City Mission expands health services with help of Centerville Clinics
Gideon Bradshaw
Dr. Daniel Holt, medical director of Centerville Clinics, speaks during a gathering at City Mission to mark the two nonprofits鈥� collaboration.
Gideon Bradshaw
City Mission鈥檚 drug-free pain clinic is staffed by volunteers.
Proper medical treatment isn鈥檛 a guarantee for Americans. But for the people like those Leah Dietrich works with 鈥� those without stable housing and employee insurance plans 鈥� the financial and administrative obstacles can be almost insurmountable.
鈥淢any of our 160 residents on campus come to us with a myriad of health issues 鈥� everything from diabetes and heart disease, through cancer,鈥� said Dietrich, who is director of resident programs for City Mission in Washington. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had residents, through partnerships and collaborations like this, find out what those health issues are and finally address them.鈥�
Dietrich spoke during a recent gathering at the faith-based nonprofit鈥檚 medical clinic, located on Strawberry Way. The occasion was the recent partnership between City Mission and fellow nonprofit Centerville Clinics, which offers health care to patients at locations throughout Washington, Greene and Fayette counties.
About a month ago, following lengthy discussion between the two organizations, Centerville Clinics began offering primary care on the downtown campus.
Residents of the mission facilities can visit the clinic every day of the week. Previously, volunteer physicians were available during clinic hours once a week at the City Mission campus, which employs a staff nurse.
鈥淚n the past, if somebody had an issue, the nurse would try to deal with it, or they鈥檇 go to the hospital,鈥� said Brian Johansson, chief operating officer for the mission.
The group operates men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 shelters. Last year, it opened a separate shelter for veterans.
Johansson said some women at that shelter bring their children with them when they leave abusive relationships or come from being homeless. Sometimes, their kids haven鈥檛 seen a pediatrician before.
鈥淭o have that on our campus for them is a huge benefit,鈥� he said.
Virtually all clients of the mission qualify for government health care benefits of some kind, so Centerville Clinics works with the patients on billing those agencies. In very rare cases 鈥� 鈥減robably 1 in 500,鈥� Johansson said 鈥� residents don鈥檛 receive those sorts of assistance, there鈥檚 a 鈥渟liding scale鈥� for pricing their care.
鈥淣obody鈥檚 turned away,鈥� he added.
Construction of the on-campus clinic building was completed two years ago. It holds several exam rooms and a waiting area, among other features. Separately from what Centerville Clinics offers there, volunteers run a drug-free pain clinic once a week.
Dr. Daniel Holt, the clinics鈥� medical director, said his view of the patients he sees has changed since he started his career working with the poor and underserved. He said he used to see himself as 鈥渞eaching down鈥� to help those who were 鈥渓ess than鈥� he was. But at some point, he realized he鈥檇 gotten where he was 鈥渘ot because I鈥檓 a swell guy,鈥� but because of the help and encouragement he got from those around him.
鈥淪o when I look at the folks that we care for here, I don鈥檛 ever want it to be looked at as a 鈥榣ess than,'鈥� Holt said. 鈥淚 want it to be, we鈥檙e walking alongside them.鈥