Fulton County Clinic Assists Working Poor: Volunteers Provide No-Cost Health Care
By Julie M. Mckinnon, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio
Aug. 13–WAUSEON — Fulton County’s at least 1,000 uninsured adults are a small percentage of the roughly 45 million Americans without health coverage. But it’s a number that medical professionals volunteering for a new free clinic here think they can tackle.
It’s important for the county’s working poor who have chronic health problems, such as high blood pressure and diabetes requiring routine care and medications, but lack insurance to pay for it, some of the professionals said.
“It occurred to me that if each county did their part, or tried to do their part, we could whittle this down to be a manageable thing,” said Dr. Randall Bowman, medical director of the weekly clinic which opened last week in donated space at the Fulton County Health Center’s Medical Office Building.
Free clinics are sprouting up throughout northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan, where at least seven programs exist, including two in Toledo. Free Clinic of Fulton County is the area’s newest addition, but free clinics in Bryan and Hicksville, Ohio, started in recent months, too.
The oldest — at the Lenawee County Community Action Agency in Adrian — got its start in 1968 when union members donated materials and labor to build a clinic. The area’s other free clinics have opened in the last half-dozen years.
A couple of more free clinics are being considered for Defiance, including one aimed at the Hispanic population, and the trend is likely to continue as long as the country’s for-profit insurance system remains, said Mike Kelly, board chairman for Compassion Medical Clinic of Williams County in Bryan.
“First of all, we all know there’s a need,” said Mr. Kelly, who also is pastor of Grace Community Church in Bryan. “And it’s clear the government is not going to get it [reform] together quick enough.”
Clinics in the region have various setups, including some with their own pharmacies and counselors, and use different methods to determine eligibility. (Doctors donate pharmaceutical samples to the free clinic in Adrian, which dispenses $500,000 worth of medications annually.)
Compassion Medical in Bryan, for example, is a free-standing clinic in a renovated ice cream factory open five nights a month, while Toledo-Lucas County CareNet actually provides care through members, such as the Neighborhood Health Association, local hospitals, and the health department.
To get assistance at Free Clinic of Fulton County, residents have to be aged 18 to 64, have no private or public coverage, and have income of less than 150 percent of the federal poverty level, or less than $15,315 for an individual or $30,975 for a family of four.
Christian Health Ministries sees anyone who needs medical and financial help, said Deb Leffler, director of the twice-weekly clinic at 1630 Broadway in Toledo. “There may be people who have their insurance but can’t afford their co-pays,” she said.
In Hillsdale, residents who once had good insurance and jobs in the declining auto industry now are working service or part-time jobs without benefits, said Jill Pavka, director of the weekly St. Peter’s Free Clinic.
“Our county has been really hard-hit by the loss of jobs,” she said.
“We see a lot of the working poor, people who weren’t poor maybe five years ago.”
In Wauseon, many people without insurance have been going to the emergency room, a costly alternative that should be reserved for critical care, said Lisa Cheney, free clinic coordinator.
Fulton County’s free clinic has been in the preparation stages for more than a year, and volunteers in medical, legal, human resources, and other professions have been generous with their time, said Dr. Bowman, who has had an internal medicine practice for 20 years.
Patients will be directed to other community services that are available to them, such as for dentistry. Providing preventive care and education is another benefit of the free clinic, said Cindy Rose, director of nursing for the Fulton County Health Department.
The department, which has fielded calls from people needing assistance for years, is scheduling appointments for the clinic.
“I was just really glad when Dr. Bowman called one day and said, ‘Would you like to be involved with this?’” Ms. Rose said.
Contact Julie M. McKinnon at:jmckinnon@theblade.comor 419-724-6087.
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