SPRING 2012 NEWSLETTER

“From the Community, For the Community.”

Board of DirectorsSue Peiffer, PresidentSacred Heart Hospital

•Rob Bearrood, Vice President

Chippewa Valley Door Company

•Kevin Koehn, Treasurer

American Business Financial, Inc.

• Kristin Wogahn, MD, Secretary

Eau Claire Medical Clinic

•Maribeth Woodford, Executive Dir.

Chippewa Valley Free Clinic

• Emily Barnes, D.D.S.,

Chippewa Dental Center

•Tanya M. Bruder

Spangler, Nodolf, Bruder andKlinkhammer, LLC

•Daniel G. Cavanuagh, MDRetired, Marshfield Clinic

•James HankeXcel Energy

•Lorraine Henning

Eau Claire Community Foundation

•Larry Lightfield

Bremer Bank

•John Markquart

Markquart Motors

•Dean Olson

Charter Bank

•Lisa Schiller, PhD, RN, APNP

UW-Eau Claire

• Drew Seveland

Teacher•

Sheila Smith, PhD, RNCS, ANPUW-Eau Claire

•Steve Weiss, MD

Mayo Health System

• Max Winkels

Marshfield Clinic•

Denise WirthEau Claire County Health Dept.

“From the Community, For the Community.”

Starting late spring we’ll be sharing facilities on 836 Richard Drive (behind Shopko) with several other medical services. The move is exciting as it provides much needed benefits such as:• Anadditionalexamroom(bringingthetotalto5)• Expandedpatientadvocateroom(accommodates2separateareasforpatient support)• Expandedmedicationdispensarywithpatientwindowforeasieraccess• Expandedlabandimmunizationarea• Abreakroomforvolunteers• Officespacefortheexecutivedirectorandofficemanager,withanadditional volunteerwork/physiciandictationarea

The additional exam room will allow twomorepatientstobeseeneveryhour.This is critical in helping us to serve ourpatientswithgreaterefficiency.Since the wait time for appointments willbeshorter,ourpatientscanseeaphysicianandbeontheroadtorecoverythat much faster. This is also vital for ourvolunteers,whomanytimeshavealreadyputinafullday’sworkattheirownjobbeforecomingtotheclinic.Anextra exam room also allows nurses the flexibilitytoservethosethatpresentcontagiousconditionsimmediately.

Since our new space is an existing medicalfacility,remodelingcostsareminimal. We have been blessed with theChippewaValleyHomeBuilders

Associationdonatingtheirtimeandexpertise as well as securing material to fit the space to our clinic needs.

However,ournewhomewillbringadditional expenditures to the clinic’s monthlybudget,includingrentandincreased utilities. We also need additional medical equipment and exam tablesforpatientrooms,overandabovethe expense of relocating Your support is needed now more than ever! We havebeenextremelyfortunatethattheValleybrookChurchhasprovideduswithrent-freespacethesepastfourteenyears.Theirgenerosityhasbeenatruegifttothecommunity,andweareverygratefulfortheir dedicated support.

move!We’re on the

The Chippewa Valley Free Clinic has found its new home and we’re working hard on the final touches for the move.

“Fromthecommunity,Forthecommunity”isnotjustaslogan,itishowtheClinicoperates.Volunteersfrommedicalproviderstomealprovidersprovidetheservices,whileindividuals,organizations,andbusinessesprovidethefinancialsupport.Ittrulytakesacommunity!TheClinicmakesefficientuseofthedollarsdonatedbyprovidingservicesvaluedfarbeyondeachdollardonated.Astudycompletedin2009byUW-EauClaireEconomicsDepartmentfoundtheImpactMultiplieroftheClinicissignificantat5.5.Thatmeanseverydollaryoucontributeisequaltoaninvestmentinthecommunityof$5.50.

Invest in the Clinic, invest in your community. Your donation is needed now.

Your donation today will help someone tomorrow!

Name

Address

City, State, Zip Code

I am enclosing _______________to help meet the challenge of providing ongoing services!I am enlosing ________________as an additional one-time gift for the clinic’s relocation.

We can’t dowithout you.

Help us

meet our Challenges!

