providing compassionate carefor 25 years25

1990-2015: A vision becomes reAlity

he T ExaminerSpring 2015

In 1989, Dr. Sam Beall and Father Ed Rankin attended a Rotary meeting, during which the concept of free clinics was a topic of conversation. Father Rankin asked Dr. Beall if Clark County had a free clinic and Dr. Beall replied “no”. At that time there were approximately 14,000 people in the community that had neither health insurance nor money to pay for health care.

In 1990, the Community Health Clinic (now known as Free Clinic of Southwest Washington) opened one evening a week for urgent medical care. One employee and ten volunteers cared for patients. In 2005, thanks to a generous community donor, a mobile dental clinic was established to serve primarily children and eventually adults needing oral health care. Based on the needs in the community, Free Clinic services continued to expand to include vision care, prescriptions, health screenings, sports physicals, short-term diabetes care and social service assistance. As patient visits increased at the Free Clinic, there was a growing need to provide specialty care for the uninsured. In 2009, Free Clinic physician volunteers reached out to specialists in the community. As a result, today there are over 290 specialists and three health systems that support the Free Clinic when specialty services are needed. In 2012, the dental program implemented a partnership with 20 dentists in the Clark County who volunteered to see uninsured Free Clinic patients in their offices. We recognize that the Affordable Care Act will not provide health insurance for everyone, and that insurance does not mean access to health care. Therefore, the Free Clinic will continue to be a vital provider in your community.

On the occasion of our 25th anniversary, we honor the individuals who had the vision and courage to launch the Free Clinic of Southwest Washington. We thank all of the staff who work so hard and are deeply committed to the Free Clinic’s mission. We recognize the service of hundreds of volunteers, without whom we would be unable to operate and provide critically needed services. We thank the Board of Directors for their strategic vision and dedication.We salute our growing circle of individual donors, businesses, foundations and organizations who continue to recognize the value of the Free Clinic’s work and will assist us to sustain our services for the uninsured and underinsured in our community. As we celebrate our legacy of free health care, we look forward to your partnership and continued support.

PAge 2 25 Years of Compassionate Care

Welcome, New Board Members

PAge 310 Years of Dental Care

5 Years of Coordinated Care

PAge 4Join the Sam Beall Society

The Free Clinic of Southwest Washington has achieved a remarkable milestone. This year, we mark our 25th anniversary as a leader in providing free health care for the uninsured in Clark County.

To provide and facilitate

access to free, compassionate, quality health

care for children and adults who are otherwise

unable to obtain such services

our mission

Mike Strickland, RPhPharmacist Mike Strickland has been a Free Clinic volunteer since its founding. In the early days, the Free Clinic dispensary operated off of a hospital cart. Conditions improved when the Clinic moved from the Clark County Health Department to what was Vancouver Memorial Hospital on Main Street, and the dispensary was established in a former broom closet. “There was barely room for

two people, and we shared the space with a lot of spare crutches and walkers,” Strickland says.

Strickland was working for High School Pharmacy when he learned about the Free Clinic. He was one of the first pharmacists to volunteer, and played a key role in ordering, developing and growing the dispensary’s formulary. His employer, Steve Oliva, helped supply the fledgling clinic with pharmaceuticals at a discounted rate.

Gene Sakai, DDSDr. Gene Sakai, with a straight face, will tell you he was once a Dental Do-Gooder. That is the name he and some colleagues called themselves, as they worked together to address the problem of scarce dental care for the uninsured in our community. Their efforts culminated in August of 2005, when an anonymous donation made it possible for the Free Clinic to purchase a dental van. The dental program was born, allowing the Free Clinic to offer free dental care, along with the existing urgent medical services.

The 31-foot Winnebago was equipped with two chairs and an X-ray machine. “The physical space was very limited,” Sakai recalls, “but we got used to it.”

Dr. Sakai had been running a private practice for years when he began volunteering in the dental van. He came to understand the unique issues faced by people in poverty. “I often wondered ‘why can’t people take better care of their teeth?’ But when people are hungry, or worried about where they will sleep, it’s hard to think about brushing their teeth,” he says. “And people in pain (especially head or neck pain) can’t think clearly. They can’t perform well in a job interview or do anything to their full potential.”

A benefit to the close quarters at the Free Clinic is the ease with which medical and dental providers are able to collaborate. “Oral health is connected to overall health, and vice versa,” Sakai says. He believes the quality of care is enhanced by the communication that exists between the disciplines.

