I can't imagine anyone still arguing that our nation's health-care system isn't broken, but those who do might want to pop into CVIM some morning, afternoon, or night: The biggest and busiest free clinic in Pennsylvania can barely treat all the needy in Chester County, the wealthiest place in the state.
Nearly all of the 250 doctors, dentists, hygienists, and pharmacists work for free. Every stethoscope, antibiotic, and X-ray machine is donated. Cranks, be silent: Not a penny comes from the government.
Until recently, only the working poor could partake of this lifeline in an industrial park near a business that rents moon bounces. But then chief executive officer Maureen Tomoschuk began to see a strain of despair afflicting the newly - and unexpectedly - unemployed.
"We'd have donors calling us, saying, 'I lost my job and coverage for our family. I don't know where to turn. Can you help'?" she recalls. "We had to change."
Lines out the door
Last week, House Republicans celebrated a largely symbolic repeal vote of health-care reform. A week earlier, Gov. Corbett said he was pulling the plug on a program that subsidizes insurance for 40,000 low-income Pennsylvanians.
Inside the clinic (www.cvim.org), Tomoschuk remains unfazed, focused on seeking money and recruits to treat diabetics, perform root canals, put braces on needy children, and dispense antidepressants to woeful adults. She's got specialists galore but can always use more. Last year, the clinic even hired a bilingual social worker to assist patients burdened by bills.
"We had over 1,600 clinic visits in November," Tomoschuk says, "one of if not the busiest months ever.
"Doctors used to log visits. Now we have 12 volunteers who do nothing but data entry every day."
Demand for CVIM's services has risen by nearly a third since 2008, following trends seen among the 1,200 members of the National Association of Free Clinics.
