Keith Olbermann worked his magic: Kansas City has biggest free health clinic yet

By GottaLaff

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I am so proud to say I was an early donor to this cause. I bet a lot of you contributed, too, because look at the result:

As you may know, a series of mass free health clinics are being held across the country to call attention to the number of uninsured Americans and the strain that their untreated illnesses put on the nation's health care system. [...]

A producer on MSNBC's "Countdown with Keith Olbermann," Rich Stockwell, suggested to his boss that he use his pulpit to raise money for more such clinics ... and to hold them in key states where Democratic senators were wavering on a public option in the upcoming legislation on health care reform. Just like that, $1.2 million was raised and a clinic was announced in the home state of Arkansas senator Blanche Lincoln. Then a second, in the state represented by Sen. Mary Landrieux.

We the people, and all that...

Well, on Wednesday's "Countdown" last week, the National Association of Free Clinics announced a third mass clinic for the uninsured, right here in Kansas City. It will be the first 2-day-long clinic (Dec. 9-10) and according to Nicole Lamoureux, executive director of the association, it is designed as "a national version" of the Houston and Little Rock clinics. So it's not aimed at Sen. Claire McCaskill per se, but rather to make "a huge statement" about the crisis of Americans postponing vital, relatively low-cost medical care because they don't have insurance.

Kansas City was chosen, Lamoureaux told Keith Olbermann, because it has a "robust" free health clinic network, unlike other parts of the country; and, of course, it helps that we are in the middle of the country.

See? We can get big things accomplished when we put our minds, and wallets, to it.