Two of every five patients at U.S. free clinics are treated for heart disease, Stamford health and disaster relief agency AmeriCares says.
Free clinics also reported 50 percent of their patients have high blood pressure – much higher than national averages for the uninsured, AmeriCares says its free-clinic patient study shows.
Twenty percent of uninsured adults Americans have hypertension, AmeriCares said, citing the latest U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
AmeriCares says its findings should raise awareness about the prevalence of heart disease among free clinic patients during American Heart Month.
The online survey was sent to 318 free and charitable clinics that receive donated medicines and supplies from AmeriCares U.S. Medical Assistance Program to better inform its donations of prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
More than half of the clinics responded to the survey, representing 18 percent of all free clinics nationwide.
