|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Partnering in Free Care Executive Director J.D. Ross (left in banner above) and Bonnie Petak (right in banner above), Second-Vice President for WGMC and Director of Cardiology and Neurology at PSJMC, work collaboratively to ensure the Clinic continually provides quality health care.
Twenty years ago, the Will-Grundy Medical Clinic (WGMC) in Joliet was born out of a need to address an increasing segment of the population that lacked access to healthcare. Recent figures at that time approximated 14,000 people in the two-county area had no access to health services. The Clinic, known today throughout the community as the Free Clinic, opened its doors with the goal of providing quality primary, diagnostic and therapeutic care at no cost to patients in need. Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center has been a significant supporter of the Free Clinic since its beginnings, providing funding, and volunteer hours from clinical staff, and contributing free services and leadership through service on WGMC's board of directors. "The Clinic has always been fortunate to have such a strong base of support to its mission of providing quality healthcare," explains J.D. Ross, Executive Director of the Clinic. In 2006, that support was clearly evident: volunteers donated over 17,000 hours, which included donated time from 33 physicians and 40 registered nurses, as well as 134 referral doctors who volunteer to accept Will-Grundy patients. Patients of the clinic received over $640,000 worth of prescription assistance and 1,545 diagnostic procedures valued at over $618,000. And Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center is central to this success. In fact, a number of the Clinic's volunteers are Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center employees or retirees. Additionally, during the 2005-2006 fiscal year, Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center accepted 36 Will-Grundy Medical Clinic patients for surgical procedures and related services, valued over $1.4 million. Over 558 related services, including pathology, radiology, diagnostic testing and treatments were also donated. Over the past 10 years, Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center has donated over $6.8 million worth of services and procedures. But perhaps the impact of this collaboration is best demonstrated by the stories of the Free Clinic. "For many, the Clinic is the first and last chance to receive the basic care that is needed to maintain their health and a quality of life that most of us take for granted," shares Ross. "A large number of our patients are hard-working individuals, supporting themselves and their families, but without access to health insurance or eligibility for medical entitlement programs." That was precisely the case of a female patient of the Clinic who was
recently diagnosed with breast cancer. A community college student balancing her
work as a waitress and caregiver, she was without health insurance, relying
instead on emergency rooms for her health needs. One such trip to the Provena
Saint Joseph Medical Center emergency department led to her diagnosis. Through
the "If it wasn't for everyone at the Clinic, I don't know what I would have done," she says. "Before I came here to the Clinic, I was thinking 'death.' Now I have plans and a life to live." "With the support of organizations like Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center, the Will-Grundy Medical Clinic is able to provide a high level of healthcare to the underserved and underprivileged in the community," sums up Bonnie Petak, Second Vice-President of the Will-Grundy Medical Clinic's Board of Directors, who also serves as Director of Cardiology and Neurology at Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center. "It shows that Provena focuses on the dignity of all people, by helping everyone access quality healthcare at the Free Clinic." View Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center's 2006 fact sheet (PDF). Read the entire Provena Health 2006 Community Benefit Annual
Report
. |
