In Isabella County, there are approximately 5,000 Isabella County residents 15 years old and above that are without health insurance and about 9,000 residents utilizing Michigan Medicaid.
These statistics helped convince staff at McLaren Central Michigan to reopen its free medical clinic. It is now open on the first Thursday of each month from 4-6 p.m. at 2981 Health Parkway, Suite B in Mt. Pleasant.
“McLaren recently completed an assessment of the current needs in Isabella County and it was determined that we continue to have a large number of uninsured residents in need of medical care,” said Kelly Sineway, nurse manager at the clinic. “That’s kind of where the need started and decided there as a need for the free clinic again.”
As the needs are assessed, the number of days and times the clinic is open could change.
The clinic does not schedule appointments and takes patients on a first-come, first-serve basis who are treated the day they come in.
“If they are eligible, we’ll continue to see them until they’re connected with their primary care physician,” Sineway said.
It is staffed by qualified volunteer physicians and mid-level care practitioners. Non-clinical volunteers will assist with operations of the clinic and with follow-up throughout the week.
The following criteria makes a patient eligible for the clinic:
• income must be under 250 percent of the national poverty level. An intake volunteer will explain this process at the time of registration;
• the client cannot have health care insurance, but can have catastrophic insurance;
• if the client qualifies for the Michigan Medicaid Plan, they will be asked to apply for it. A volunteer will assist with this; and
• clients will be asked to go through the intake and income process once a year. This is necessary to ensure that pertinent information is kept updated.
Someone without insurance will be helped in the process to obtain insurance as well.
The clinic originally opened in January 2012 and was open for approximately two years before making a transition to a virtual clinic, which is no longer available.
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