Detach and mail-in

421 Graham AvenuePO BOX 231, Eau Claire, WI 54702

p. 715.839.8477f. 715.839.8521

info@cvfreeclinic.orgwww.cvfreeclinic.org

The Chippewa Valley Free Clinic’s mission is to provide quality health care to and advocacy for individuals of the Chippewa Valley area who have no reasonable health care alternative.

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDEau Claire, WI

Permit No. 2143

C h i p p e wa Va l l e y h e a l T h C l i n i C , i n C

MISSION STATEMENT

2011 statistics of those we serve 42%areemployedfull-time,part-time,orseasonal.Somemayhaveaccesstoprivateinsurance,butit’snotaffordable for them given low wages or restriction to part-time work.

~ 80% are from eau Claire County~ 2,545 patient visits in 2011~ august 2011 was highest number of patient visits in Clinic’s history – 255~ 6,921 prescriptions filled in 2011 (577/month)

Common Chronic Diseases:•Asthma/COPD6%•Diabetes17%•Hyperlipidemia17%•Hypertension19%•MentalHealth26% Basic Health Care Services:•Healthmaintenance•Preventativecare•Minorinjuries/skincare•Upperrespiratory/colds•Migraines•Joint/musclepain•Urinarytractinfections

Average monthly statistics:•212patientvisits/month•40patientsforTuesday Walk-in-Clinic•30patientsforDiabetic Clinic•30patientsforfollowupand mental health appointments

A Year in Highlights The year 2011 brought many positive trends.

THE FIrST QuArTEr (January-March)startedoffonapositivenotewhenMaribethWoodfordwashiredastheclinic’sExecutiveDirectorinFebruary.FivenewBoardMemberswerealsoinstatedandthefinalphaseoftheelectronicmedicalrecordswasimplemented,withthesystemgoingliveinearlyMarch.THE SECOND QuArTEr (April-June)beganwithameet-and-greetforMaribeth.ThesecondannualEatforFreeClinicswasheldinMay,raisingalmost$10,000.TheclinicalsoenjoyedsomewonderfulupgradesincludinganewphonesystemfundedfrominvestorsthroughECCF,adonatedcopierfromEOJohnson,anewpatientscalefromtheAndersons,andacrashcartanddefibrillatorfromP.E.O.-DUgroup.

THE THIrD QuArTEr (July-September)sawtheBusinessPartnershipprogramlaunchedwithCharterBankandXcelEnergyasthefirstsponsors.InJuly,wereceivednewsthattheFreeClinicwouldneedtorelocatebyAugustof2012.TheBoardformedrelocationcommitteesandanexhaustivesearchforournewhomebegan.InAugust,theClinicsawitshighestnumberofpatientvisits,255,inits14-yearhistory.ThefirstannualClinicRafflewasheld,raisingcloseto$10,000.THE FOurTH QuArTEr (October-December)hadsomemajorstaffingchanges:TeddiMartinwaspromotedtoClinicDirector,HeatherStewartwaspromotedtoNursingManager,andShariSorensonwashiredasOfficeManager.WebegancollaboratingwithUWHealth–FamilyMedicinetoservetheoverflowofpatients.OurBusinessPartnershipprogramprovedhighlysuccessful,reachingitsannualgoalwithinsixmonths.StaffandvolunteersweregratefultheHolidayAppealraisedcrucialfundsfortheclinictocontinueprovidingpatientservices.Andlast,butcertainlynotleast,anewhomewasfoundfortheFreeClinic!

What challenges does the Clinic face?•Criticalshortageofclinicians

•Increasingnumberofuninsuredpatientswithcomplexmedical, dental and behavioral needs

•Decreasingfinancialresourcesaswellasotherresources(e.g.grants, medical supplies and medication samples)

•Growingmentalhealthneeds

•Lackofspecializedproviders and resources when presentedwithillnessesbeyondscopeof basic health care

TheChippewaValleyFreeClinicistheonlysafety-netclinicinourcommunity.Byofferinghealthcareservicestolow-incomepeople,wefulfillavitalneed to those who otherwise wouldn’t haveaccesstotimely,affordableandcontinuous healthcare services.

