December 12, 2005

Meeting Healthcare Needs Priority

for Hammond

McAuley Clinic Serves Uninsured Adults

By Hammond (IN) Mayor Thomas McDermott, Jr.

From an unassuming storefront on a main thoroughfare in downtown Hammond, more than 4,000 adults who would otherwise have fallen through the holes in our nation’s healthcare system received free or low-cost services last year at Catherine McAuley Clinic.

The clinic, adjacent to the north campus of Saint Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers, was opened by Saint Margaret’s in1996 for two hours per week with the City’s blessing and financial assistance. It’s recently expanded (again) and now operates a 40-hour, five-day a week facility. The clinic currently handles 500 appointments each month.

Clients include the “working poor” and elderly people who don’t have access to a healthcare provider who accepts Medicare, as well as those who are unemployed and sometimes homeless. McAuley Clinic also can also accept children who don’t qualify for state assistance. And don’t doubt the need: estimates show more than 65,000 people who live in Lake County are without health insurance.

Like Hammond’s diverse population, McAuley’s patients are male and female, black, white, and brown. They range in age from 18 to elderly. Some speak little or no English. They all have stories. One patient, a 42-year-old woman, has never had health insurance even though she’s worked her entire adult life. The clinic treats her diabetes and high blood pressure.

She and the other patients have access to Saint Margaret Mercy’s state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment facilities at a very nominal cost ($5 for many procedures). These tests including, mammograms and pap tests, are crucial in the early diagnosis and treatment of breast and cervical cancer. The clinic also offers no or low-cost medicine to its patients through agreements with pharmaceutical companies.

The backbone of the clinic is McAuley’s paid staff of two nurse practitioners, a clerk receptionist, a nurse and a medical assistant. Dedicated and skilled volunteers provide the time and compassion to supplement staff. These volunteers will log more than 1,300 hours by the end of this year. Volunteers include nurses, physicians, and other hospital staff, and community members who do administrative work. Several have been with the clinic since the day the door first opened.

Some begin by volunteering and end up contributing more. One volunteer saw the need for bone density testing for clinic patients and organized a fundraising luncheon. The following year she underwrote the cost of the luncheon so that all the proceeds would benefit the clinic. Because of her efforts, 26 patients received the tests.

An equally important volunteer component is the nursing department from nearby Purdue University Calumet. Through a collaborative agreement between the hospital and school, a nurse practitioner and her students staff the clinic each Thursday.

Even with the substantial in-kind support from the hospital and operating partners, a number of other funding sources must be tapped to keep the clinic running. I’m proud to say the City of Hammond has recently raised our support, doubling our annual contribution to $350,000. This money comes from gaming revenues.

City staff also takes an active role with the clinic, with representatives from both the Department of Planning and Development and the Hammond Health Department serving on the McAuley board.

Although the city contributes a substantial sum of money, we leave the operation to those who know healthcare. McAuley’s manager, Martha Kozub, has been at that position since the clinic’s opening. A volunteer board of directors that vary from clergyman to printer to utility company communications brings a wealth of talent, ideas, and means to the table. An elected advisory board complements the elected board with their medical and education backgrounds.

What does the city get in return? That answer is simple: a higher quality of life for its most vulnerable residents. The clinic provides preventive care, screenings, physicals, wellness education, and referrals to physicians for more extensive treatment. Our residents are able to take advantage of the healthcare that many of us reading this article take for granted.

And what does the hospital get for its investment? Saint Margaret Mercy’s Franciscan mission is to minister to the sick and neglected. The clinic serves that mission. It also relieves the financial and staffing burden of Saint Margaret’s and other area hospital emergency rooms, as the uninsured and homeless will put off a doctor visit until their condition is serious. The proactive healthcare available at McAuley dramatically cuts down on these kinds of hospital visits.

As long as there are Hammond residents without healthcare, the hospital, university, City, and untold businesses and individuals will support the clinic.