Alissa Hirscher: Fifteen Years as a Benefactor Family at Our Lady of Hope Clinic

Alissa Hirscher and her family have been Direct Primary Care members at Our Lady of Hope Clinic for over 15 years. Despite already having great health insurance and a doctor, they wanted healthcare that aligned with their family’s Catholic values both in their pro-life nature, and desire to support those who cannot afford healthcare.

“A benefactor family (Direct Primary Care Members) helps support the clinic by paying privately for the healthcare received here,” Alissa explains. “The money that we don’t use toward appointments or services goes to help the uninsured.” This is done through Our Lady of Hope Clinics' free care clinic, that sees patients that otherwise could not afford to be treated.

When Conviction Became Clear

When Alissa first heard about the model of Direct Primary Care that Our Lady of Hope offered, and how it helped provide healthcare for members of the community who cannot afford care, she was immediately in support. “I liked the idea of a pro-life Catholic model of health care, and I liked that idea for our community.”

However, she hesitated to join at first. Both her, and her husband work in health care which provided them great insurance. Alissa and her husband debated whether paying for a monthly membership on top of that was worth it.

Within a year, they decided it was time to join the Clinic. “I felt really convicted by the Lord that we would become benefactors and not just support it in name only.”

What A Membership Actually Buys

The Hirscher family soon found Our Lady of Hope Clinic’s (OLHC) direct primary care to be different from typical direct primary care.

“We have a really personal relationship with Dr. Mike and the other providers here. We’re able to get quick appointments. We’re able to bundle appointments so I can stack my kids together. One kid could be here for strep throat. One could just be here for allergies.” She can email and text Dr. Michael Kloess and the other providers and get a response quickly. “Sometimes we’re just texting photos of a weird thing going on, and then Dr. Mike can take care of it.”

For example, Alissa explains how when her children get a rash, she just texts Dr. Mike a photo and he will let her know what cream to get, or if she should bring her child in. “It’s just a big time saver that we can do some of that virtually and not have to make a whole visit all the way into the clinic.”

Sports physicals at OLHC are another service that Alissa appreciates, as the staff work hard to keep appointments from booking out more than a few weeks in advance. “Sometimes those sports physicals creep up on you pretty quick, and they are at least six months out in the traditional medical system that we’re also a part of. So I am grateful that we can get in here quickly.”

Any unused portion of the membership does not disappear. Alissa explains that, “the money that we don’t use for our appointments and our services, the clinic is able to use to help the uninsured. At the end of the year we get a summary: here’s how much of your benefactor money was used for your services, and here’s how much was donated to a nonprofit. That becomes our donation to a charitable organization.”

The Summer of Strep

When Alissa was asked what a story from her experience at the clinic is that sticks out to her, she pointed out a summer that strep continued to cycle through her family.

After weeks of fighting the strep, Alissa explained that “…it came down to Dr. Mike just recommending we test everybody. Someone’s carrying this, and people keep getting it. That someone doesn’t have symptoms, so we need to treat everybody. I just appreciated looking holistically at the whole system and what was going wrong. Sure enough, we had to hold down one of our kids to get a swab, but she was the carrier. And once we treated her, then everybody got better.”

Trusting the Clinic with Her Daughters

As her daughters get older, Alissa finds comfort in sending them to a clinic where the providers share her values. “I just have total trust in Dr. Mike and the other providers when they’re meeting with my kids…” Alissa says.

By law, a teenage daughter can be alone with a clinician. In many offices, doctors might quietly offer things that go against a family’s values. “I just appreciate the way that he’s never going to be offering birth control as an option to my daughter.” Alissa explains, “That’s not even on the table.”

Who Alissa Recommends the Clinic To

Alissa believes that as a person of faith, it’s important to support the clinic. “… I want my actions to fit what I’m saying, and this really fulfills a social justice mission. We’re taking care of people right in our community who need health care, and as a benefactor, I’m getting great health care myself.”

Not only does she find it important to support the clinic herself, but she also now refers others to the clinic whether they have insurance or not, particularly for the clinic’s fertility and women’s health care. “When families are struggling with fertility, that’s a big burden. The way that this clinic can help guide you through some really natural and almost simple means of achieving pregnancy, really protecting you from just very intense and invasive procedures…”

She also sends friends who are self-employed, and families on high-deductible plans. She tells them that Direct Primary Care is the practical door for great healthcare. And if you want an option for managing fertility that follows Church teaching, Our Lady of Hope Clinic is the best option.

Treating the Whole Person

Alissa has found that sometimes the problem is not one symptom. Sleep, stress, mood, “a life thing” all can affect each other. At the clinic she will, “…take all of the things that maybe someone is struggling with and dump them at Dr. Mike’s feet, and he just kind of unravels it and creates a plan, and he’s so calm.” Because Dr. Mike looks at the whole problem, he is often able to get to the root of whatever is going on much quicker, rather than finding a quick fix.

She continues on to explain, “I have total trust in him that he’s getting his wisdom from somewhere other than just medicine. I think that he is not only a doctor, but I think he’s a healer. He’s just taken really good care of our family.”

Could This Be What Your Family is Looking For?

Alissa’s doesn’t believe insurance is bad. Her point is that there is a better way. That a membership at Our Lady of Hope Clinic gets you the best quality of care, saves you time, respects your values, and gives you an avenue to help provide care for those who cannot afford it.

If you are looking for Direct Primary Care in Middleton or just looking for a way to bring hope and healing your local community, you can sign up for a membership at Our Lady of Hope Clinic today!

For more information on Direct Primary Care for your family, click here.

For more information on supporting the clinic’s free care, click here.

Or call (608) 819-8544. We would love to chat.