After a decade of volunteering at the Free Clinic, Dr. Sakai has seen the number of children needing free care diminish, due to the state of Washington mandate that children be covered by Medicaid. But he has also seen more adults who do not have up-to-date knowledge about preventive care. In short, he believes the need for the Free Clinic will not go away. He would like to see more new dentists come to volunteer, and dreams of a brick-and-mortar component of the Free Clinic devoted to dental services.

Sakai echoes the Free Clinic’s vision of Compassionate Care – Always when he speaks of empathy being key in providing care to people in need. “Whatever skills we have, we can always be empathetic, and that can make other’s lives better.” The Dental Do-Gooder in him has not diminished.

Charitable Givingas part of your estate plan

offers tax benefits, and preserves economic security for you and

your loved ones. Your generosity could make a

difference for generations to come.Please consider the Free Clinic of

Southwest Washington whenplanning your estate.

Call us.360.313.1388

Would you prefer to save resources, and receive The Examiner electronically? Email toni@freeclinics.org, and put “E-Newsletter” in the subject line.

John Nusser, MD in his own wordsI began volunteering at the Free Clinic in 2003, when it was open just two nights a week for urgent care. Marcia Howery directed the clinic, and personified the spirit of the place. She was there when the clinic opened, and was relentlessly present even after a diagnosis of terminal cancer. Seeing the dedication to caring for the poor and the uninsured in Marcia and the volunteers was inspiring.

In 2004, I, and a small cadre of Free Clinic docs, started imagining free, coordinated specialty care for the people who needed more than urgent care. The Free Clinic board approved, and funding was secured from the M.J. Murdock Trust and the Meyer Memorial Trust. We recruited doctors to provide specialty care in their offices. By 2010, the program was stabilized. It became known as Project Access.

The program has grown over the years. In fiscal year 2013-14, staff coordinated 2,029 appointments and hospital services for 654 people. The value of these services was $2.9 million. By 2014, 266 of Clark County’s physicians were participating in the program. With the advent of the Affordable Care Act, patient numbers have decreased somewhat, but there are still many who don’t qualify for insurance, and desperately need our help.

Rosa exemplifies what coordinated specialty care can do, thanks to our remarkable physician and hospital volunteers. Only 48 years old, Rosa was referred to us after an abnormal pap smear. She was from Mexico, and not eligible for coverage. We sent her to the Vancouver Clinic who diagnosed uterine cancer, and then to Compass Oncology for treatment. After a hysterectomy at Peace Health Southwest Medical Center, she was completely cured. Rosa is incredibly thankful to be back at work and with her family.

The sense of community, joy, and caring that I felt volunteering that first night hasn’t changed a bit. Stories like Rosa’s are why I joyfully attend 7am board and committee meetings, and donate to the Free Clinic every year.

“It was the early 90’s. I saw lots of people come into the Free Clinic who had been my customers at work,” Strickland said. “They’d lost their insurance, mostly due to unemployment, and now they needed the Free Clinic.”

Over the last 25 years, Strickland has worked at least two shifts per month at the Free Clinic. He has seen it expand according to the needs of the community. “It used to be just doctors and a dispensary. Now it provides dental care and so many other services.” Citing the expansion to offer coordination of specialty care in the community, Strickland said, “The collaborative work that needs to be done is getting done.”

Collaboration is what makes the Free Clinic special, Strickland believes. It is a unique setting where the pharmacists can walk over to the doctor or provider who has written a prescription, and ask a question or perhaps suggest an alternative medication, based on what is in stock. Not only does this benefit the patients, but it creates a comradery among the volunteers, which enriches their experience.

Strickland’s regard for the other volunteers at the Free Clinic is not the only thing that keeps him coming back. “It’s the patients. There’s a whole different feeling here, than being at my regular job,” he said. “You can have the worst day, ever, at work, and then walk in the door here, and someone always says ‘thank you.’”

The Free Clinic of Southwest Washington is pleased to welcome Maria Ramzi to its

board of directors. Ramzi is a registered medical technologist with experience in multiple settings. She has been an

English-as-second-language teacher, and currently volunteers at the Free Clinic as a Spanish interpreter.

Also joining the Free Clinic Board is Paul Stednitz, VP Branch Services for Columbia

Credit Union. Stednitz came to the Vancouver area from Bend, Oregon, a little over a year ago. There, he served on another nonprofit board, where he was involved in planned giving and strategic planning.

