Agape Clinic 2006 Report

“The system in place at Agape for teaching the newly diagnosed, Spanish speaking, diabetic patient is an excellent system. It is the most forward thinking system I've seen to date and shows that people are passionate about finding a solution to this issue.” 

 

2006 was a year in which we enhanced clinic services and operations, improved patient and community education, and expanded relationships (especially with the Cornerstone Congregation at HPUMC). 2006 was a year for which we are profoundly grateful. We provided care in the community as shown below. The value column is based on a community standard cost of care – which is considerably less than it would cost to be seen by our distinguished volunteer physicians.

 

Activity	Patients served	Value	Totals
Medical care for illness	5303	60.00	$318,180.00
Medications provided	4980	45.00	$224,100.00
Immunizations	1369	55.00	$75,295.00
Follow-up & home visits	312	50.00	$15,600.00
Social work or chaplain care	442	55.00	$24,310.00
Breast cancer screening	70	150.00	$10,500.00
kidney screening	74	50.00	$4,200

 

The conservative value of traceable services provided in 2006 was $672,185.00. Expenditures were approximately $150,000. Many services are difficult to quantify (and are thus not included in the traceable figures above), e.g., health screening events (other than mammograms and kidney), diabetes classes, and parent classes. Conservative estimates of volunteer hours serving patients are as follows: Lay volunteers gave at least 2,800 hours. Physicians, nurse practitioners, and RNs gave more than 1,500 hours. Students from Baylor University’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing Community Care program and from other schools made enormous contribution to the clinic and community. We continued to serve many patients with complex chronic illnesses. Photo: peeking out of exam 1

 

Did you know?

People who work at a business that offers health insurance are not eligible for low-cost care at Parkland Hospital (including Parkland HealthPlus). Since health insurance typically costs more than $200/month, a person making $6-8/hour cannot pay rent, buy food, pay for transportation, and other such necessities and afford health insurance. Did you also know that many indigent care, mission, or free clinics will not provide anything other than one-time care for patients with chronic illness? This means that “the working poor” have few places to turn for care other than Agape. These are some of the reasons why we take the work done through Agape so seriously ... why we are grateful for the volunteers who make Agape possible … why we are grateful for the monetary and other support so many people invest so generously in Agape … why, when we say thank you, we mean it so deeply. THANK YOU. 

  

Clinic needs

·       Volunteers, always volunteers, especially physicians

·       Contacts with potential donors, foundations, or corporations – if you are interested, please call Charles at 214 801 3627 to receive a list of people who serve on foundation boards

·       Financial investment in the work of Agape and the community we serve.

 

News & Comments on Services

 

A typical week at Agape

A few weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit, Agape opened an extra full day/week (Wednesdays) to care for evacuees and people from Dallas who had been impacted by the presence of the many evacuees in the Dallas public health system. Thanks primarily to Pat Boland, PNP we are still open on Wednesdays August-December and January to May. Currently we are seeing only 3-4 evacuees/week, but word has gotten out in the community and Wednesdays are busy. Photo: Baylor FNP students

 

Wednesday: The clinic opens at 7:30. Quite a few patients with diabetes are seen as referrals from the Saturday clinic. At 8:30 some of the students and promotoras leave to teach health-related classes at Lipscomb and Zaragoza Elementary Schools (thanks to Valerie Trousdale for making the Zaragoza classes happen). Women’s health patients are seen in the mornings by Mary Ann Faucher, CNM, for pelvic and related exams. We try to finish seeing sick patients by around 12:30. In the afternoon there are classes for promotoras and every few weeks there is a group activity (research project) on portion control and weight loss. Outreach also occurs on Wednesday afternoons. At least once every seven week student rotation we like to go to El Taquito on East Grand as there is a mariachi band playing that day. We currently treat 15-30 patients on Wednesdays, depending on volunteer availability. Mary Horn, our volunteer RN, works Wednesdays and Fridays and takes care of ordering medications and medical supplies.

 

Thursday: This is the biggest day for serving sick patients. We open at 7:30 for a mix of pediatric and adult patients (some of whom have been waiting outside the church since 6am). Staffing includes Baylor undergraduate students, Baylor faculty, the Agape FNP (Melissa Bunker), 1-2 FNP students, volunteers from UTSW, community volunteers, and others. On most Thursdays one of the patients brings lunch in and we enjoy homemade enchiladas, gorditas, salsa, etc. for a good price. We are usually through by 3-3:30 and are currently seeing 40-50 patients on Thursdays. Photo: UTSW and Baylor students

 

Friday: We open at 7:30 for a mix (age and problem) of patients. Every third Friday, Dr. Kaufmann provides psychiatric care by appointment to the more complex patients with mental illness. Friday is also the day when Patrick McGrory, M.D. (CMC ER staff pediatrician) works at Agape. Charles Kemp is the regular Friday NP volunteer. Except for the promotoras and director, Friday is an all-volunteer day. Aaron Mitschke, FNP and Diane Mitschke, PhD are becoming Friday mainstays. Diane is a professor at the UT Arlington School of Social Work. We try to finish by 12 on Fridays.

 

Saturday: Again, the line starts around 5am. Saturdays are when steadfast volunteers such as Bobbie Baxter, M.D., Robert Bondy, M.D. (Happy 80^th birthday, Dr. B!), and Elva Montoya, M.D. are the heart of Agape - supported by the clinic FNP. Saturdays are also when our WWII veteran crew (Betty Lou Gary, Pat Chadsey, and Tommie Childers) provide childhood immunizations – and yes, Agape is still the only place in Dallas for year-round free state-provided immunizations on Saturdays. Dermatology clinic is held every second or third Saturday. Dermatology is staffed by UTSW faculty, residents, and students. Clinic winds up between 12 and 1. With 3 different services going at once, up to 80 patients can be served on Saturdays.

