Gilroy
– With health insurance premiums in California skyrocketing more
than 80 percent over the past decade, it’s no wonder many
uninsured, low-income patients simply let their medical problems go
unchecked.
Gilroy – With health insurance premiums in California skyrocketing more than 80 percent over the past decade, it’s no wonder many uninsured, low-income patients simply let their medical problems go unchecked.
“A lot of times, those simple problems can turn into more serious matters,” said Dr. Mike Matsumoto, a volunteer doctor at the Gilroy RotaCare Free Medical Clinic. “But if people have no way of getting care, that’s when the problems can escalate. Our goal here is to prevent that from happening.”
After roughly a year-long hiatus, Gilroy RotaCare has reopened at South Valley Middle School, offering free medical care to low-income patients who have no medical insurance. Many of the patients are undocumented, making them and their children ineligible for care in public facilities.
Sam Gonzales, the clinic’s site administrator, said several patients have received poor treatment at other medical offices because of their inability to pay, and a major goal of RotaCare is to welcome those patients with open arms. Fluent in English and Spanish, Gonzales said he and his staff already are on a first-name basis with many of the patients. The clinic reopened Nov. 9.
“We’re no uppity, snooty place,” Gonzales said. “It’s bad enough these people are already down on their luck. They don’t need to be treated badly.”
Currently, Gilroy’s clinic is staffed by 13 volunteers and two volunteer doctors. Treatment services include both chronic and acute health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma, as well as more everyday concerns such as aches and pains, the flu and the common cold.
When a patient arrives at the clinic, he or she signs in with the receptionist and completes paperwork. The information is entered onto a chart. A nurse then takes the patient’s vital signs and discusses the patient’s health conditions. The patient sees a doctor, who provides a diagnosis and medication if necessary, including prescriptions that RotaCare obtains from regional hospitals for a discounted price.
Gilroy RotaCare, one of nine clinics throughout the Bay Area, is funded by a variety of community organizations including Gilroy Rotary, Kaiser Permanente, Rotary Club of Morgan Hill, Silicon Valley Charity Ball, St. Joseph’s Family Center and The Gilroy Foundation. Arteaga’s Super Save Market and Los Pericos donate food for the volunteers weekly.
About a year ago, Gilroy RotaCare shut down its previous clinic at the Ochoa Migrant Camp on the southeast side of town, as the clinic’s out-of-the-way location was difficult for many patients to access without a car.
Additionally, the head of the camp eventually decided keeping the camp’s gates unlocked for the clinic at night was an open invitation to troublemakers. But when the gates were left closed, patients stopped coming in, even though the clinic was still running.
Closing that clinic was a difficult decision, Gonzales said, but he thinks the new site is a better fit.
“It’s a central location here. People don’t have to take taxis to get here. There’s more of an availability,” he said.
The biggest challenge so far, Gonzales said, has been spreading the word and recruiting doctors. But with a dedication and passion for his work, he said he’s eager to take on much of the legwork himself.
“I’ve gone to grocery stores, Wal-Mart, Laundromats, all kinds of places, and I’ll start talking about (the clinic) while I’m standing in line,” he said. “People listen. Sometimes it draws a crowd, because people don’t know we’re here. I’m willing to do it because I believe so strongly in it.”
Gonzales also said he is in talks with doctors from Saint Louise Regional Hospital and Kaiser Permanente, where Matsumoto works, to recruit more volunteers.
“It gives myself a lot of personal gratification to help these people out,” said Matsumoto, who worked at the clinic’s previous location off-and-on for about 10 years before it closed. “I always feel like you should give at least 10 percent of your time to something other than work.”
Ideally, Gonzales would like to have a full staff of 25 to 30 volunteers – including nurse practitioners, nurses and receptionists – plus eight volunteer doctors, who would rotate shifts each week. Other aspirations include extending treatment to cover dental service and perhaps eventually opening a second night each week.
Patsy Vera, a patient at Tuesday’s clinic, said she had tolerated a nagging pain throughout her body for five months. But with no insurance and no way to pay for a doctor’s visit, the Morgan Hill resident ignored the pain and hoped it would disappear on its own. When it didn’t, she decided to visit the clinic.
“This is an opportunity for the low-income people or people just arriving in town to get what they need,” Vera said in Spanish. “And many people don’t have the money to pay because everything is so expensive. I feel fortunate to have a place to come and be seen.”
