Fourth Bay Clean Up!

Last Saturday, Mar. 24, we had a group of people from Living Hope Wesleyan Church and some His Hands volunteers give up their Saturday morning to help us clean out our 4th Bay. This is the last part of the building to be renovated, and we are planning to put a basic kitchen and classroom space there for our Healthy Living Program.

You can see by the pictures that a lot of work was done! Some things were moved to the basement, some moved to storage, and others simply given away.

We are so excited about the Healthy Living Program. Too often, our providers end up treating patients for issues that could have been prevented, like high blood pressure, hypertension, and obesity. We also have found that there are few educational options for patients newly-diagnosed with diabetes. The Healthy Living Program will focus on preventing some of these diseases, and educating patients about diseases they have.

But the room has to be renovated first! So, a special thank you to everyone who helped out!

Sharon

Miracles in the Dental Clinic

I wanted to share a small miracle that happened today.

We opened our Dental Clinic on Feb. 24, and since then we've had 7 clinics and assisted over 20 people with their dental needs. As I write this, we are finishing up a dental clinic in which both chairs are being used: one for the dentist for dental work, and the other for cleanings.

One thing we are learning is that with dental - even free dental - there is a high no-show rate. We confirm with patients one to two days before their appointment, and even call them if they are late on the appointment day - but still people simply don't show.

This morning, the last patient of the day didn't show. We called her, and she had completely forgotten. Janet, the supervisor for the morning, said 'okay' and started cleaning up the clinic.

A few minutes later, a man - Ted - walked through the doors. He was on the dental waiting list and wanted to know how much longer he had to wait. I gave him the standard spiel - 'We schedule according to need, our Dental Coordinator will give you a call' - and then asked what his need was. Ted shared that he had an abscess in one tooth, completely rotted out, and was in a lot of pain. He pointed to his cheek and said, "This area is completely hard. I just want to know what's going on."

I started thinking that we'd need to get him in the medical clinic, but then Bethany, the receptionist that morning, reminded me of the cancellation we just had. I tracked down Janet and asked if we could get Ted in. Right now, he is sitting in the chair, getting the assistance he needs.

How like God to take the inconvenience of a no-show patient and turn it into a blessing! And the blessing has been multiplied - Ted was blessed, I and the other volunteers were blessed by seeing everything work out, and hopefully now YOU are blessed by seeing God's hand at work.

Have a great weekend!

Sharon

State’s mental health reform may ease Linn’s budget woes

State’s mental health reform may ease Linn’s budget woes

Interesting article about mental health issues in Linn County. His Hands Clinic refers a lot of patients to the Abbe Center (referenced in the article). We have many patients come to us for depression and/or anxiety issues. Often, these patients need the ongoing care of a single psychiatrist, something we simply cannot provide at the free clinic. But we help where we can.