The People We Serve
The patients who visit People’s Health are the people who make Summit and Wasatch Counties’ economies go. They are the waiters and cooks in our restaurants, the cleaning and landscape staff at our hotels, the realtors and small business owners. Some are students, some are single parents with young children. They may work several jobs, but none that offer affordable health insurance. Or perhaps they have been denied health insurance in our ever-more-challenging health care environment.
Here are a few of their stories:
Emily
“It felt like it was something that dropped from heaven.”
This is how Emily, a registered nurse and mother of two, describes hearing about People’s Health Clinic. These days she works as a nurse at a job with health insurance benefits. But several years ago, she and her husband were both were working hard at jobs without health insurance, trying to make a start in Park City. At the same time, Emily was working on her degree. When their young daughters came down with the normal childhood illnesses, they didn’t know how they could afford doctors’ visits and prescriptions. For a small donation at People’s Health, they could be sure their girls Michelle and Aly received quality care for strep throat or fevers, and even could get their needed prescriptions for free or at a discount.
Emily was so moved by the kindness and care her family received at PHC, she returned as a volunteer, doing intake interviews and phlebotomy work at the evening clinics. “I want to say a really big “Thank you” to the people who support the Clinic. You’re wonderful!”
Alice
When Alice first visited one of our doctors, she could not discuss her symptoms or current situation without breaking down. Alice is a Park City resident who had worked for a long time for a local company, lost her job in 2008 due to cutbacks, and most recently her unemployment benefits ran out. She was exhausted and ill with multiple symptoms she did not understand. On the advice of a friend, she finally came to PHC. The doctor determined she was suffering from diabetes, hypertension, and severe depression.
Alice has come for three return visits with one of our doctors, as well as weekly meetings with Karen Christian, our volunteer psychiatrist. Clinic Coordinator Mariely Ferrer is delighted to see the changes: “The look on her face tells the whole story – she is so relieved, so happy to have taken steps towards feeling better, physically and emotionally.” Alice is pursuing several job possibilities and feels hopeful again about her life.
Perla
Perla doesn’t know where she would have gone these past 6 years for medical care if it weren’t for People’s Health. “A visit to a doctor’s office can cost up to $150 and you usually have to go during the day.” People’s Health works for Perla, who has a small housecleaning business in town and cannot afford private health insurance for herself or her 2 employees.
“I can pay the suggested donation and see a doctor in the evenings, so I can work all day.”
Perla was seen by Sandae Bonaire, a volunteer Certified Nurse Midwife, throughout her pregnancy with her 6-year-old daughter. “People here are so nice. They call to remind you of your appointments, they have translators if you need them. And Sandae – she and my husband joke around all the time.”
“I came for the prenatal class. It was great. You think you know a lot of stuff, but there’s so much you don’t know.” Perla would like to volunteer as a translator one day, to give back to the Clinic that has helped her so much.
Jesus
“From the first moment he entered our Clinic, Jesus has been a model patient – a star!” After a sudden unknown illness landed him in the hospital, Jesus was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. His parents were relieved to learn that the People’s Health Clinic could provide the care and education Jesus would require once he was stabilized, and Jesus first saw Dr. Bob Pellegrine, PHC Medical Director, about a year ago. Diagnosis of the disease, which used to be known as Juvenile Diabetes, can be life-changing, and there’s a lot for a 15-year-old to learn – how give himself daily injections of insulin, how to test his blood sugar, and the new diet that he will need to follow for life. Mariely Ferrer, PHC Clinic Coordinator, was amazed at Jesus’s quick and thorough understanding of everything she presented in their one-on-one orientation. How could she tell? The proof is in the lab work. At every appointment since he started treatment, Jesus’s blood sugar levels have been perfect. Of course, that translates into Jesus feeling a whole lot better. Mariely appreciates the opportunity to give one-on-one instructions – it allows her to personalize diet and exercise plans for each patient, addressing different needs of gender, age or life situation. Jesus and his dad are grateful for the care he’s had, and that gratitude is also apparent in the diligent way the whole family has followed the counsel they have been given.
Andrea
Andrea is one of hundreds of pregnant mothers seen by the providers at the People’s Health Clinic every year. During a routine ultrasound at 16 weeks of pregnancy, Andrea was diagnosed with placenta previa, a condition in which the placenta covers the opening to the birth canal. Blood and oxygen are cut off during labor as the baby tries to push through the placenta. This condition could have led to the death of Andrea and her baby, or serious brain damage to the baby. By performing a series of ultrasounds throughout Andrea’s pregnancy, PHC providers detected this condition and helped Andrea plan for a caesarean section. This avoided devastating and costly emergency room procedures. Since 2000, the People’s Health Clinic has saved many lives, as well as saving patients and the community hundreds of thousands of dollars in neonatal and intensive care charges.