Jim Rea, the Communications Coordinator with the Clinic With a Heart, was our speaker at Lincoln South Rotary Club on January 5, 2024.
Jim shared information about Clinic With A Heart which started in 2002 by Dr. Rob Rhodes after returning from a mission trip to Mexico. He wanted to find a way to provide the same types of free services right here at home.
Lincoln South Rotary Club is familiar with the Clinic With a Heart and we have provided support to them in the past through Rotary International Foundation District Grants and Lincoln South Rotary Club Foundation Grants. We have provided gift cards for prescriptions and also locking medicine cabinets.
The clinic provides medical services. Their volunteers are medical professionals. General medical services make up the majority of their appointments but they also provide podiatry and chiropractic services as well as mental health.
School physicals are a big part of what they do. He indicated that one recent evening they did 7 school physicals which are required for children to attend school. He said that the service is greatly needed by these families as they can cost as much as $100.
The Clinic has limited dental services as far as days available and services. They are only able to do exams, xrays and extractions at this time. Jim told a story of one lady who was in a great deal of pain and needed a tooth extraction. They scheduled the appointment for the next available time. Since they have limited times she had to wait. Unfortunately the pain was so bad that she used a pliers to remove her own tooth. That exposed her to infections and additional treatment was needed. He said they would hope to provide more consistent services so that this does not happen to another patient.
Even with our knowledge, we were surprised to hear some of the latest statistics from Jim. During 2023:
- - there were 3109 visits to the Clinic
- - they served 1846 patients
- - 83% of the patients had no insurance
- - 71% of the patients were not employed full time
- - 71% of the patients were not employed full time
- - 51% of the patients were unemployed
- - the household income was less than $16,000 for 63% of the patients (that is less than $1,340 per month)
- - 27% of the patients did not have housing
- - though they serve all ages, 84% of the patients were over the age of 18
- - language presents a challenge; though 61% of them speak English and 32% speak Spanish, but there were 24 other languages spoken by patients last year; they can ask for interpreters when making their appointment
He shared that they have a great partnership with Scheel's and The Running Company. Those companies provide new shoes so they have set up a "shoe store" at The Clinic. Jim shared that, after helping a recent patient - fitting her with new shoes - they wanted to throw away her old shoes. But she said she had a friend that needed them. She then got her friend to come in and get her own paid of new shoes.
They also have a store for personal care items. Often people will donate bags that include personal items such as a bar of soap, wash cloth, tooth brush and tooth paste, bandages - every day items that we take for granted. Any patient can go to that store and pick up a bag and enjoy the personal care that it provides.
Besides the services currently provided in The Clinic, they work with Matt Talbot Kitchen and Outreach to identify people who may be living on the street. Once a month they go out to find out what they may need.
Then Jim shared about a project that is in the works that includes The Clinic With A Heart.
Working with Hoppe Development and community partners, The Clinic will be part of an area between D and E along 13th Street. It is being called Center Terrace. The bottom floor will house The Clinic while the upper floors are for affordable housing. The project will be part of the South of Downtown Planned Unit Development approved by the City Council in 2021.
Click here to read the story in the Lincoln Journal Star.