Wouldn’t it be great if anyone could go to the doctor and feel better, even if you did not have medical insurance?
People’s Health Clinic, located in Park City, is a health clinic that provides healthcare for uninsured individuals of Summit and Wasatch County. What started out in a tiny van back in 1999, staffed with doctors, medical technicians and translators has evolved into an outstanding partnership with the Summit County Health Department and Intermountain Healthcare, finding a permanent “state of the art” facility in Quinn’s Junction in Park City.
People’s Health Clinic provides general medicine, vision screenings, women’s health, and more to the residents that are uninsured. This clinic can be extremely helpful for all ages who cannot afford insurance or an expensive check-up at their local doctor or hospital, especially women. Hundreds of women have found a “health care home” at the Clinic.
“No one is certain of what healthcare is going to look like in this country for the next five to ten years,” said Beth Armstrong, executive director of the People’s Health Clinic. “One thing is certain; there is going to be a need for providing health care for those unable to afford insurance,” Beth says it is a fundamental right that all people should be able to receive quality healthcare, otherwise they will become sicker and not be as productive.
When it comes to women’s health, People’s Health Clinic has been communicating both the accessibility and necessity of breast cancer screenings within Summit and Wasatch counties. The majority of the Clinic’s patients do not speak English so translation capabilities are critical.
“The successful in-reach and outreach efforts of the Clinic’s collaborative network are great to its influence within the surrounding ethnically diverse population,” said Beth Armstrong. “All eligible females are enrolled in the breast cancer screening program are being offered appointment scheduling, one-on-one education, CBE’s, and free screening mammogram vouchers.”
Besides medical exams and mammograms, you got to have your office running in the background! Nina Chartrand, Office Manager of People’s Health Clinic, handles all of the accounting and human resources behind the scenes, “I am also responsible for collecting all the patient demographic information, assisting in the grant writing process, and facilitating development in fundraising efforts.”
In order to run a successful clinic for the uninsured, you have to have a network of supporters, volunteers, and donors within the community, and that is what makes People’s Health Clinic successful today.
“Our clinic plays a vital role in our community,” says Nina Chartrand. “There are hundreds of residents in Summit and Wasatch County who have no insurance and are an integral part of our resort industry. We need to keep them healthy.” Nina speaks out for the women in the community who may be in need for any medical care but do not have insurance or the money to go in for a checkup or appointment at an ordinary doctor’s office. “Over 75% of our annual patient visits are by women and it is important for us to make sure they have basic medical care, have annual women’s exams, provided breast health services, and deliver healthy babies.”
Even though Nina does not do all of the “caring” in the exam rooms, she accomplishes the caring in the background by facilitating funding, discovering additional needs for more programs, and keeping the back office running smoothly so the medical staff and volunteers can provide the best care for their patients, nothing could go wrong!
If you are an individual (or know of one) who is uninsured, lives in Summit or Wasatch County and are in need of medical care, do not hesitate to go to their website and find out more.