By Andra Bryan Stefanoni

news@joplinglobe.com

PITTSBURG, Kan. — Students, physicians and patients have trouble deciding who the service benefits most, but they agree on one thing: The Free Clinic, thought to be the only one of its kind, has become an integral part of the community and one they’re not prepared to let end.

The clinic is managed and operated by the Pittsburg State University Pre-Med Club, and a roster of volunteer physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants. It offers treatment of chronic and seasonal illnesses to a population that has no access to health care.

Operating costs run $4,000 to $5,000 per year, said senior Emily Walters, who — with senior John-Michael Watson — is co-director of the clinic.

“This is a powerful experience for everyone involved,” Walters said. “To keep our doors open, we apply for grants left and right. We are always on the lookout, but with the economic downturn, it’s hard to get them.”

Toward that end, club members manned a booth Saturday and Sunday at Meadowbrook Mall, offering free health screenings including those for blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol. The club hoped to generate awareness for the Free Clinic and drum up some donations from those who were screened.

Making a difference

The club’s juniors and seniors have operated the Free Clinic at Wesley House, 411 E. 12th St., since 1997.

Each Tuesday afternoon, they see 10 to 15 patients for treatment of chronic and seasonal illnesses. From start to finish, the students oversee all facets of the operation, including patient assessment and finding funding for the clinic. It is thought to be the only undergraduate-run free clinic in the nation.

“When the patients arrive at 4 p.m., our students do initial intake and get family histories, past medical histories, chief complaints, how long they’ve had it, and take vital signs,” Watson said.

Physicians arrive at 5 p.m., and students present each case to them. Physicians then conduct exams and make diagnoses, writing prescriptions as necessary. Students are responsible for writing up all charts and lab work.

“We also maintain the inventory of supplies, ordering meds, the budget, everything,” Watson said.

The chief complaints typically stem from chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension to seasonal illnesses such as flu, allergies and sinus infections.

What the students learn goes beyond the proper way to take blood pressure, Walters said. The students learn that sociology is a vital component of medicine.

“It’s a good way for students to learn compassion, and to learn that if you’re not comfortable with the human element, now is the time to find out before med school,” she said.

“Many patients who come in are living well below the poverty line and don’t have insurance. Even to get to the clinic to get health care, there are a lot of barriers they have to overcome. Transportation. Maybe they’re working and can’t afford to take time off. Maybe they’re grandparents who are primary caretakers of their grandchildren and can’t find child care.”

One patient comes in regularly with chronic conditions, Walters said. That patient was laid off in the past couple of years, lost her insurance and income, and now lives in greatly reduced circumstances.

“She has a chronic condition that needs to be managed, and the Free Clinic is her only source of care,” Walters said. “What’s maybe most important to her is that when she comes in, she just wants to be acknowledged as a person, that someone listens. Five years ago, she was an upstanding member of the community, owned her own home, and all of a sudden no one sees her that way anymore.”

In the beginning

The clinic was the brainchild of Dr. Kathleen Sandess, who saw a need for helping people through financial hardships or periods of having no insurance. She realized a real resource in the PSU pre-med students who were looking for experience, and she approached the biology department.

“Now we are able to have an experience you typically wouldn’t get until your third or fourth year of med school,” Watson said.

Along with Sandess, PSU Student Health Center Director Donald Holsinger, and Drs. David Huerter, Boban Mathew, John Taylor and Ron Seglie have long volunteered their time and expertise on a rotating schedule.

Kaye Quick, a nurse practitioner, and Vicki Webber, a physician assistant, recently joined the clinic’s volunteer roster.

The students say the clinic would not be possible without the support of Mag Lab, 200 E. Centennial St., which processes lab work at no charge, and The Medicine Shoppe, 2409 N. Broadway, which offers a $3 co-pay for medicine not in the clinic’s usual inventory.





Looking ahead



Club members are hoping that a sense of community involvement soon translates into private donations to keep the clinic afloat.

John-Michael Watson, who is minoring in business, has been crunching numbers in an attempt to figure out ways to boost the clinic’s budget.

“Any clinical experience we can get before entering medical school is going to be an asset,” Watson said. “At the same time, the clinic is a valuable asset to the community.”

Meanwhile, Emily Walters has a dream.

“Our dream is that we would have enough of an endowment through private donations that we could live off of the interest,” she said.