RACINE, WI | MARK SCHAAF mark.schaaf@journaltimes.com | June 28, 2017
Original article can be found at: http://journaltimes.com/
With a little help from the city’s friends to the south, a new health clinic geared toward low-income residents has been launched in Racine.
The clinic comes in the form of a 39-foot mobile unit that will travel to Racine neighborhoods three days a week. The Kenosha Community Health Center-operated facility will provide services such as routine medical care, back-to-school physicals, medication management, flu shots and management of chronic illnesses.
The roving clinic comes in response to the 2015 closure of the Racine Community Health Center, which like the Kenosha center was a federally qualified health center aimed at low-income residents. As local officials scrambled to make up for the loss in services, they contacted the Kenosha Community Health Center for assistance.
“We had a dire need in this community for help,” Racine Mayor John Dickert said at a news conference at Knapp later Tuesday.
Dickert credited a host of local officials and advocates for working together on the clinic. Officials didn’t get everything they wanted — they would have loved a brick-and-mortar, federally qualified health center — but “the fact is we now can serve our people,” Dickert said.
“Anyone here who has been sick, and I mean really sick, you know nothing exists in your life when you’re sick,” he said. “It’s hard to go to work, it’s hard to function, it’s hard to take care of your kids. It’s hard to think about a bright future when you’re suffering.”
The Racine mobile unit, the Kenosha Community Health Center’s fourth health center, provides a low-cost alternative to emergency room visits. It has two exam rooms and is operated by various clinical staff.
A lifesaver
Mobile clinics can very well be the difference between life and death, one official said.
Raul Zambrano, now the chief medical officer for Aurora but who previously served patients on a mobile unit, told the story of a patient he called “Mr. J.” After Mr. J said he “wasn’t feeling good,” a routine check revealed extremely high blood pressure.
Mr. J was taken to a hospital, where it became clear that his kidneys had failed and he had to go on dialysis. But visiting the clinic that day likely saved his life, Zambrano said.
“I wanted to tell that story to remind you that this has a very real face,” Zambrano said.
In operation from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., the clinic will be at Knapp Elementary on Tuesdays; Gateway Technical College, 1001 Main St., on Wednesdays; and the John Bryant Community Center, 601 21st St., on Thursdays.The facility accepts most insurance coverage. Those without insurance are eligible for discounts based on income and family size. Appointments are preferred and can be made by calling 262-925-1325. Walk-ins are also welcome.
In addition to the Aurora grant, the Kenosha Community Health Center also received more than $23,000 from the state Public Service Commission to purchase telephones, wireless phone service, computers and connecting equipment and software.
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