Clinic struggles to keep up with demand

August 03, 2008 11:27 pm

— By Wally Kennedy
wkennedy@joplinglobe.com
The downturn in the economy is taking a toll on the working uninsured, and it’s being felt at the Community Clinic of Joplin, 701 S. Joplin Ave.
Because of growing numbers of new patients each month, the clinic says it is in desperate need of volunteer doctors, nurse practitioners and nurses. It also needs clerical people who can help the clinic manage the intake of new patients.
Increasing food and gas prices, and the shortage of jobs with medical benefits is putting more and more people in a bind.
Patricia Moffet, of Fairview, is one of them.
“I was working for Scholastic in Neosho, and I found out that I was diabetic,” she said. “I ended up losing my job and losing my insurance, so I started coming here (to the clinic). I have no income. I get no help from welfare. My kids have been taking care of me for the past three years, and it has cost them everything they have worked hard for in order to take care of me.”
She said there are no jobs in Fairview, a Newton County community of about 200 people.
“So, you have to drive at least to Neosho for work, and when you have to drive back and forth with the gas prices the way they are, you can’t afford to live,” Moffet said.
Reno Richardson, of Joplin, said she is facing a similar situation.
“My son has just started his company, about a year ago, and he can’t afford to give us any health insurance,” Richardson said. “I work for him, but just one of the medications I take is almost $150 for 30 pills.
“Not having insurance has been a big impact on me. The Community Clinic is a good alternative.”
Becky Thomason, a registered nurse who serves as the clinic’s operations manager, said the clinic is facing a difficult period.
“We are continuing to provide services for the uninsured here in Joplin, but that population has significantly grown for us since January,” she said. “We are averaging 100 new patients every month.
“We see adult patients in our clinics for about 14 hours a week. A hundred new patients a month, well, that’s a lot of extra patients.”
Thomason said the general consensus is that the economy is creating a situation in which people are seeking alternative health care because they are uninsured.
“They can’t afford the doctor’s visit because of the high cost of gasoline and food,” she said. “That’s what they are telling us at the clinic. One patient told me they had only an X number of dollars, and ‘that’s what I need for gas to go to work.’”
A third of the new cases are referrals from Joplin’s hospitals.
“The hospitals will refer them to us if they care for patients with chronic illnesses on no insurance,” Thomason said. “Last month, we had 32 new referrals from both hospitals. But that’s not even all that they refer to us. Those are the ones that actually come to the clinic after being referred. We know a lot more are being referred by the hospitals, but they don’t come to the clinic.”
Thomason said the clinic has become the primary care provider for people with chronic diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes and asthma.
“But as our population of patients is increasing, our population of volunteers is decreasing,” she said. “We have been beating the streets going door to door to get doctors to help us. We have a handful of dedicated providers who come routinely. We are so appreciative and grateful to these people. We would not be here if it were not for those who do come. But we have got to have more doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners to serve the population growth.”
The clinic needs more than just doctors and nurses. It needs volunteer office personnel as well to handle things such as patient triage.
Thomason said the clinic in 2007 saw 540 new patients. Between Jan. 1 and June 30 of this year, the clinic saw 600 new patients.
“What we are seeing is a big increase in the working uninsured,” she said. “They can’t afford what is offered through their company, or their company is too small to offer it to their employers.
“We used to be able to get a patient in the week that they called, but now it takes longer to see a new patient. We are scheduling a month out now for new patients.”
Staff writer Dustin Shipman contributed to this report.


Volunteer opportunities

Want to volunteer at the Community Clinic of Joplin? Call 624-5500 and ask for Becky Thomason or Kathy Keepper.

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