Midvale clinic helps uninsured

MIDVALE — In an area only 900 square feet, three organizations are helping hundreds of uninsured residents across the state receive affordable health care.

The Midvale Family Health Clinic's new location at Midvale Middle School officially opened Feb. 15 with a dedication ceremony. It was a time for the three partners, Jordan School District, Midvale City and Intermountain Health Care to celebrate their success in working together to keep the independent clinic open.

The medical clinic provides health care to anyone in the state regardless of insurance coverage or ability to pay. Fees for services are based on the patient's income and family size.

To many in the community, including Midvale Mayor JoAnn Seghini, the opening of the new facility is a miracle. "Good health is a blessing; good health care is a wonderful bonus," Seghini noted during the dedication ceremony. "Our clinic is a miracle made possible by many hands and the greatest of hearts."

Early in 2001, Midvale's Healthy Community Task Force identified many problems in the community. It discovered that in Midvale many low-income people did not have medical insurance, few children where enrolled in the Children's Health Insurance Program and many children needed immunizations, Seghini said.

It also found the greatest health need in children was dental and the greatest need for adults was identification and education on diseases such as diabetes, Seghini added. In addition, emergency care at a local level was not available and many waited until an emergency to seek medical assistance, she said.

To combat these problems, the clinic opened in 2001 for children and families at the Midvale Boys and Girls Club but funding was cut and the clinic was relocated. In 2004 the clinic was struggling to keep its doors open. IHC provided a one-time donation of $500,000 in 2005, and Jordan School District offered part of the middle school's shop building as a rent-free site for the clinic.

Merrill Gappmayer, chairman of the IHC board, said IHC tries to find ways to provide quality health care opportunities for everyone and the clinic is just one of those ways.

"No one in our community should ever feel that they can't have access to high quality health care because of their inability to pay," Gappmayer said, adding that more than 2,700 people are expected to go through the clinic this year and more are expected next year. "Our partners believe the same way. It is not an easy task to take on, but we intend to keep it on and work toward that goal."