LITTLE ROCK--When the Westside Free Medical Clinic was launched around 1970 through Catholic Social Services (now Catholic Charities of Arkansas), it had a simple yet vital mission: Meet the critical medical needs of poor people with little or no access to healthcare.

“Sister Concetta Mazzetti was the force behind establishing this mission,”

said Clinic Director Karen DiPippa, a pharmacy technician who has a background in health education, and a master’s degree in theology. “It originally stared as an acute care clinic. We soon found out that it doesn’t help to have the clinic if patients don’t have access to prescriptions. So we started a charitable licensed pharmacy, as well.”

Through the years thousands of people have come through the doors for needs as simple as a sinus infection or treatment for illnesses like diabetes that can be fatal if not properly treated. Today, the clinic sees about 1,265 patients per year for services including primary care, pharmacy services and patient education.

Westside holds five regular clinics a month, and specialty clinics such as a dermatology clinic and eye exams for diabetic patients. Westside also contracts out dental services when funding from the Tobacco Settlement funds through the Arkansas Department of Health allows. The Diocese of Little Rock funds the remaining costs to run the clinic.

Free clinics like Westside wouldn’t exist without the generosity of the medical community.

“I cannot praise or thank our volunteers enough for their gift of service,” DiPippa said. “We rely on physicians, including specialists, pharmacists, RNs and APNs who all take time from their busy lives to help others. They all do so much. We could not do anything without the volunteer staff. They are really the heart of the clinic. We also get assistance from students from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences School of Medicine, College of Nursing, and School of Pharmacy, in addition to students from the University of Arkansas Little Rock School of Nursing. Our pharmacists have a time intensive shift because they are at the clinic the latest, filling prescriptions after the patients have seen the doctor or APN. ”

It is an all-volunteer staff except DiPippa and her “right hand,” program assistant Flora Lopez, who is bi-lingual. Her main responsibility is to work with the Hispanic\Latino community and handle the eye and the dermatology clinic staffing and scheduling. She is assisted by 15 volunteer interpreters, most of whom are certified as medical interpreters.

As the Hispanic population has increased in Little Rock, there has been a demand from Hispanic Latino families. In 2002 Westside started one clinic a month for the Hispanic\Latino families.

“With the ACA, 75 percent of our English-speaking patients were able to obtain insurance,” DiPippa said. “We were really happy about that. That is a good thing. We still have some people who, for one reason, or not aren’t covered. They might be new to the area, in between coverage, or maybe they have been accepted for the private option Medicaid expansion, but have not found a provider. But a large percentage of immigrant patients simply don’t qualify for healthcare insurance. That includes students, and visiting family. We have tried to meet the needs of the time. Right now it is the greatest need for patients with no insurance. They can’t even get their foot in the door.”

The clinic has seen patients die because they didn’t get timely care.

“Over the years, we have seen patients without health insurance who did not want to incur the debt of an emergency room which they couldn’t pay and suffered early death for conditions easily treated,” she said. “These patients had families that depended on them, were working, yet didn’t have employer covered insurance. We had a patient treated for hypertension who also had stage four melanoma. We were able to diagnose and refer her to a specialist, but it was too late. We’ve also seen a patient driving to get an inhaler die of an asthma attack by hitting a tree on the way. That shouldn’t happen with the advances we have in medicine.”

DiPippa said she couldn’t praise the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enough because it has made a difference in people having access to life-saving care. She hopes that Arkansas continues the private option Medicaid expansion because the lives of the 211,000 covered people are at stake. The private option is in doubt because of the number of legislators who campaigned against it who were elected. Opponents have said that while the program costs nothing to the state now, in future years when the state is required to pay a portion of the cost to subsidize premiums, it could be too expensive. But DiPippa said she understands the state would be allowed to opt out later if it gets too expensive.

While all charitable clinics would be very happy to be out of business because that would mean coverage for all, DiPippa said the ACA isn’t enough.

“We have sort of had health insurance reform, but not true healthcare reform,” DiPippa said. “Healthcare costs have escalated just ridiculously from when I started. I’ve seen medicines that were a manageable price, and somehow in these last 20 years have quadrupled in price. These medicines cost only pennies to make it 20 years ago, and now they cost four times as much.”

Ellen Lamb, PD, has been a pharmacist volunteer at the clinic since 1973 when her son was only a year old. Over the years she has gotten tremendous satisfaction from helping people who fall through the cracks. For example, some are over the limit for drugs on Medicaid.

“Hopefully with ACA, that has changed,” she said.

With her busy work schedule, how has she found time to volunteer for so many years?

“It is one of those things that when the clinic director Sister Concetta was calling to get me to work, it was the Lord calling me, so how could I say no?” Lamb asked. “So that is why I’ve been doing it all these years. When you see how much what we are doing means for people, it is a very rewarding situation.”

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Volunteer

More specialists are needed such area such ENTs, neurology, gynecology, and orthopedics. Medical volunteers in all specialists are always needed. If you aren’t close to Little Rock, there are about 20 other charitable clinics across the state where you can make a difference volunteering. See Arkansas Association of Charitable Clinics.

Donate

Make a donation to Westside Free Medical Clinic, Diocese of Little Rock, P.O. Box 7239, Little Rock AR 72217-72239

To Learn More: Go online to Arkansas Charitable Clinics, http://aacclinics.com/

Westside Free Medical Clinic, http://www.dolr.org/catholic-charities/westside-medical-clinic