By Denise Rhoades
Special to the Kansan
Being sick is hard enough, but when an illness is coupled with anxiety about a layoff or a lack of health insurance, physical symptoms can take a back seat to financial fears.
“Can I afford to get this checked out?” “Can I afford not to?”
A day turns into a week until the pain is impossible to ignore. Barring another option, an expensive emergency room visit becomes inevitable. But there is another option in Harvey County.
Health Ministries Clinic — at 209 S. Pine St. in Newton — extends comprehensive health-care services to the community, whether a patient has insurance or not.
Seventy percent of the clinic’s patients have no insurance. Ninety percent are below federal minimum income guidelines. Payment is made on a sliding scale based on income.
Increased health costs and rising unemployment rates have presented a challenge for the clinic to provide continued care as costs exceed the existing income stream.
The last time Harvey County approached today’s unemployment numbers — more than a decade ago — the spike corrected quickly.
In the last few years, demand for services have doubled, but financial support for the non-profit clinic has not been able to keep pace with the need.
“We hear patients say they don’t know what they’d do if we weren’t there,” said Dr. Lynne Fruechting, Health Ministries’ physician and medical director. “In the current recession, more people have lost their jobs and can no longer afford health insurance. Some without insurance will choose to continue to see their private practice provider, but for others, that is not possible.
“Health Ministries is able, through generous donations and grants, to provide care and tide people over until they can return to their physician,” he said. “For others, we have become their medical home. At Health Ministries, I feel I’m where God wants me to be. Everyone who works here understands that we are, first and foremost, a mission to provide care in the name of Jesus. Even when things get difficult and frustrating, there is great satisfaction in knowing you can help people in need.”
A professional team of providers includes a pediatrician, family practitioners and family medicine nurse practitioners. Health Ministries is the only federally-qualified health center look-alike in the state. This means it receives some reimbursement for Medicaid and Medicare, but not federal community health center grant funds. Since costs for treating the medically-underserved are typically higher than in a traditional setting, reimbursements fall significantly short of actual costs.
Patients with limited or irregular medical care often present with more chronic symptoms. Dominant risks include higher rates of cancers, diabetes, and cardiovascular, heart and respiratory disease as well as dental infections and depression. Without the benefit of a medical home (an established relationship with a physician) health care visits are more complex, time-intensive, and expensive.
Despite the challenges, Jerree Forbes, Ed.D., executive director for Health Ministries, recognizes the return on investment for the community, “When patients, who might otherwise be at risk, are placed on a path of healing, the community benefits. Parents can remain at work when their children have received the care they need to get well. Students can remain in school because they have been immunized and are in good health. We all benefit when we know our community has provided essential medical care for those who are hurting.”
A Patient Care Fund, specific to Health Ministries and supported by the community, helps bridge the gap between costs and income. Local government—city and county—has provided solid support. Federal and state funding, as well as support from collaborative partners provide other income streams. Newton Medical Center alone has given over $2 million through in-kind gifts such as X-rays and lab work.
Right now, the immediate need is for greater community support.
Those closest to the clinic are confident the support is there. Says Peggy Gerber, “I’d heard of Health Ministries, but I always thought it was only for people in poverty or for the uninsured. I hadn’t thought of myself in that way. The stress of being without medical assistance added to my stress of being out of work. I was literally worrying myself sick. I lost my insurance, when I was laid off from work last year. One of my medications was for diabetes. Not having money for prescriptions meant I took my medication sporadically. My symptoms were returning. Without Health Ministries’ help, I would have put it off until I was in really bad shape, possibly from a stroke or heart attack. They were there when I needed them. I’m working again. Even if I can obtain health insurance, Health Ministries will be my medical home.”
In 2009, the clinic delivered care for 2,803 patients in 7,948 visits, providing over $600,000 in medical care to the community. According to the Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved, for every $1 spent in community health centers, the community gains $10 in health services.
“When people donate to Health Ministries, they improve the quality of life in our community. If it were not for the generosity of others, I might not be healthy and working today,” offers Gerber.
Newly-acquired chief financial officer for Health Ministries, Holly Meyer, looks forward to building on the clinic’s many years of financial stewardship and selfless service. Says, Meyer, “The mission of Health Ministries, to promote and improve quality of life by providing a comprehensive array of health care services, is dependent upon the support we receive from local residents—people who know, firsthand, how vital Health Ministries is to their neighbors and what the clinic means to this community. The Patient Care Fund allows the clinic to provide more care for patients who have limited resources, but urgent needs.”
Individuals and organizations interested in investing in the clinic’s Patient Care Fund are invited to send their tax-deductible gifts to: Health Ministries, 209 South Pine, Newton, KS 67114.
