Hundreds of Volunteers Keep the Specialty Medical Clinic Running
Low-income and uninsured patients in the Madison area have a place to go when they are in need of specialty medical care. The Specialty Free Clinic on Emil Street, run by 130 volunteers, offered 1,500 medical visits last year, according to Sheila Martin, its Executive Director. “The health care system is broken,” she lamented. Visits to her clinic are up 51% over the past five years.Madison South Rotary has contributed funds to support the clinic’s work.
Volunteers devote about 3 hours of work every other month, and include 21 medical specialists, in addition to physician assistants, nurse practitioners and physical therapists. Martin says there is still a particular need for ophthalmologists, rheumatologists and endocrinologists.
Most patients are referred by a free clinic, while some just find the clinic by searching the internet. The patient base includes non-English speakers, with the clinic able to communicate in 26 languages!