Free health clinic marks 10 years
SUMMIT TWP — The public celebration for the Community Health Clinic of Butler County's 10th anniversary was fun, but the clinic's decade of service to those with little or no insurance wasn't the big news at the festive event on Thursday.
A surprise announcement was made that the name of the clinic would be changed to the Jean B. Purvis Community Health Center in honor of the nonagenarian who came up with the idea for the facility 11 years ago.
Kim Reamer, executive director at the clinic, said Purvis had seen a free community health clinic while visiting South Carolina.
After witnessing the uninsured and under-insured receiving competent health care down south, Purvis came home and gathered some well-placed friends together to try and situate such a clinic in Butler County.
“We wanted to honor her for all she's done and all she continues to do for the clinic,” Reamer said.
A ceremony was held at the clinic where staff members introduced Purvis to a sign with her name on it.
Purvis said behind the letters were years of work and many others who helped make the clinic a reality.
“I worked with a whole lot of people to get the clinic started,” Purvis said. “It was not a solo thing by any means.”
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Purvis got the idea while visiting Hilton Head Island, S.C. She said she saw a thank-you ad in the newspaper from someone to the clinic.Purvis brought the idea back and started working with friends to create their own place where people who didn't have insurance could go for help with their health.“It is a volunteer organization, so it can ignore a lot of government red tape,” she said.She said it must have been much easier in Hilton Head, being a retirement destination, where doctors with time on their hands are abundant.“We still manage. We have doctors and nurses. We have all kinds of professionals,” Purvis said.Purvis said the name on the sign is insignificant on its own. She said it may be her name, but the new name stands for every single one of the people who poured their hearts into the place — and for the people who still do.“I'm proud in a way just because I represent the many people who worked for more than a year to get this started and keep this going for many years,” she said.As for the birthday celebration, members of the community were welcomed to enjoy a hot dog or fancy cupcake, peruse the vendor displays, visit the many nonprofit booths, or take a tour of the clinic.Many of the clinic's volunteers and staff also enjoyed the birthday celebration, which was held at the clinic on Bonnie Drive off Kittanning Street.Ernie Francestine served as a volunteer determining whether applicants were eligible for the clinic's medical, dental and lifestyle services before becoming a board member.“The situations they were in at the time, we provided them with a service to help them with some really difficult times,” Francestine said of his work as an eligibility volunteer.He said the clinic also connects people with social services where they can access clothing, food or other necessities.Francestine stressed that many hardworking county residents have used the clinic in its decade in existence. He recalls one client in her mid 50s whose husband was laid off, causing the couple to lose their health benefits.“She was heartbroken that she had to rely on someone else,” Francestine said. “She never had to do that before.”Chris Cassioli, the clinic's on-staff nurse practitioner, agrees with Francestine's assessment.“The patients who most appreciate our services are the ones who had insurance and now find themselves without it through no fault of their own,” Cassioli said. “It's very rewarding work at the end of the day.”Cassioli, who is one of the few caregivers at the clinic who is paid to work her 16 hours per week, said she gets to spend much more time with each of her patients than a private practitioner because she doesn't have to worry about making a profit.“Money is not an issue, so we have all the time in the world,” she said.Cassioli served at the clinic as a student, where she got her first look at health care for those who would otherwise not be able to afford it.“I just felt like I would end up here,” she said. “You feel like you're making a difference.”Retired pharmacist Larry Hibbs has served as a volunteer in his field at the clinic since its inception.“It's the right thing to do,” said Hibbs. “You get the satisfaction of helping people who can't afford medicine.”He said a generic manufacturer donates prescription medications to the clinic that are six or eight months away from their expiration date, and some meds are purchased at a discount through the manufacturers' programs for the indigent.Other medications are purchased using grant money, Hibbs said.
All medications available at the clinic are free, and Hibbs prepares them for the clinic's patients.Hibbs was excited to celebrate the clinic's 10th birthday on Thursday.“We have a lot of caring volunteers and employees who try very hard to help these people,” he said.One is Ruth Anne Blose, a senior citizen who has served as a volunteer at the clinic since 2010, when her neighbor informed her the clinic needed volunteers.“It's fabulous that (the clinic) came and has lasted and will continue,” Blose said. “It certainly provides a service that is needed.”She volunteers for four hours every Monday.“I was surprised to learn how many people need help,” Blose said.Cathy Woller of Penn Township worked for many years as a nurse in a Butler pediatrician office. She now rides the school bus with children with medical necessities.Woller visited the clinic during its birthday celebration because some of her nurse friends volunteer.She took a tour on Thursday and received a gift bag as well.“It's so important to have in our area,” Woller said.Amy Zanella of Butler also toured the clinic as part of the birthday celebration. Zanella recalled referring clients to the clinic in her former job as a disability advocate at the county Assistance Office.“It's a Godsend for this area,” Zanella said. “I hope they keep it going because I think it's so important for the clients.”Tom and Lorraine Barclay of Summit Township came to the birthday celebration because they lived in the neighborhood when it opened and now live a short distance away.“We see it driving past all the time,” said Lorraine.She and her husband prepared to take a tour of the sparkling clean and modern clinic.“We definitely need it for the unemployed people and the homeless and the vets,” Tom said.Connie Coyle Mazzoni, who has been a board member at the clinic for a few years, said the well-heeled residents of Cranberry Township, where she lives, have no idea that the clerks and waiters they come into contact with every day might be using the clinic due to a lack of health insurance.“There are so many under-insured and uninsured people in Butler County, and people are totally unaware of it,” Mazzoni said.She encourages everyone to donate what they can afford to the newly named Jean B. Purvis Community Health Center.“More people should support it,” she said.More information on the clinic, including how to donate, is available at www.butlerhealthclinic.org.<em>Eagle Staff Writer Nathan Bottiger contributed to this report.</em>
