Well...decades ago that building housed St. Anthony's elementary school. However, these days it's home to the Duchesne Clinic... one of the jewels of Kansas City, Kansas.
Duchesne Clinic - 636 Tauromee Avenue
The folks at the Duchesne Clinic hosted an open house on Friday, August 10 and I had an opportunity to learn first hand about the wonderful work the physicians, staff and volunteers are doing for low-income uninsured residents of Wyandotte County.
Here's how Development Director Karole Bradford described the clinic to me...
"Founded in 1989 by the Sisters of Charity, Duchesne Clinic is a primary care doctor’s office for low-income uninsured residents of Wyandotte County. So far in 2012, Duchesne has seen 23% more patients and provided 36% more appointments than in the same period last year. That works out to 200 more patient appointments every month than last year. In addition, last year brought a tremendous upsurge in very sick 'high-acuity' new patients at Duchesne Clinic.
"Often referred to as a 'safety-net' or 'free' clinic, Duchesne Clinic provides the same services as most family doctors in a welcoming, compassionate environment. The difference is that our patients have no insurance, not even Medicaid or Medicare, and no way to pay for their care. Patients are asked to pay $15 per visit, but no patient is ever turned away because of inability to pay.
"Our patients are poor or low-income, 70% are women, over 80% have one or more chronic disease. Patients come to Duchesne Clinic through a number of community outreach partners; social service agencies, the public health department, hospitals, other safety net clinics, and local doctors’ offices. However, over 70% of patients report that they were referred by family or friends. Similarly, most patients tell us that they recommend the clinic to others. Our most effective outreach is good patient care."
I was very impressed with the clinic. The waiting areas were inviting, the exam rooms were well-equipped and the staff were friendly and helpful.
The clinic provided 11,447 patient appointments in 2011. In addition to their onsite staff, the clinic has 21 physician volunteers and over 50 total volunteers. Many thanks to everyone who has a hand in making this clinic a valuable resource for the residents of Wyandotte County. This is just another example of what I find in Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas every day... great people coming together to do great things!!
If you'd like to learn more about how you can help the clinic make a difference, just visit their "How You Can Help" webpage.
~ Brian
bmckiernan@wycokck.org
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