.jpg)
Dr. Dawn Harbatkin, Lyon-Martin Medical Director
While Washington is embroiled in the debate over health care reform, nonprofit community clinics are working every day to provide care to people who otherwise can’t afford it.
I was interested to hear perspectives from these on-the-ground health care providers. How do these organizations persevere in the face of devastating budget cuts? And will reform measures actually help community clinics improve direct services?
Here in San Francisco, we have Lyon-Martin Health Services, California’s only independent clinic organized to provide health care services to lesbian/bisexual women and transgender people. This year Lyon-Martin is celebrating its 30-year anniversary.
Named for the famed lesbian-feminist activists Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon (founders of the first lesbian rights organization, The Daughters of Bilitis, in San Francisco in 1955), Lyon-Martin is a national model for providing holistic care at the cutting edge of HIV, transgender and lesbian and bisexual women’s health issues. Many of Lyon-Martin’s clients are also homeless. The team has integrated physical and mental health care—another innovation that respects the way mind and body are connected and tries to provide the best possible care for all clients. In 2008, Lyon-Martin:
• Treated 2,500 people, who made 7,198 visits to Lyon-Martin.
• Provided health care and case management for 75 HIV+ patients
• Diagnosed and treated 35 people who had uncontrolled diabetes
• Provided sensitive health care for 250 transgender people
• Checked over 1,000 women for cervical cancer
• Provided over 100 clinical breast exams at community events
“One of the main ways we’re experiencing the economic crisis at Lyon-Martin is that we’ve seen an increase in demand for our services—people have lost their health insurance, lost their jobs, and so the need has increased.” said Fred Lopez, Executive Assistant.
“We have not turned anyone away,” noted Anne McGivern, Director of Development and Marketing, “but we treat people who are the most vulnerable, and regardless of their ability to pay, which means funding is always an issue for us.”
Nationally, in the health care debates, some are looking at Healthy San Francisco as a model for reform, but Anne McGivern pointed out, “Many people don’t understand that the Healthy San Francisco Program only reimburses 25% of our costs. All other costs must be made up by donations, grants and other sources. Healthy San Francisco is just not paying the real costs of health care. There is a desperate need for these services but many people cannot afford them.”
At 30, Lyon-Martin is a San Francisco institution and, also, is at a critical juncture. To learn more about this community clinic and to support its work, visit www.lyon-martin.org
For the latest stories on SF nonprofit business, subscribe above to receive regular updates about this column. You can also follow Maureen Futtner & Associates on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook. Visit my website to learn about P.R. for the People and the services I offer nonprofits and small businesses.
Comments