Williams Bay club alone donates $25,000 to county’s free clinic
The Lions Club of Williams Bay recently put forth a four-year President Pledge of $25,000 to support Open Arms Free Clinic in developing a vision program as part of its comprehensive care approach to caring for the low income and uninsured population of Walworth County.
Lions clubs worldwide have worked to fight blindness and provide vision care. According to a press release from the clinic, about 285 million people are visually impaired worldwide and age-related causes of visual impairment and blindness are increasing, as is blindness due to uncontrolled diabetes.
The press release said many of its patients are diabetic and do not have access to comprehensive vision services. The release said these patients are at a higher risk of diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, or glaucoma.
According to the National Institute of Health, diabetic retinopathy is the most common diabetic eye disease and is a leading cause of blindness in American adults. People in early stages of diabetic retinopathy can reduce their risk of blindness by 95 percent with timely treatment and appropriate follow-up care.
The release said the “tremendous gift” from the Lions Club of Williams Bay secured the equipment and supplies needed for eye exams to occur at the clinic in Elkhorn. With the volunteered assistance of doctors Mark Brower and Nicholas Veith, vision services started in October and scheduled patients will be seen once a month.
During this OAFC specialty clinic, the release said diabetic patients receive a comprehensive diabetic eye exam and medically necessary follow up care on a case-by-case basis.
“Understanding the need for vision care and being ready for this service expansion would not have been possible without the early and ongoing assistance from other partners including, Lions Club of Elkhorn and Lions Club of Big Foot, Dr. John Hall (Elkhorn) and Fluegge Optical (Burlington) who have been committed to the mission of improving vision for our local neighbors in need,” the release said.
A celebration of the clinic’s impact on the community will take place on Friday, Dec. 4, at the Abbey Resort in Fontana.
New patient registration is every Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
For questions or more information about the clinic, contact Sara Nichols, executive director, at info@openarmsfreeclinic.org, (262) 379-1401, ext. 200, or visit openarmsfreeclinic.org.
