The Response

Safety Net

Despite programs from the government designed to support expanded health services, many individuals have to make difficult choices concerning their health care. St. Benedict Health and Healing Ministry (SBHHM) focuses on addressing the needs of those who are medically underserved, typically those experiencing homelessness and those with barriers to accessing health care.

SBHHM is part of Colorado’s health care safety net. We are a community-funded source of basic medical care for low-income and/or uninsured adults in Boulder County, and one of only 43 community safety net clinics in Colorado. We are funded by grants and donations, and all services are free to recipients. We work with medically underserved populations, including the underinsured, defined as those who have health insurance of some kind but cannot afford the out-of-pocket costs.

The Colorado Health Institute notes that those most likely to need a safety net are those with low incomes, those uninsured (or underinsured), those covered by public health insurance, and those with no regular source of primary care. All of our patients fall into at least one of these categories of need. All are in danger of falling through the cracks in the road to reliable health care. As such, we are the initial point of access for many into the health care system in Boulder County.

For additional details on Safety Net Clinics, see https://www.coloradohealthinstitute.org/sites/default/files/migrated/postfiles/2016_Primer.pdf

Results

In 2018, thirty-three volunteer health care professionals, interpreters and other administrative volunteers provided 1,115 health care services via 605 patient visits to 11-13 Free Clinics conducted each month. In addition, over 1,900 guests of Severe Weather Shelters in Boulder were offered medicine through the Don Burt Community Care Program (DBCCP).

We also regularly offer instruction in contemplative and stretching practices to provide patients with relaxation techniques to better handle physical and emotional stress. SBHHM also maintains a Medical Financial Assistance Program to help patients who cannot pay for medicine or medical supplies.

Volunteers in all of our programs totaled 43 in 2018, including 10 who served on the Board of Directors. Collectively, our dedicated volunteers provided 2,448 hours of volunteer time equating to $83,858 worth of volunteer service. This breaks down as 670 clinical hours (valued at $36,237), and 1,778 (valued at $47,621) in DBCCP and other non-clinical hours.

We address the problems in health care accessibility and affordability by offering free direct and preventive services. By establishing a relationship, we are able to help people find a medical home. A count of services in 2018 reveal that 116 Physician or Nurse Practitioner consultations were provided at no cost, as were 439 Registered Nurse consultations. Types of services included:

-acute illness or trauma care (48);

-foot or wound care (50);

-blood pressure screenings (331);

-diabetes screenings (108); and

-physical therapy consults (23).

Equally important, 82 health care referrals were made to either Urgent Care or Emergency Room facilities or to potential medical homes (i.e., full-service clinics such as Clinica and its affiliate People’s Clinic, Salud Clinic, Hope Light Clinic, Dental Aid, or the patient’s own primary care physician).

Finally, in-kind donations such as hats, socks, personal care items, medical supplies, medications and office supplies valued at $3,735 were received from donors and distributed in 2018.

For additional details on our results in 2017, see our Annual Report at

http://www.stbenedicthealthandhealing.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/AnnualRpt2017.pdf