By Michelle Ruschman
Every heroic effort comes from a need and for Point Washington Medical Clinic the mission is “Radically Inclusive Healthcare.” When Hillary Glenn, a family nurse practitioner who is now the Executive Director and founder of Point Washington Medical Clinic, answered the call to open a free walk-in clinic, she and her staff became part of this area’s heroes.
It all began when she had a conversation with her former neighbor, Jackie Ward, a local photographer.
“I would tell her, If I ever had my own practice, I would like to have a community day where I either charge a sliding scale or make it free for people who didn’t have insurance or had difficulty paying for health care, just to increase access.”
A few years later, both women had gone on mission trips, Hillary to Africa and Jackie to Russia, increasing their desire to help those in need. The missions committee at Jackie’s church began talks about an international medical mission and brought in a local physician, Dr. Patsy Vargo, to talk to them about the possibilities. A pivotal question from Dr. Vargo would completely redirect the location of the mission field: “Why go abroad when there’s so much need here?”
At that point, Jackie was sitting on the mission committee of her church and immediately thought of Hillary to propose being part of a local clinic.
“I said, ‘Absolutely. Sounds totally up my alley.’ Right after, in January 2017, Patsy and I met with Jackie. I like to say it was like peas and carrots. We just hit it off and had many of the same fundamental ideas about what we wanted to do with the clinic. By the end of the week, we had a name and a logo.”
The clinic is located in Santa Rosa Beach, which many people consider a place of prosperity. The reality is, however, that there are many workers in hospitality, landscaping, construction, etc., that support the strength of the local economy and it is this invaluable part of the community that can often be underserved in healthcare.
“For our community to stay so economically vibrant, we need a healthy workforce. That means access to health care doesn’t become another financial burden. Unfortunately, they tend to make too much money for government assistance, but not enough money to buy quality health insurance.”
With so much need in the area, the clinic would require funding to get started. Point Washington United Methodist Church provided half the seed money, and the other half was given at a special dinner in March 2017.
“Shannon Kromalis is a good friend, and she was part of a group where some women in the community would get together once a month for dinner. The host of the dinner says, ‘I’ll cook for you but the money that’s donated will go to the charity of my choice.’ Shannon told me for her night in March, she wanted it to be the clinic. I was able to attend the event and tell these women all about it. At the end of the night, I was so nervous, I didn’t open my donation bucket until I got home. When I did, I just started crying. These amazing women had given over $3,000! I called Patsy and we just couldn’t believe it. Between the church and this dinner, we had gotten the seed money we needed. At that point, the clinic turned into a snowball running downhill. It just kept growing until it became this huge force going on its own with even the exam tables being donated!”
Point Washington Medical Clinic was a dream in January 2017. A small team opened the pop-up clinic on April 12 in the Stephen Center Fellowship Hall of Point Washington United Methodist Church.
“In the beginning we were open on Wednesdays each week for six hours a week. Since the church is still a busy, active church, we build the clinic in the morning and break it down at the end of the day when we’re done. The day we’re open there’s a sign outside that says there is a walk-in clinic.”
To spread the word, the team distributed postcards to restaurants, construction sites, and locally owned businesses in English and Spanish, letting them know medical services were being provided and that no fee was required but a donation was welcome.”
It didn’t take long for the word to get out. They saw four patients on the first day and by September they were seeing an average of 25 to 35 patients a day.
In October 2018, Hurricane Michael hit and Point Washington Medical Clinic was able to serve Panama City in one of its most dire times. Just five days after the hurricane, when the area’s hospitals were barely able to operate, Point Washington Medical Clinic offered the hope and support that was desperately needed.
“Because we were a pop-up that was already used to doing everything on the fly, we were able to set up in a parking lot in Lynn Haven that was near the city center. We worked there for seven days straight, treating people under a tent out in the open, and eventually partnered with Heart to Heart International, also using their MMU (mobile medical unit).
The city of Lynn Haven eventually needed its parking lot back, so we were able to partner with St. Dominic’s in Springfield and it was devastated. There were no pharmacies where prescriptions could be filled so we were able to help with that through our partnership with Heart to Heart International and Direct Relief. The Amgen Foundation then came in and paid for what’s called Clinic in a Can, which is a 20-foot container that has two exam rooms, running water, air conditioning, and heating. We ran that clinic for five months, me going two days a week because I still had a full-time job, and a doctor who was a member of St. Dominic’s, working two days as well.”
During that time, the clinic and its medical volunteers were able to offer tetanus shots and flu vaccines and dispense common medications. At the beginning of the relief effort, even insulin was donated, so they were also able to serve their diabetic patients.
At the end of the six months, the team returned to Santa Rosa Beach and in June 2019 negotiated a second day with the church so more patients could be seen. They are now open Mondays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesdays from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. No appointments are necessary.
Since 2017, Hillary had worked at an Urgent Care full-time and also ran and volunteered at PWMC. In January 2020, however, the board decided that to grow, the clinic needed someone full-time. Finally, after three years of hard work, Hillary was able to quit her job at the Urgent Care and come on full-time at the clinic.
Since then, the clinic has continued to grow its services and resources. When covid hit in March the clinic was one of the first to provide testing at no charge. Under the hot summer sun with yellow flies and ants, Hillary and her team were under a tent, providing covid tests while people stayed in their cars. For the patients who had more severe symptoms, a picnic table became the exam table. The clinic had learned how to be resourceful. In the middle of this, friends of Hillary’s who own Raw and Juicy in Alys Beach were able to connect her to the JW Couch Foundation. They were able to help the clinic get its own MMU, a 26-foot climate-controlled box truck with two exam rooms that provided privacy.
“In this truck, we can see anyone who comes with a fever or any kind of upper respiratory symptoms, and we can test for COVID, influenza, strep, mono, RSV, Lyme and can also do urine and pregnancy tests inside because we also provide Women’s Health.”
Today, PWMC has more than 90 volunteers who work intake, screening, records admin, medical and more. On any given day you’ll find 16 to 20 volunteers during their hours of operation and there is a real sense of community among those who come.
Now, after five years of faithfully building and taking down the clinic on Mondays and Wednesdays at the church, the clinic is moving toward having a building of its own. The goal is to open five days a week with a flexible schedule to accommodate a variety of work schedules and volunteer availability. The clinic will have four exam rooms, two procedure rooms, dentistry, a lab room where standard tests can be conducted and there will be a dispensary for common medications, but no controlled substances. There will also be a teaching kitchen and a lecture hall so they can incorporate wellness.
“We can start to educate our patients so they can take control of their health, and learn how to cook nutritious, healthy food so they, in the future, may not need their diabetes or blood pressure medication. This way, their children also stay healthy and learn healthy habits. This will be a game changer for our patients. We will be a huge resource, hopefully for the entire community, by fall 2023.”
To support the clinic’s efforts, more volunteers will be needed. In addition to licensed medical professionals, the clinic will need people to work at the front desk or be part of their education team teaching cooking and nutrition. If you’re unable to volunteer, financial contributions are always welcome, and no donation is too small. Everyone can help raise awareness so please share with your circles of influence. All of us can be part of radically inclusive healthcare.
Send your inquiries to info@thepwmc.org or call (850) 213-1133.
