Neighborhood Family Practice (NFP) is a non-profit community health center providing quality primary health care services to patients of all ages on the West Side of Cleveland, OH. We accept patients with Medicaid HMOs, commercial health insurance, Medicare, and offer a sliding fee scale for patients without health insurance. Our sites are located in Cleveland's Stockyards and Tremont neighborhoods.

• Our purpose is to get community members together and let the voice of the uninsured be heard loud, clear and collectively.
• Lack of health insurance is an issue that affects everyone.
• Every human being has the right to quality health care.
  

We Are the Uninsured was started as a group of patients at Neighborhood Family Practice Community Health Center in Cleveland, OH who do not have health insurance. It has grown to include uninsured individuals and their families from throughout the Cleveland area. With funding from the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, the group was created for patients and uninsured people to come together to correct public misperceptions of the uninsured as lazy or unemployed, and to bring the problems that uninsured individuals encounter to the attention of our elected leaders.

The group believes that the leaders who represent us in city, county, state, and national government represent many hardworking, motivated people and families who happen to be uninsured. In fact, working people make up the majority of the increasing number of uninsured individuals. The purpose of this group is to get community members together and let the voice of the uninsured be heard loud, clear and collectively. There is strength in numbers. The group is open to uninsured people, those with poor quality health insurance and those concerned about quality health care for their fellow community members. Members are considered to be anyone who attends meetings, participates in advocacy activities, is uninsured, and supports We Are the Uninsured's Platform.

The lack of health insurance is an issue that affects everyone in the community. People with quality health insurance are healthier because they have the freedom to see their doctor for well-checkups and other services that can prevent sickness or keep sickness or disease from becoming worse. Also, healthy community members lead to a healthy community where more people can contribute their best. Healthy parents can raise healthy children. Healthy children do better in school. Every human being has the right to quality health care.

We Are the Uninsured is sending messages to current legislators and candidates urging them to place on their agenda the issue of access to quality, affordable healthcare for all. Members of the group have written letters, held a legislative event, taken photos and created a photo exhibit, are collecting stories of the experiences of uninsured people, and are working on other plans to raise their voices, show their faces, and bust the myths.

Meetings are held on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month at 6pm at Neighborhood Family Practice 3569 Ridge Rd., next to Dave's Supermarket. All are welcome. Dinner is provided. Please join us to share your experiences, ideas and talents. Please RSVP so that we will be expecting you!

We Are The Uninsured's Mission is:
We Are the Uninsured is committed to bringing the voices of the uninsured together to educate the community, and the policy makers on the impact that being uninsured has on each person, and on our community in order to bring about change.

The group's vision is to develop a strong organization that will stand together as a force to seek a solution for access to quality health care from those we have entrusted to make policies that are in the best interest of the people.