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- Agape/Community Care Activities Summary: 2002
Esmeralda Rodriguez, 8/7/95-12/27/02
Esmeralda was one of our patients. She was trapped in a burning apartment on Christmas day and died two days later at Children's Medical Center. Her death would have touched me deeply at any time of the year. At Christmastime, her passing reminds me that Mary and Joseph came anonymously in the evening and found no bed for themselves. Their child was born in a stable. Only a few people understood what child this was.
Like Mary and Joseph and
Jesus, families and patients come to Agape because there is not another place
for them. Are our patients anonymous to us, too? Or do we remember that each
person, child and adult, is precious and treat them as such? Could we all
stop for just a moment Now and pray for Esmeralda and her family; and
for all our patients; and for ourselves that we might be manifestations of
agape in this new year.
Activities (also see news & comments below)
| Activity |
#
Patients Served
|
$
Value*
|
Totals
|
| Medical care for illness or physical exam |
5019
|
55.00
|
$276,045.00
|
| Medications provided |
4400
|
43.00
|
$189,200.00
|
| Immunizations |
1651
|
55.00
|
$90,805.00
|
| Follow-up & home visits |
204
|
50.00
|
$10,200.00
|
| Social work or chaplain care |
305
|
50.00
|
$15,250.00
|
The total value of services provided in 2002 was $581,500.00; and the budget was less than $70,000.00. The value of services figure is very conservative. If we calculated as similar clinics do, the value would be well over a million dollars. See * at end of document for calculation details.
News & Comments
2002 was a year
of change and growth at Agape. The 
number
of people served and the (very conservative) monetary value of services are
outlined above. Photo: Agape waiting room.
We outgrew the all-volunteer model and were able to obtain funding for a 50% time clinic coordinator and increase the activities scope/time for the clinic lay health promoter (promotora). Click here for Benefactors. We are well on our torturous paperwork way to achieve 501 (c)(3) nonprofit designation by the IRS. The clinic committee has expanded and is now the Agape board of directors.
The clinic coordinator is Kay Dial, FNP-C, an experienced child health nurse and recent graduate of Baylor's family nurse practitioner (FNP) program. Having Kay in place means that we are much better able to track medications, schedule volunteers, and stay on top of other administrative issues. And, as an FNP, Kay is able to examine, diagnose, and prescribe medications and treatments for patients. What a wonderful asset!
La promotora is
still Lupe Springer. Her work in the clinic is combined with her work in Creations
of Faith (Creaciones
de Fe), our mission and community support program that meets Monday-Wednesday
upstairs
at Grace. It is through Creaciones that we are best able to work in
the spiritual dimension of health.
Volunteer physicians who joined us in 2002 included Allen Plotkin, MD, Humaira Moten, MD, Jyothi Reddy, MD, Carrie Guill, MD, Laura Winterfield, MD, & Don Mehrabi, MD. Volunteers from Creaciones, Baylor, Emanuel Lutheran, Grace Church, and other lay and professional volunteers are assisting in the clinic.
38 nursing students were
trained in community health and primary health care in a setting in which
they
also practiced agape and mercy. Through the service-learning program of Baylor
Community Care, students provided much of the nursing and community health
care at Agape/Community Care. Over the past few years several of our students
and volunteers have become full-time missionaries and more are regular participants
in mission trips. Several are also working in clinics similar to Agape. Photo:
Baylor students in the Agape pharmacy.
Counseling for patients was provided through a cooperative agreement with Dallas MetroCare and Turtle Creek Manor.
Community education in and out of the clinic continued through 2002. We were especially pleased with the series of diabetes classes organized by la promotora and held in cooperation with Dallas Concilio. Education and health screening will accelerate in 2003 when we add Wednesday as a full day of outreach. In August we held an immunization extravaganza and in October we held our first health fair at Grace. Priorities for 2003 are discussed below.
Grace Church painted the clinic waiting room and hallway outside the clinic; and installed new carpet in the hall. Thank you! 2003 marks the centennial of Grace - 100 years of worship and service. It is good to be in this church. Click here for a window at Grace.
Long-time volunteer - one who defines "good and faithful servant" - Betty Bux was one of five "dreamers, doers and unsung heroes" honored by the Real Estate Council in 2002. Betty retired from Agape this year. We miss her. Alison White, our Thursday/Friday chaplain also retired from Agape and her loving presence also is missed.
Priorities for 2003
- Continue to respond to community needs. To achieve this goal, we are expanding Thursdays to all day clinic vs. the scheduled ½ day; and on Wednesdays are adding a full day of outreach and related community health care. The latter includes developing a relationship with Zaragoza Elementary School, expanding district health services, and assessing community health needs.
- Improve the quality of care. We will increase follow-up and home visits; as well as providing some specialty care in the clinic.
- Increase health screening and promotion. Thus far we have scheduled two mammogram and health fair events for 2003.
- Continue to build the funding base through area churches and other resources. To this end the Agape board is scheduling a series of meetings with pastors and other community leaders to plan for collaborative activities.
- Increase the recruitment and involvement of lay and professional volunteers. The board and others are planning and scheduling recruitment activities at churches and professional sites.
* Community standard costs of health care: To avoid criticism, I presented the low side of values in all cases. The cost of care for illness or physical assessments is based on what patients would pay if they went to a neighborhood clinic such as the clinic on Columbia across the street from the Cost Plus Supermarket. Of course this does not accurately reflect what patients would pay for care from our volunteer physicians or from Parkland! The retail value of medications provided is based on a review of 256 patient records. The Stewpot Clinic estimates that the cost/encounter at their clinic (including medications) to be $200. Top
Report by Charles Kemp, FNP, FAAN