News
Our Lady of Hope Clinic News Release
July 2, 2009 — For Immediate Release
Contact Our Lady of Hope Clinic Communications: 608-445-2063
Our Lady of Hope Clinic celebrates its first month providing free health care to the area’s uninsured community
Our Lady of Hope Clinic celebrated the conclusion of its first month of providing free primary care to the area’s uninsured population on Wednesday. The clinic began treating the uninsured on June 1. As expected, there was no shortage of patients seeking treatment.
Our Lady of Hope Clinic President and Physician Michael Kloess said it didn’t take long for the clinic to generate a heartwarming story.
“On the very first day, I saw a senior citizen couple that immigrated to the United States less than a year ago,” Kloess said. “They faced chronic medical conditions but didn’t qualify for medical assistance programs and couldn’t afford to buy insurance. So I treated them and set them up with refills for their prescription medications.”
What happened next convinced Kloess that all the sacrifices made to establish Our Lady of Hope Clinic were well worth it.
“After the visit, the lady asked how much she owed for the consultation. When I said it was free, she started to cry. We set out to establish this clinic hoping for successes like this one. But I don’t think any of us expected such a touching moment on the very first day.”
Kloess was quick to credit the week’s success to the clinic’s benefactors. Benefactors are donors who contribute at a level that qualifies them for unlimited concierge primary care at no charge.
“I am so grateful to all our benefactors who have made this possible,” he said. “This made all the hard work thus far worth it.”
Anne Volk Johnson, Kloess’s partner at the clinic, also praised the benefactors.
“They’ve demonstrated great leadership by supporting our care of the needy,” Johnson said. “There’s a lot of talk about fixing our health care system, but these folks made the choice to step up to the plate and address these challenges.”
Johnson said that in addition to making a great charitable decision, the clinic’s benefactors made an excellent choice as consumers.
“We offer our benefactors unparalleled access to a personal physician. On the East Coast, people pay $10,000 for concierge care. Our modest benefactor fee enables families and individuals to receive that same quality of care for a small fraction of the price. We’ve structured this clinic so that, by switching insurance coverage, some benefactors actually come out ahead financially.”
Please contact Steve Karlen at 608-445-2063 with questions or for additional information.
