Re: 'So many people ... fall through the cracks'

Wonderful article, jim. Thanks for posting it.

On Apr 29, 10:15 am, Jim Higgins <gordian...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
'So many people ... fall through the cracks'http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/04/23/heroes.stuart/index.html

PHOENIXVILLE, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- After 22 years in private practice
and seeing people "kicked around by the system," Dr. Lorna Stuart found
herself frustrated with the number of insurance companies and the rules
and restrictions that came with them.

"The day-to-day time that I spent on paperwork was increasing, while my
patients weren't getting the good care that I wanted to give them --
face-to-face time, one-on-one time," she recalls. "I vowed to do
whatever little I could about this inequity of care."

For Stuart, that vow came in the form of opening her own clinic and
treating the uninsured.

"Every single person knows somebody without health insurance," says
Stuart. "There are so many people that fall through the cracks."

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 47 million Americans
are currently without medical coverage. So Stuart set out to alleviate
that problem where she could -- in her old steel town of Phoenixville,
Pennsylvania.

She confided her desire to start a clinic in the Rev. Marie Swayze, her
friend whose parish property was home to a Victorian-style rectory that
had become dilapidated from disuse.

The two concocted a plan to restore and remodel the mansion into a place
that anyone would be happy to visit for quality medical care.

Then, leaving private practice, Stuart sold her house and set out to
raise $400,000 in donated funds, materials and services. In 2002, these
efforts resulted in "The Clinic: Medical Center for the Uninsured," a
charitable, sun-filled clinic that has since received more than 40,000
patient visits.

Individuals receive free or low-cost primary medical care across eight
specialties, regardless of income or locality. VideoWatch Stuart explain
how her healthcare dream came true »

"Since there's no need to spend a lot of time doing paperwork, we have
time to talk to the patient and really hear what they're saying," says
Stuart. "So the patients go away feeling they've been heard, that
they've been helped."

An arsenal of more than 100 local volunteers, including 20 retired and
practicing physicians, assist Stuart in providing expert medical
services to more than 800 patients per month from across the
southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware area.

She even invested in Spanish language audiotape lessons to better
communicate with her Spanish-speaking clients. Patients are informed
that each visit costs about $60, but they are only expected to
contribute what they can toward their care. VideoWatch Stuart explain
the benefits of visiting "The Clinic" »

"Many patients pay as little as a dollar or even 50 cents for the same
dignified care that patients contributing in full receive," says Mary
Ellen Smith, The Clinic's medical resource coordinator.

Patient contributions account for 20 percent of The Clinic's $900,000
annual operating budget. The rest comes exclusively from private grants
and donations. If The Clinic accepted money made available through
government aid programs, they would be significantly restricted in terms
of whom they would be allowed to treat, and how.

For Stuart, giving good old-fashioned care again has restored her sense
of fulfillment. VideoWatch Stuart explain how her clinic provides care
to the uninsured »

"Each day, I get to treat the patients whom our medical system has
forgotten, without the hassle of insurance paperwork," says Stuart. "Is
it any wonder I once again feel the real joy of practicing the craft
that I love?"

--
Civis Romanus Sum

.

Relevant Pages

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