Point of Care, Enhancing Clinical Effectiveness Laboratory Comes to the Free Clinic

The Free Clinic of Franklin County at Bernard Healthcare Center, is one of three clinics nationwide, that recently received a Point of Care Laboratory supplied by Becton-Dickinson, a global medical technology company. The laboratory grant was awarded to the clinic through a competitive process put out by Heart to Heart International and the National Association of Free Clinics. The laboratory equipment, plus a year of testing supplies, is valued at over $40,000. In addition, expert staff from Heart to Heart International came to the clinic in June and spent two days training the clinic's employees, volunteers, and students in the proper use and maintenance of the new equipment.

Last fall, the Free Clinic's Executive Director submitted a proposal to Heart to Heart and NAFC explaining how an on-site laboratory would improve patient care at the Franklin County practice. The proposal made the first cut, and in March, representatives from Heart to Heart conducted a site visit to determine if there was adequate space and organizational support for the point of care laboratory at the Free Clinic. In April, the Point of Care, Enhancing Clinical Effectiveness laboratory was awarded to the Free Clinic of Franklin County along with two other NAFC clinics, one in North Carolina and one in Wyoming.

The laboratory equipment provided allows the clinic to do several in-house tests including - Influenza A and B, lipid profile, automated urinalysis, metabolic blood profile, and hemoglobin A1C. The availability of these lab tests on-site has enabled the clinic to provide test results to patients while they are still in the office and to make immediate adjustments to treatments and/or medications, rather than having to send patients to the hospital lab for a blood draw, waiting a day or two for results, and then trying to track down patients to make necessary adjustments. On average, the on-site lab has decreased the wait time for test results by more than 24 hours.

The Point of Care laboratory has definitely enhanced the clinical effectiveness of patient care at the Free Clinic. Clinicians are now able to use test results to adjust medications on the spot, preventing potentially life-threatening delays. Serious complications and unnecessary visits to the hospital emergency department have been minimized. Being able to do tests on-site rather than at the hospital lab also ensures that all patients will have the laboratory testing they need to properly monitor their chronic conditions.

The Free Clinic of Franklin County is extremely grateful to Becton-Dickinson, Heart to Heart International, and the National Association of Free Clinics for this opportunity to enhance and improve the care provided to patients.

What does poverty look like?

It's easy to assume that the dirty, disheveled man standing on the side of the road holding a sign reading, "Homeless, Please Help!" is poor. It's equally easy to assume that the well-groomed young man striding down the sidewalk in the spotless business suit, is successful and financially stable. But truthfully, we could be wrong on both counts. The man professing to be homeless could be a scammer, who actually makes thousands of dollars a year from handouts. The young man who appears to be a professional businessman could be pounding the pavement looking for work, having just spent his last dollar on a cup of coffee. Which begs the question, "What does poverty look like?" 

The faces of poverty are many and as varied as faces can be and it is impossible to identify how much anyone has in their wallet or bank account from the way they look, or dress, or behave. Some have spent their lives struggling to keep their heads above water, while others have only recently found themselves drowning in the quicksand of poverty due to an extended illness, injury, or job loss. But despite their differences, they have several things in common - fear, desperation, and enormous stress.

Have you ever been unable to pay your rent or mortgage? Have you ever had to worry about how you'd get enough money to feed your family their next meal? No? Then you are very, very lucky, because studies show that 4 out of 5 Americans have faced joblessness and poverty at some point during their lifetime. So if not you, then the majority of your neighbors and friends have fallen on hard times at least once in their lives. With those hard times inevitably come the fear, desperation, and the stress. If you've experienced it you know, first hand, how debilitating it can be.

Just try to imagine - You've been fired from your job due to an accident. Though you're recovering slowly, you're still not strong enough to look for another job, and now you have no health insurance, so you can't afford to get your medication or any follow up care for your injury. Your cupboards are bare and your bank account is overdrawn. What do you do? Where do you turn?

Every day we see patients, our friends and neighbors, who are in this untenable predicament - folks with serious health problems and medical conditions, but no insurance and few resources - folks who have nowhere else to turn for help. Thankfully we can offer them a good portion of the help they need - quality primary healthcare, health education, and prescription medications to treat their illness or injury and get them back on the road to recovery, along with referral to community organizations which may be able to help them out in other ways.

If you've never experienced the fear, desperation, and stress of being poor, then be thankful that your wallet has always been full, and show that gratitude by making a donation to help others who have not been as lucky as you. If you have fallen on hard times, but recovered, then make that donation to honor the ones who helped you when you were down and out.

Thanks to the generosity of the individuals, businesses, and organizations which invest in the Free Clinic of Franklin County, we are able to lift those who are struggling out of the poverty mire and ease some of their fear and stress. Thanks to you, our donors, we strive, daily, to give our patients health and hope.