Volunteers in 2014 worked 24,533 hours

at the Free Clinic!

“Your work is amazing and helpful. Thank you for helping others for free.”

- a Free Clinic Patient

2 3

25 yeArs of comPAssionAte cAre

mAriA rAmzi, PAul stednitz join the boArd of directors

five yeArs of coordinAted cAre ten yeArs of dentAl cAre

Mike Strickland, RPhPharmacist Mike Strickland has been a Free Clinic volunteer since its founding. In the early days, the Free Clinic dispensary operated off of a hospital cart. Conditions improved when the Clinic moved from the Clark County Health Department to what was Vancouver Memorial Hospital on Main Street, and the dispensary was established in a former broom closet. “There was barely room for

two people, and we shared the space with a lot of spare crutches and walkers,” Strickland says.

Strickland was working for High School Pharmacy when he learned about the Free Clinic. He was one of the first pharmacists to volunteer, and played a key role in ordering, developing and growing the dispensary’s formulary. His employer, Steve Oliva, helped supply the fledgling clinic with pharmaceuticals at a discounted rate.

Gene Sakai, DDSDr. Gene Sakai, with a straight face, will tell you he was once a Dental Do-Gooder. That is the name he and some colleagues called themselves, as they worked together to address the problem of scarce dental care for the uninsured in our community. Their efforts culminated in August of 2005, when an anonymous donation made it possible for the Free Clinic to purchase a dental van. The dental program was born, allowing the Free Clinic to offer free dental care, along with the existing urgent medical services.

The 31-foot Winnebago was equipped with two chairs and an X-ray machine. “The physical space was very limited,” Sakai recalls, “but we got used to it.”

Dr. Sakai had been running a private practice for years when he began volunteering in the dental van. He came to understand the unique issues faced by people in poverty. “I often wondered ‘why can’t people take better care of their teeth?’ But when people are hungry, or worried about where they will sleep, it’s hard to think about brushing their teeth,” he says. “And people in pain (especially head or neck pain) can’t think clearly. They can’t perform well in a job interview or do anything to their full potential.”

A benefit to the close quarters at the Free Clinic is the ease with which medical and dental providers are able to collaborate. “Oral health is connected to overall health, and vice versa,” Sakai says. He believes the quality of care is enhanced by the communication that exists between the disciplines.

After a decade of volunteering at the Free Clinic, Dr. Sakai has seen the number of children needing free care diminish, due to the state of Washington mandate that children be covered by Medicaid. But he has also seen more adults who do not have up-to-date knowledge about preventive care. In short, he believes the need for the Free Clinic will not go away. He would like to see more new dentists come to volunteer, and dreams of a brick-and-mortar component of the Free Clinic devoted to dental services.

Sakai echoes the Free Clinic’s vision of Compassionate Care – Always when he speaks of empathy being key in providing care to people in need. “Whatever skills we have, we can always be empathetic, and that can make other’s lives better.” The Dental Do-Gooder in him has not diminished.

Charitable Givingas part of your estate plan

offers tax benefits, and preserves economic security for you and

your loved ones. Your generosity could make a

difference for generations to come.Please consider the Free Clinic of

Southwest Washington whenplanning your estate.

Call us.360.313.1388

Would you prefer to save resources, and receive The Examiner electronically? Email toni@freeclinics.org, and put “E-Newsletter” in the subject line.

John Nusser, MD in his own wordsI began volunteering at the Free Clinic in 2003, when it was open just two nights a week for urgent care. Marcia Howery directed the clinic, and personified the spirit of the place. She was there when the clinic opened, and was relentlessly present even after a diagnosis of terminal cancer. Seeing the dedication to caring for the poor and the uninsured in Marcia and the volunteers was inspiring.

In 2004, I, and a small cadre of Free Clinic docs, started imagining free, coordinated specialty care for the people who needed more than urgent care. The Free Clinic board approved, and funding was secured from the M.J. Murdock Trust and the Meyer Memorial Trust. We recruited doctors to provide specialty care in their offices. By 2010, the program was stabilized. It became known as Project Access.

The program has grown over the years. In fiscal year 2013-14, staff coordinated 2,029 appointments and hospital services for 654 people. The value of these services was $2.9 million. By 2014, 266 of Clark County’s physicians were participating in the program. With the advent of the Affordable Care Act, patient numbers have decreased somewhat, but there are still many who don’t qualify for insurance, and desperately need our help.

