Plaque outside front door, Trinity Free Clinic
reception areas, bedrooms to exam rooms. Furnishings are welcoming, a far cry from institutional. For four years, Hope used Cicero Christian Church classrooms, moving exam tables in and desks out each time the clinic was open, said Mike Jenkins, board president. When it opened its own facility in 2010, a couple of full-time staff were hired. Its nurse practitioner, volunteer nurses and doctor accept patients from any county. A $5 donation is requested, but no one is turned down and staff ensures that patients will have enough money for low-cost prescriptions before they make a donation. Through Reach Out and Read, every child leaves Hope with a book.
Front Desk, Heart and Soul Clinic
The newest clinic, Heart and Soul, has operated from a city-owned building in Westfield since late 2009. Its birth came when Kirsch, an RN who had been working for a social services agency, “got a nagging feeling that God had something he wanted me to do.” Among the first patients was a man with diabetes. He’d not had his blood sugar tested for three years when he first appeared at the clinic. Renovating the building that was slated to be razed was the biggest obstacle to opening. Volunteers came from as far as Brownsburg
to knock down walls, paint and tear out linoleum. An enclosed porch became a play room, and three exam rooms were created. As at Trinity, Heart and Soul doesn’t request a donation and limits its care to county residents. Patients are uninsured or pay such high deductibles they can’t afford visits for routine services like blood pressure checks. Trinity opened in 2000 by using Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School classrooms. The first week, it had 15 patients. It later converted a convent into a standalone clinic, and last
Experience the Excitement
May 28-June 3, 2012
THE HAWTHORNS GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB
The Hawthorns Golf & Country Club
Fishers, Indiana
Don’t miss the next generation of LPGA superstars in this inaugural tournament contested by 144 professional women golfers from around the world. Visit MyMarshGolfClassic.com for volunteer opportunities, sponsorship, and tournament details. Proceeds benefit Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA)
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April • May 2012/Hamilton County Business Magazine