From Registration to Recovery in 48 Hours - A Free Clinic Success Story

Have you ever had to have surgery? Do you remember how long it took for you to go from the initial diagnosis to the recovery room? Likely it was several weeks, if not a month or more. Because of our partnerships and flexibility, that is often not the case for our patients.

Thanks to our kind and dedicated donors, the Free Clinic is here to help our sick and hurting neighbors in the most caring, efficient, and cost-effective manner possible.

Here’s Dale’s story.

For some months, Dale had noticed that he had a lump on his side. It didn’t bother him much, so he ignored it, not wanting to take the time off from work to have it checked out. Dale worked for a small employer who didn’t provide him with health insurance or paid time off, so even when the lump got larger and became a bit painful, Dale still ignored it, not wanting to lose wages or spend money for health care that the family needed for essentials.

Eventually, the lump got so large and so painful that Dale couldn’t ignore it any longer. Figuring that he needed surgery, he went to the local hospital to talk to the finance office about potential payment options. The patient advocate assisted Dale and suggested that he go to the Free Clinic – to assess his overall health and to determine if surgery was needed.

Even though he didn’t have an appointment, Dale was seen immediately upon arrival at the Clinic. Since he had all of his financial documentation with him, we were able to complete his registration and send him down the hall to our Nurse Practitioner. After a thorough exam, she determined that surgery was needed, so she called a local surgeon to arrange an appointment for Dale.

The surgeon kindly agreed to see Dale that afternoon. Unfortunately, Dale was without transportation. His wife had left him at the clinic, while she went to get their children off the bus, and had not yet returned. So, our LPN took Dale to the surgeon’s office in her personal vehicle.

Forty-eight hours later, Dale’s surgery was complete and he was recovering comfortably, reassured that he would be able to return to work right away.

Because of your kindness and generosity, the Free Clinic makes a huge difference in the lives of many who have nowhere else to turn. Let’s celebrate our successes – together!

Rainy Day Blues

Do rainy days get you down, as the song suggests? If they do, you're not alone. Most of us would like to pull up the covers on a rainy, cold, gray day like today, and just hunker down in bed until the sun is shining brightly again. But instead of indulging that impulse, we drag ourselves out of our warm nest and set off through the rain and fog to our jobs. Why? Well, I can't speak for your motivation, but I can tell you what gets me and other Free Clinic staff members and volunteers moving, even on a wet, nasty day- and that is knowing our sick and hurting neighbors will be coming through our doors looking for help. Our patients need us - so we're here for them. And everyone's day is brighter for that sacrifice and commitment.

So what get's you out of bed on a soggy day?

Diane's Story

Diane is a hard-working, competent person who had always been able to take care of herself, up until she started having serious health problems. Then her life changed completely. Due to a progressively deteriorating health condition, Diane lost her job, her medical insurance, and ultimately her home. She moved to the Franklin County area because a friend offered her a place to stay. Without health insurance, Diane couldn't afford the care and medications she needed to treat her medical condition, but asking for help wasn't something that came easy to Diane. She had always managed on her own and had never had to ask for any assistance from others, but now she was forced to put her pride aside and make an appointment to register for care at the Free Clinic. Here she found a soft place to land - quality, comprehensive primary health care for her specific medical condition, the prescription medications she desperately needed, referral for testing and to see specialists when needed, and most of all - a caring touch and understanding ear. She was treated with the utmost kindness and respect and was given encouragement and assistance in seeking the disability benefits to which she is entitled.

Dear Friend of the Free Clinic at Bernard Healthcare Center:

Because of you, the uninsured working poor, who are suffering from chronic diseases and mental health conditions, have the check-ups and treatment they require to stay on the job.

Because of you, the disabled who live in poverty have a medical home which gives them the quality care and educational counseling they desperately need.

Because of you, local health care dollars are saved by navigating the uninsured out of the hospital emergency room and into care at the Free Clinic.

Your investment in the good work of the Free Clinic is essential to our operation.

We can continue to help the hurting only because of you. Show that you care. Make an investment in the Free Clinic today, so that we can keep serving the healthcare needs of the uninsured poor in Franklin County. We desperately need your help!

An investment of $500 each month supports salary for our Pharmacy Tech and Pharmacist or Nurse Practitioner.

An investment of $1,000 provides a year of blood pressure medication for 50 hypertensive patients.

An investment of $750 purchases a month’s supply of generic pharmaceuticals for over 100 patients.

An investment of $500 provides 7 diabetic patients with vision screening.

An investment of $100 provides medical supplies for annual screening for 10 women.

An investment of $75 supplies an exam room with gowns, drapes and other disposables for one month.

We will provide over $6 in healthcare and pharmacy services for every $1 you invest.

Because of you, the sick and hurting in this community receive the quality medical care and essential prescription medications they need. 

Go to our website: www.bernardhealthcare.com and click the DONATE NOW button.

We thank you and your sick and hurting neighbors thank you.