Staffed entirely by volunteers, Open Arms Free Clinic is Walworth County’s first
By John Koski
Staff Writer
The need was there. It had been there for some time. But on Dec. 6, when Open Arms Free Clinic welcomed it first patients, the need was dealt with in a significant way.
“Since we opened our doors,” said Dr. Robert Fasano, the clinic’s medical director, “I have seen patients who haven’t had any medical care or prescriptions for well over a year. When you see that and see how appreciative people are, that’s the greatest satisfaction you can get.”
The clinic is located at 797 E. Geneva St., Elkhorn, directly across the street from Elkhorn Area High School.
The clinic’s mission is to serve the health and wellness needs of the uninsured, low income and underinsured with compassion and understanding.
The free clinic is open to people who reside or work in Walworth County and who meet eligibility requirements.
“We have had times when one of our volunteers would come to us and break out in tears and say, ‘I can’t believe how needed we are,’” said Sara Nichols, office manager, who has a master’s degree in public health services.
“The medical needs of the underinsured and uninsured is the number one priority of the Walworth County Health Department and has been for years,” Nichols said. “So, this is the first time a group of community activists has actually done something to meet that need.”
“Since we opened,” Nichols said, “we have enrolled 75 people and will be able to see about 10 patients per day with one physician.
The clinic is open on Thursdays from 2-7 p.m. Eligibility screening is on Wednesdays from 2-7 p.m.
Coordination of care
The clinic also has an on-site pharmacy and laboratory. Having a pharmacy and laboratory services housed in the clinic is a benefit to staff and patients because transportation is an issue for many of the clinic’s patients.
Eliminating additional visits to the clinic to learn of test results or needing to go elsewhere to pick up a prescription benefits those with limited transportation.
“We call it coordination of care,” Nichols said. “We have a comprehensive, interdisciplinary team working together.”
“Having an in-house pharmacy enables me to sit down with patients and talk about the medications we are prescribing for them,” said Bill Clark, the clinic’s pharmacist.
“One of my roles,” Clark said, “is to review medications available through free pharmacy assistance programs and acquire medications at a low cost so we can have them available here. Having a limited budget, and because a lot of medications are expensive, we have to be resourceful in finding ways to acquire them.”
All-volunteer staff
The clinic is staffed entirely by volunteers and already has enlisted the services of about 25 volunteer nurses.
One of those nurses is Linda Kreft who is retired after a career at AuroraLakeland Hospital.
“It’s very gratifying being able to do this,” Kreft said. “There are patients who leave in tears because they are so happy we are here. It gives me a warm feeling when I go home at night.”
Sue Diderich is also a retired nurse from Aurora Lakeland Hospital. “There are so many people out of work who don’t have money for healthcare,” she said. “It makes me feel good to help them, and it enables me to continue using my nursing skills.”
Looking ahead
Although the clinic has been open just over month, it already is looking at how it can enhance its services.
“We’re working on collaborating with hospitals and their free programs,” Fasano said. “That will enable us to refer patients we see who need more service than we can provide.
“Eventually,” he continued, “we plan to bring some specialists into the clinic to treat them here instead of referring them to the respective health systems. We’re also coordinating bringing in psychology services.”
“There is also a great need for dental care,” said the Rev. Dan Sanders, the visionary and founder behind the clinic. “We can’t service that area yet, but hopefully we will be able to address that need as well.”
How to help
To date, the clinic has received about $133,000 in donations.
“People in the community definitely support this effort with their talents, gifts-in-kind and monetary donations,” said board member Judy Johnson.
There continues to be an ongoing need to purchase medical supplies, medications, office supplies, various types of equipment and more.
Monetary donations can be mailed to Open Arms Free Clinic, P.O. Box 560, Fontana, WI 53125.
Medical and non-medical volunteers are always needed, Nichols said. Volunteer opportunities include doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, lab technicians, pharmacy technicians, social workers, transportation drivers, Spanish-speaking assistants, database assistants and office assistants.
Volunteer applications can be viewed and downloaded at http://openarmsfreeclinic.org.
If you have questions about volunteering at Open Arms Free Clinic, contact Sara Nichols, office manager, at info@openarmsfreeclinic .org or call (262) 379-1401.
