Clinic brings smiles to poor

PROVO — Patients at medical clinics often come in teary-eyed — but exit with a smile. While patients treated at the Volunteer Care Clinic certainly flash their fair share of smiles, clinic volunteers often see departing patients crying tears of happiness.

"I can picture one man in my mind right now. He just looked at (the medicine) he had, and he started to cry," said Dr. Wendall Gadd, the clinic's medical director. "He just cried, because this doesn't happen, an absolute miracle in my life."

That miracle is free health care for poor, uninsured and underinsured populations in Utah County, estimated at some 50,000 people. Those served are either not eligible for or do not have any government or private health insurance.

The clinic is the result of the collaboration and financial support of Utah County government, Intermountain Health Care, United Way, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other community members. Clinic board member Tim Layton, who works with the Spanish-speaking population in Utah County on behalf of the LDS Church, said there is a great need for the clinic in this community.

"There was no sufficient outlet to meet their needs," Layton said. "There is a federally funded clinic called Mountainlands, and they really take care of a lot of this population, but it would take sometimes months to get an appointment, because they were just really at capacity."

The clinic has been open two days a week for two hours each day since October and has seen more than 1,800 patients so far.

"Currently, we're seeing between 45 and 50 patients per night, so we're very busy," said Layton. "If someone is critically ill, they should go to the emergency room. But if they have an acute illness, and don't have anyplace else to go, that's why we're here."

The clinic is run entirely by about 65 volunteers, including physicians, administrative staff, nurses, pharmacists, translators and lab technicians. But Layton said due to the overwhelming need, the clinic is still short-handed.

"Right now, one of our greatest needs is to be able to have a broader base of volunteer physicians," he said. "A doctor can volunteer once a month, once a week, twice a week — whatever fits in their schedule. We really have a need for general practitioners, internists, emergency room physicians and pediatricians."

Gadd worked at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center's ER for 25 years and said while it can be a struggle to practice medicine at the clinic with limited resources, patients are very appreciative of the care they receive.