Did You Know?

• Utilizing volunteers, the Western Stark Free Clinic provided over 3,275 patient visits in 2008.  According to the Ohio Association of Free Clinics, every dollar invested in free clinics brought in an average of $7.75 worth of care due to the use of volunteers and other cost-effective strategies.

The number of uninsured continues to grow in our community. It is not only the unemployed but those who are working and in some cases working two jobs that do not have healthcare benefits. Left untreated, many of these people will turn to the emergency rooms at various hospitals in the area. This has the effect of increasing the overall cost of health care for employers and individuals.

Imagine having a toothache causing excruciating pain but not being able to afford to go to a dentist! As an act of desperation, you start to pull your own teeth with a pair of pliers trying to eliminate the pain. You think that you have surely pulled the right tooth, but after the third tooth the pain does not subside. You finally decide to seek help but the waiting lists at other dental clinics in the county are longer than you can wait and the lowest cost you would be seen for was $20. Such an individual then turned to the free dental clinic at the WSFC and was seen immediately.

What if you had sleep apnea which prevented you from sleeping, impacted your ability to get and hold a job, therefore causing you to become homeless and increased your risk of stroke, thus threatening your life? Such a person came to Health Care-A-Van and was seen by a Clinic doctor. The treatment prescribed for this individual included a C-pap machine. Since this individual was homeless and unemployed, he could not afford the machine. In this case, the WSFC was able to negotiate a financial arrangement with a provider and procure a C-pap machine at a reduced cost, which the WSFC is paying for out of operating funds. As a result, this individual has a chance to put his life back together.

These are just two examples of why the Western Stark Free Clinic needs your support to remain a viable option for the low-income, uninsured in western Stark County.