Health insurance currently is hot on people's minds with the 2008 presidential election only months away. But health insurance is on Karon Jones' mind year round.

Jones is the executive director of the Free Clinic of Franklin County, a nonprofit organization that serves more than 1,000 uninsured Franklin County residents whose income is 175 percent of the federal poverty guidelines ($37,100 for a household of four).

From April 27 to May 3, Jones and directors of free clinics across the country will be speaking out on behalf of the country's 47 million uninsured during Cover the Uninsured Week.

"It's to raise awareness ... and also to build support in the community," she said. "If they don't know about us, they can't support us."

Many of the uninsured were factory employees who lost jobs due to closings, are disabled and waiting for Medicare to kick in or their employers don't offer health insurance and they are unable to afford it themselves, said Jones.

"There's a misconception that these are people that are lazy or don't want to work," she said. "But over 60 percent of our patients work either full- or part-time."

With the market in a lull, more of them are seeking medical assistance and prescriptions at the Free Clinic.

"We've seen a 36 percent increase in new patients over last year," she said. "What's happening is people are delaying their medical care until it becomes life-threatening."

The clinic tries to attract those patients to help decrease their number of emergency-room visits and increase their overall health. But to care for the patients, free clinics need financial support.

Currently, Free Clinic of Franklin County receives the largest donations from foundations and United Way, each providing 14 percent toward the clinic's annual budget. Ten percent comes from the community at large, a number Jones said she'd like to see increase.

To help free clinics provide for the uninsured, she said the community can do three things: spread the word, volunteer or make a donation.

For information about Free Clinic of Franklin County or to make a donation, call Karon Jones at 489-7500. For information about Bedford Christian Free Clinic or to make a donation, call Buddy McCraw at 586-2428. For information about Cover the Uninsured Week, visit covertheuninsured.org