 

New patient-care resource on the web

Last year the new Agape website came on-line. This year, thanks to Baylor community health students, we also have on-line an outstanding community resources guide:

http://agapeclinic.googlepages.com/dallas_community_resources

Feedback from organizations and individuals who have used the guide is overwhelmingly positive.

 

Serious questions

The Agape patient-care documentation form has these questions that are asked of every patient:

·       During the past month: (1) Have you been bothered by feeling down, depressed, or hopeless? Y or N (2) Have you been bothered by little interest or pleasure in doing things? Y or N

·       Have you ever been physically or sexually abused? Y or N

The first questions are a fast screen for depression and positive answers trigger a more in-depth assessment (including to rule out bipolar disorder). Photo below: in the waiting room

 

Community education

Weekly community health education continued at Zaragoza and Lipscomb Elementary Schools through Baylor students and promotoras, at the clinic through the Dallas Concilio Diabetes Education Project classes, and through teaching of individual patients by doctors, nurses, and promotoras. We have developed a four part curriculum for the promotoras to use in teaching patients about diabetes. This curriculum and other factors led to the statement re diabetes education at Agape: “…the most forward thinking system I've seen to date and shows that people are passionate about finding a solution to this issue.” (UTSW MS4 in Community Action Research Track)

 

Community partners

How on earth does Agape offer so many services? Individual volunteers and donors (investors) are the heart of Agape, but we could not do what we do without community partners such as the Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas Concilio, Highland Park United Methodist Church and the HPUMC Cornerstone Congregation, Dallas Independent School District, Dallas Women’s Foundation, National Kidney Foundation (Texas), Methodist Hospital, First Presbyterian Church, Texas Woman’s University, Southern Methodist University, Walgreen’s, Dallas County Medical Society, and of course Grace United Methodist Church.

 

News & comments on the organization, board, & people who make Agape happen

 

Cornerstone

Several times in this report we’ve mentioned the Highland Park United Methodist Cornerstone Congregation. Cornerstone and Agape have entered into a relationship to minister to our patients and community. In addition to the redecorations already noted and financial support, Cornerstone brought in a film crew from Motion Media Solutions to film the clinic and interview patients, volunteers, and staff for a short film on Agape. We are very grateful for the Cornerstone partnership. Paul Rasmussen is the Pastor of the Cornerstone Community and Rankin Hobbs is liaison with Agape.

 

Quarterly luncheons

Meg Kaufmann, Cheryl Maloney, Kay Dial, and Aletha Beane instituted a series of “Meet Agape” luncheons to thank people who have supported Agape, provide others with options on how to support the clinic, meet staff and volunteers, and update people on Agape. Thanks are due to an anonymous donor who underwrote the first event, and is now underwriting the first year’s events. Photo: exam room 4 (promoting books)

 

Marisa Abbe

Marisa Abbe from Case Western Reserve University is working on her dissertation (PhD, anthropology) with us over the next year, studying patient/provider interactions. Marisa has distinguished herself in several respects, including the all-important and uncommon ability to figure things out and solve problems.

 

A small fundraising idea (we’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating)

A friend of Agape asked that her friends make a donation to Agape as a birthday present to her. Several Agape families asked for donations as part of family Christmas gatherings. For those who are materially blessed this is an easy and very nice way to honor friends and family – and serve the community. Of course all donors and persons honored receive an individual letter of appreciation.

 

Redecorating

First there was Mary Horn, our wonderful volunteer clinic RN bringing in Bob Shaw, an architect with HS Architects (specializing in healthcare facilities) for recommendations for a revision of the waiting room arrangement. Then Matt Porter, an Eagle Scout candidate made significant changes in the children's area. Now, several volunteers from Highland Park United Methodist have stepped up and (along with Mary) took on details of making the redecorations actually happen. The project is currently underway.

 

Volunteer news

Two high school volunteers (Sonia de la Cruz and Maria de la Cruz) received Rising Star Scholarships from the Dallas Community College District. Another high school volunteer (Lindsey Zachary) was awarded a four year scholarship to John Brown University.

 

Mary Horn, RN, our volunteer clinic RN is now enrolled in the Baylor nurse practitioner program (and continuing to work at Agape).

 

Paper presentations at national primary care meetings were authored by Carrie Kovarik (Agape dermatology service founder), Mary Ann Faucher (Agape women’s health services founder), and Charles Kemp. Charles received the Elsevier Science Teacher of the Year Award, the Baylor University Scholar Award, and the Abner V. McCall Humanitarian Award.

 

Kelly Werlinger, MD, one of our outstanding dermatology volunteers died this past year. Kelly was a leader and inspiration to many of us and a blessing to her patients. Kelly’s last email to Agape: Thank you for all your support of dermatology at the Agape clinic. During my four years of volunteering there, I had some of the most rewarding moments of my medical school career. Keep up the great work!! Kelly Werlinger (6/2/2006) Photo: Kelly

 

Board of directors and contacts

Aletha Beane (Chair), Barbara Baxter, M.D. (Medical director), Margaret Kaufmann, M.D. (Vice Chair), Andy Macha, MSSW (Secretary), Rankin Hobbs (Treasurer), David Baxter, Mark DeHaven, Ph.D., Betty Lou Gary, Charles Kemp, FNP, FAAN, Dale McEowen, LMSW, Riley Miller, LPC, Shirin F. Pestonjee, RN. Leslie Kemp is the Executive Director.