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