov/HIPAAGenInfo/

NEADS (Dogs For Deaf and Disabled Americans), of Princeton, MA, is a non-profit organization established in 1976 to train and provide rescued dogs and donated puppies to assist people who are deaf or physically disabled.

http://www.neads.org/index.shtml

American Academy of Pain Management (AAPM) is the 'largest multidisciplinary pain society and largest physician-based pain society in the United States.' Individuals with RSD/CRPS can locate a pain-management center on this Internet site by entering their Zip Code.

http://www.aapainmanage.org/

American Pain Foundation is a patient information, education and advocacy organization, helping those who suffer from pain.

http://www.painfoundation.org/

American Pain Society (APS) APS is a 'multidisciplinary educational and scientific organization dedicated to serving people in pain.

http://www.ampainsoc.org/

FINDING A FREE CLINIC
by Christin Egelhardt

If you need to see a doctor but cannot afford one, a free or low-cost
clinic may be able to help you. Keep in mind that all free clinics have
eligibility rules for patients: typically free clinics see only
patients who have low income and who do not have insurance for the treatment
needed. Depending upon their eligibility rules, not all clinics will be
able to treat you. However, there may be some flexibility with the
eligibility rules, so even if you think you do not qualify, it may still
be worth calling the clinic to ask about your situation. Sometimes the
care at a free clinic is not completely free; there may be a small
charge, depending upon any income you have. In addition, free clinics are
not always able to provide care for complicated conditions like
RSD/CRPS, but they still may be of at least some assistance.

If you are searching for a free clinic near you, you may be able to
find one through your local phone books. You may also find a free clinic
through the Internet. You may need to try more than one website before
you find a clinic to help you as not all the websites have complete
lists. Several state and regional associations have their own websites:

• Arkansas Association of Charitable Clinics
http://www.aacclinics.org/
• Free Clinic Association of Pennsylvania
http://www.freeclinicpa.org/
• Free Clinics of the Great Lakes Region
(for Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin)
http://www.fcglr.org/directory/directory.htm
• Georgia Free Clinic Network http://www.gfcn.org/
• North Carolina
Association of Free Clinics http://www.ncfreeclinics.org/mc/page.do
• Ohio
Association of Free Clinics http://www.ohiofreeclinics.org/
• South
Carolina Free Medical Clinic Association http://www.scfmca.org/
• Vermont
Coalition of Clinics for the Uninsured http://www.vccu.net/
• Virginia
Association of Free Clinics http://www.vafreeclinics.org/

If your state does not have its own website, there are three other
websites which have information about free clinics across the country.

• The National Association of Free Clinics, a non-profit organization,
has a list of state and regional associations of free clinics on its
website
http://www.freeclinics.us/StateRegionalFreeClinicNews/tabid/72/Default.aspx.
Find your state or region’s association, and contact that organization
for a list of clinics near you.

• RxAssist (an information center created by Volunteers in Health Care
that helps people find out how to get medications) also has a list of
state and regional associations of free clinics on its website
http://www.rxassist.org/patients/res-free-clinics.cfm. Find your state
or region’s association, and contact that organization for a list of
clinics near you.

• Medkind Corporation (which produces software for clinics) has a list
of many free clinics on its website
http://www.medkind.com/Scripts/Modules/Module6/A1.idc?Code=1004&NewCode=3895369&Index=3336028.
Choose the state that you want, and then click “Search” to get a list
of clinics in that state.

You can also contact charities in your area (such as the Salvation Army
or Catholic Charities) to see if they offer any health care services.