Rosa exemplifies what coordinated specialty care can do, thanks to our remarkable physician and hospital volunteers. Only 48 years old, Rosa was referred to us after an abnormal pap smear. She was from Mexico, and not eligible for coverage. We sent her to the Vancouver Clinic who diagnosed uterine cancer, and then to Compass Oncology for treatment. After a hysterectomy at Peace Health Southwest Medical Center, she was completely cured. Rosa is incredibly thankful to be back at work and with her family.

The sense of community, joy, and caring that I felt volunteering that first night hasn’t changed a bit. Stories like Rosa’s are why I joyfully attend 7am board and committee meetings, and donate to the Free Clinic every year.

“It was the early 90’s. I saw lots of people come into the Free Clinic who had been my customers at work,” Strickland said. “They’d lost their insurance, mostly due to unemployment, and now they needed the Free Clinic.”

Over the last 25 years, Strickland has worked at least two shifts per month at the Free Clinic. He has seen it expand according to the needs of the community. “It used to be just doctors and a dispensary. Now it provides dental care and so many other services.” Citing the expansion to offer coordination of specialty care in the community, Strickland said, “The collaborative work that needs to be done is getting done.”

Collaboration is what makes the Free Clinic special, Strickland believes. It is a unique setting where the pharmacists can walk over to the doctor or provider who has written a prescription, and ask a question or perhaps suggest an alternative medication, based on what is in stock. Not only does this benefit the patients, but it creates a comradery among the volunteers, which enriches their experience.

Strickland’s regard for the other volunteers at the Free Clinic is not the only thing that keeps him coming back. “It’s the patients. There’s a whole different feeling here, than being at my regular job,” he said. “You can have the worst day, ever, at work, and then walk in the door here, and someone always says ‘thank you.’”

The Free Clinic of Southwest Washington is pleased to welcome Maria Ramzi to its

board of directors. Ramzi is a registered medical technologist with experience in multiple settings. She has been an

English-as-second-language teacher, and currently volunteers at the Free Clinic as a Spanish interpreter.

Also joining the Free Clinic Board is Paul Stednitz, VP Branch Services for Columbia

Credit Union. Stednitz came to the Vancouver area from Bend, Oregon, a little over a year ago. There, he served on another nonprofit board, where he was involved in planned giving and strategic planning.

Volunteers in 2014 worked 24,533 hours

at the Free Clinic!

“Your work is amazing and helpful. Thank you for helping others for free.”

- a Free Clinic Patient

2 3

25 yeArs of comPAssionAte cAre

mAriA rAmzi, PAul stednitz join the boArd of directors

five yeArs of coordinAted cAre ten yeArs of dentAl cAre

Board of DirectorsTodd Horenstein - PresidentSteve Mosier - Vice PresidentMichael Strickland, RPh - SecretaryBill Lockwood - TreasurerGerry Bader, MDLeAnne Bremer, JDSteve Ebert, MD

Jeff Fries, ODPeter Lubisich IV, DDSAlan Melnick, MD, MPHSusan NiemanJohn Nusser, MDMaria RamziTricia RoscoeMaryann SchwabPaul StednitzSr. Beth TaylorDawn TolottiSally Williams, MDSherri Wood

StaffBarbe West, Executive DirectorLuisa Appleman, Programs AssistantKarina Floyd, Care CoordinatorLacey Lorber, Care CoordinatorCarolyn Noack, Dental Program ManagerZac Sanders, Ancillary Services SupervisorFrances Sandoval, Medical Office/Vision Clinic CoordinatorSamantha Tracy, Volunteer ManagerToni Wise, Communications & Development ManagerVicky Van De Grift, Dental Van CoordinatorKim Wolfe, Medical Clinics & Project Access Supervisor

Join the Sam Beall Society

As a member of the Sam Beall Society,

any amount you choose will be withdrawn

automatically each month from your credit card or

bank account, and donated to

the Free Clinic. It’s easy!

Help sustain the vision of the Free Clinic’s founder.

Contact Toni Wise at 360.313.1388 or toni@freeclinics.org for information.

Your support helps keep our community healthy.

Donate online anytime at

freeclinics.org!

4

4100 Plomondon StVancouver, WA 98661Phone: (360) 313-1390Fax: (360) 313-1391www.freeclinics.orgMonday-Friday 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

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