Ourclinicprovidesbasic,primaryhealthcaretoadults–includingchronicdiseasemanagement.Peopledon’tjust come to us for minor urgent care services like strep throat or an ear ache. Manywhowalkthroughourdoorsaresuffering from chronic illnesses such asdiabetes,hypertension,asthma,ordepression.Often,iftheyaren’tseenbyus,theirillnesseswillgounmanagedbecausetheysimplycannotafford

topayforongoingdoctorvisitsortheirmedications. We provide a primary care doctor and free medication to help manage chronic disease. Our goal is to see these patients on a regular basis in order to offer them the best possible control of their chronic illness. This can help keep them out of the emergency room, which, in turn, helps to keep healthcare costs down for the entire community.Werelyonthegenerosityofourdonorstoprovidethisvitalservicetoourcommunity.The level of support we receive from our community determines how well we can carry out our services.TheChippewaValleyFreeClinicisyourcommunityclinic.Takeprideinhelpingprovidetheareaonlysafety-netclinic for those in need!

Did you know…• There are 1,200 free clinics throughout the United States, with 4,310 annual visits per clinic• Most patients use a free clinic for primary care (86%) and pharmacy services (80%)• If a free clinic did not exist, 24% of patients state they would not seek care, and 23% said they would seek care at an emergency department• 97% of patients surveyed indicated they were satisfied with care at free clinic; 77% reported greater satisfaction with care at free clinic than with prior care

Evenwithcripplingarthritisanddiabetes,Bridgethelddownanassemblylinejobfor10years.Hermedicationbillswereover$2,200permonth.Whenherlinecloseddown,shelostbothherjobandmedicalinsurance.Herdoctor told her she shouldn’t do manual labor due to damagetoherjoints,suggestingsheapplyfordisability.Bridgetwantedtowork,soshewentbacktoschoolformedicalcodingandbilling.Shewasstudyinghard,ekingoutherinsulintotrytomakeherprescriptionlastlonger.Ofcourse,herdiabeteswaspoorlycontrolledonthelowdoses of insulin. She stopped testing her blood sugar becauseshecouldn’taffordtheteststrips.WhenBridgetcametoourclinic,shewasthrilledtolearnshewouldn’tbechargedforherexamandnecessarybloodtesting.Assheleftourclinicwithamonth’ssupplyofinsulinandteststrips,hereyeswelledwithtearsofgratitude.

Ways you can support the free clinic

Positive TRENDS

•NewFormularyinplacetoincreaseefficiency,betterserve our patient needs and stretch the donated dollars further.

•MentalHealthProgramunder review to better serve patients with chronic care

•Churchinitiativelaunched

•Signedleasefornewclinic

•HomeBuildersAssociationdonatestime,materialsand expertise to transform new clinic space

•CollaborationwithUW-HealthFamilyMedicinetoserve overflow of patients.

FACE of the clinic

Time and talent Withoutourfaithfulvolunteers,wewould not be able to run our clinic. Peoplefromwithinthecommunityvolunteerover80hourseachweekintherolesofmedicalprovider,nurse,labtechnician,socialworker,andadministrative assistant. We also need additional volunteers with skills in grant writinganddataentrywebsiteandsocialmedia,ortoanswerphonesduringoffhours to schedule patients and answer questions.Whateveryourtalentmaybe–wehaveaplaceforyouatthefreeclinic!

Donateafewhoursaweek,orafewhoursamonth…everyhouryougivewillhelpkeepourorganizationrunningsmoothly.Applicationstovolunteerare available on the web-site www.cvfreeclinic.org or contact the clinic andleaveamessageat715-839-8477,ext.203.Beapartofacommunityofvolunteerswhoreallymakeadifference.

TreasureThinkaboutthelasttimeyouandthreefriendswenttoseeamovie,andboughtsodaandpopcorntosnackon.Didyouknowabucketofpopcorncouldpayfora patient’s 3 month prescription for high bloodpressure?Orforthepriceofaburger,youcouldcoverthecostofanantibioticforstrepthroat?Andwouldn’titfeelgreattoknowthatbecauseofyourdonation,adiabetic patient will have a month’s worth of testing supplies?

Justimagineallthegoodyourdonation–inanyamount–cando.Everydonationhelpschangelives!Wegratefullyacceptdonationsattheclinic,throughyourinvestmentagency,online,orbymail.Everydollarreceivedfromthecommunityhelps to keep the clinic operating for those whoneeditmost.Yourgiftistrulythemiracle of neighbors helping neighbors.

Clinic also offers chronic disease management