Oskaloosa Free Clinic continues to make difference

OSKALOOSA — The young mother of three always puts her children before herself. She found a part-time job so she could make sure they had warm clothes and a few little extras. She cuts out coupons and finds bargains at the Goodwill. But without health insurance, she suffered for several weeks with severe stomach pain before deciding to go to the Oskaloosa Free Clinic.

It’s a good thing she did, because according to Dr. Matt Whitis, Volunteer Medical Director of the Oskaloosa Free Clinic, she had a serious kidney infection and was close to needing hospitalization. She was able to receive free prescriptions and when she came back the next week for a follow-up, she was on the road to recovery.

She can’t say enough nice things about the volunteer staff who assisted her. “They are truly angels and everyone there treated me great. I don’t know why I was reluctant to go there. I’m just very grateful we have the (free) clinic available in my town.”

Her story is not a unique one.

“We treat a lot of young people in their 20s who don’t receive health insurance through their jobs,” Dr. Whitis said. “Others, such as the woman in her 50s, was working full time until she was laid off. She started a new job, but she hasn’t been there long enough to receive insurance.”

The Oskaloosa Free Clinic is a resource for people without health insurance or other means of health care coverage. It is open every Tuesday, excluding holidays, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Patients are seen on a first come, first served basis and receive basic medical services for illness, minor injury and preventive care.

“Often, our patients have a variety of health issues that have been building up over time, so when they come in, it’s for three or four different things. We also help patients manage chronic diseases, such as diabetes, asthma and hypertension. By managing these diseases, we are heading off major illness and giving patients good direction on how to manage their health long-term.”

Providing services since 1994, the Oskaloosa Free Clinic was held in the basement of the Central United Methodist Church until its relocation to the Medical Specialty Center on Mahaska Health Partnership’s campus (on the north side of the campus) in June of 2009.

According to MHP CEO Jay Christensen, the Oskaloosa Free Clinic is part of the Free Clinics of Iowa network and not a department of Mahaska Health Partnership. MHP provides space to the clinic and radiology and laboratory services are provided at the cost of supplies only. 

“MHP absorbs all the labor costs in lab and X-ray to help the Oskaloosa Free Clinic patients get the services they need,” Christensen explained. “We are also able to improve access to patient education as well as other community resources designed to assist those in need. However, it’s truly the volunteer providers and staff working at the clinic every week, plus all the volunteer planning and organization done behind the scenes, which makes the service possible.”

Dr. Whitis said the hospital’s support made his job of recruiting additional providers much easier.

“The church was an excellent landlord for the Oskaloosa Free Clinic for 15 years, but the church basement is not designed to treat patients. We are now using an ideal clinic space designed to treat patients in privacy. We can offer our physicians and nurse practitioners the structure needed, as well as same day lab and X-ray, so that the time they donate is maximized to make the most impact,” he said.

The numbers tell the story best. In a three-month period (July through September) since the clinic moved to the MHP campus, 137 patients were seen; 85 were new patients and 52 were return patients. Of those, 95 were treated for acute conditions and 42 for chronic conditions, such as diabetes. Dr. Whitis said this is almost triple the number of patients that were normally seen at the church location.  

“Most clinic nights, we have two providers treating patients, but the demand for services is still sometimes higher than we can accommodate,” Dr. Whitis said. “Patient numbers are available starting at 3:30 p.m., based on the number of volunteer providers working; often they are all gone before the clinic starts at 6:30 p.m. When that happens, patients are turned away unless they have a pretty serious situation that needs to be immediately addressed.

“With the high demand for services, we have to limit the patients we treat to only those without insurance. It’s unfortunate, but we have had to turn people away if they have insurance coverage because they have other means to receive treatment. The Oskaloosa Free Clinic was established for those without any other means to receive health care services.”

Dr. Whitis said the Free Clinic also relies on the support of the local pharmacies, including Hy-Vee, Mahaska Drug and Wal-Mart, who provide many of the prescriptions written for $4 each.

“If the prescriptions are written from the formulary that has been pre-approved by the pharmacies, the patient gets the prescription for free and the Oskaloosa Free Clinic gets charged $4,” Dr. Whitis explained. “Yet without a doubt, our biggest expense is prescriptions. Since January to the end of September, the clinic has spent more than $6,000 on prescriptions, more than $1,000 for medical supplies.”

Oskaloosa Free Clinic Advisory Board President Carla Hicklin said that while there are many non-profit organizations worthy of financial support over the holiday season, she’s proud to tell people that 100 percent of every donation given to support the Oskaloosa Free Clinic goes to meet health care needs of local people without insurance.

“Our volunteer board looks closely at the Free Clinic expenses,” Hicklin said. “In the first six months of operating on MHP’s campus, the Oskaloosa Free Clinic received an estimated $10,000 in donated labor costs from physicians, nurses and clerical staff. Everyone involved in the Oskaloosa Free Clinic donates their time so that all funds given go to help patients in need. It’s truly a remarkable service and one that Mahaska County residents should be proud to support.”

If you are interested in contributing to the Oskaloosa Free Clinic, the donation will be tax deductible because the clinic is a 501(c)3 organization. “I can’t think of a better way to support this community than through donating to an organization that can provide necessary medical care when patients need it most,” Hicklin said.

For more information regarding donating or volunteering at the Oskaloosa Free Clinic, contact Oskaloosa Free Clinic Development Officer Cathy Stahl at (641) 672-3369 or you may mail donations directly to: Oskaloosa Free Clinic, 410 N. 12th St., Oskaloosa, IA 52577.

Text Only