Free clinic responds to growing need for health care

No job, no money, no insurance.

The reasons people find themselves at the door of Shepherd’s Hand free clinic are recurring themes.

Some can’t afford the high cost of prescription medication. Others make a little too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford medical care. Many have been forced into poverty because they’re too sick or injured to work.

For all of these reasons, Shepherd’s Hand has expanded its programs over the past year to accommodate a need that’s increasing.

The free clinic, offered Monday evenings at Christ Lutheran Church in Whitefish, has seen a 30 percent increase in patient visits in the last 18 months, said Meg Erickson, executive director of Shepherd’s Hand. Since opening 16 years ago, the clinic — currently the only one of its kind in Montana — has averaged about 1,250 patient visits a year. But last year the clinic logged more than 1,700 patient visits.

“Every week we see mothers and fathers who have stopped taking their medication or take only half of what is prescribed in order to stretch it out,” Erickson said. “We see people with undiagnosed diabetes, heart disease and cancer. But mostly we see people who are discouraged and overwhelmed by their circumstances.”

Erickson and her husband, Jay Erickson, the clinic’s medical director, founded Shepherd’s Hand in 1995 as an outreach ministry of Christ Lutheran Church to provide access to health care for those without medical insurance.

A little over a year ago Shepherd’s Hand received its own 501(c) 3 status from the Internal Revenue Service, allowing it to operate as a separate nonprofit organization.

The clinic continues to be based at Christ Lutheran as a faith-based ministry, however, and recently expanded into space in the church previously used for a day-care program.

“We’re working hard to develop the infrastructure to sustain the clinic for the future,” Erickson said.

Shepherd’s Hand recently launched a permanent endowment fund with the goal of raising $1 million by 2015. Revenue from that fund eventually will provide for the organizational costs of the clinic, “so that our focus can remain on patient and community care,” she said.

The clinic also was recently deemed a federally recognized free clinic through the Free Clinic Federal Tort Claims Act, which provides an extra measure of malpractice insurance coverage for the clinic’s licensed professionals.

Another new element of the Shepherd’s Hand ministry is a community meal every Monday that’s open to everyone.

“It’s a place to come and feel connected,” Erickson said.

The free meal is served from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and is provided by rotating groups of volunteers from St. Charles, First Presbyterian and Christ Lutheran churches and the Knights of Columbus. Other groups, such as the Whitefish High School Honor Society, also take turns hosting the meal, making it a self-sustaining program.

The meal program was born out of the recognition that while people seek out the free clinic for medical care, they and other community residents also need “a place like this to tell their story,” she said.

In addition to the meal volunteers, another corps of more than 100 volunteers handle the clinic operation. Three physicians and/or nurse practitioners examine patients, and a pharmacist is on staff to fill out medication vouchers and offer education to patients.

Since the clinic began, it has provided vouchers for more than 160,000 prescriptions valued at $2.4 million. Five area pharmacies discount prescriptions, allowing the clinic to offer free medication for patients.

Free laboratory tests and radiology services are provided through a partnership with North Valley Hospital, with services also provided by Kalispell Regional Medical Service. To date more than 8,000 lab tests valued at $1.5 million have been done at North Valley Hospital for Shepherd’s Hand patients.

The clinic also refers patients to specialists who provide free care.

Volunteers “are the heart and soul” of Shepherd’s Hand, Erickson said.

The clinic recently kicked off a wellness initiative that teaches better nutrition and helps people quit smoking, among other things. A “10 Minute” Club lets patients waiting for their clinic appointment walk around the church and outdoor campus.

A diabetes education team is being developed to help patients manage the disease; eventually that prong of the wellness program will be opened to the public, Erickson said.

The clinic accepts donations of “gently used” tennis shoes for patients who may not have appropriate footwear for walking.

Patient sign-ups begin at 6 p.m. every Monday. To be eligible, patients must live at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, live in the north end of the Flathead and have no heath insurance or other assistance such as Medicaid or Medicare.

“Our role in the community is to provide a place to get care in a timely manner,” Erickson said.

Those who don’t have insurance or any way to pay for care tend to delay treatment, which can cause a range of complications. About two-thirds of Shepherd’s Hand patients consider the clinic their primary health-care provider, and of those patients, a majority of them have chronic illnesses.

“For over 16 years Shepherd’s Hand has brought people with different skill sets together,” Erickson noted. “From that have come solutions that are life-changing for people. For us it’s an expression of God’s love working through ordinary people.”

For more information about Shepherd’s Hand free clinic and community meals, go to www.shepherdshand.com; call 260-3502 or email info@shepherdshand.com.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com