AGAPE CLINIC: 2004 ACTIVITIES SUMMARY
2004 was a year of growth and consolidation at Agape. It was also a year in which we treated significantly increased numbers of complex patients. There are a number of free clinics doing wonderful work in the Dallas area. What makes Agape unique (locally and nationally) is the integration of comprehensive services in a medically underserved community, at a very low cost.
We provided care in the community as shown below. The value column is based on a community standard cost of care.
| Activity | Patients
served |
Value |
Totals |
| Medical care for illness | 5384 |
$60.00 |
$323,040.00 |
| Medications provided | 5124 |
$45.00 |
$230,580.00 |
| Immunizations | 1140 |
$55.00 |
$62,700.00 |
| Follow-up & home visits | 308 |
$50.00 |
$15,400.00 |
| Social work or chaplain care | 434 |
$55.00 |
$23,870.00 |
| Mammograms | 114 |
$150.00 |
$17,100.00 |
The conservative value of traceable services provided in 2004 was $672,690. Expenditures were right at $100,000. Many services are difficult to quantify (and are thus not included in the traceable figures above), e.g., health screening events (five in 2004), diabetes classes, parent classes, and CHIP/Medicaid assistance. Volunteer hours are also difficult to quantify and we did not track them every week. Still, the conservative estimates of volunteer hours serving patients are as follows: Lay volunteers gave at least 2,500 hours. Physicians, nurse practitioners, and RNs gave more than 1,200 hours. Students from Baylor University’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing Community Care program and from other schools made enormous contribution to the clinic and community.
News & Comments on Services
New Services
New services at Agape include (1) women’s health, (2) promotoras de salud training and internships, and (3) research through the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. These are discussed below.
Primary Medical Care
The first thing we do at Agape and the very heart of our services is primary care for people who are sick (5384 in 2004). Care includes medications, the average retail cost of which is $45.00. Services are delivered by volunteer physicians, nurse practitioners, and students from Baylor, UT Southwestern, and other schools. Health problems treated at Agape include acute illnesses such as pharyngitis, urinary tract infections, and common skin disorders. Chronic health problems treated at Agape include asthma, hypertension, and diabetes. Cutbacks in public funding for healthcare resulted in a significant increase in complexity of patient problems. In addition to treating the more common primary care problems we provide specialty care, including pediatrics, dermatology, psychiatry, and women’s health services (well-woman and problem-oriented care).
Immunizations
Agape is the only site in Dallas providing immunizations on Saturdays year-round. This matters – a lot – because Texas ranks 46th in national immunization rates and Dallas is ranked even lower than Texas as a whole.
Spiritual Care
Never a week passes that we do not encounter people in spiritual crisis. Family violence, grinding poverty, injustice, isolation and a host of other stressors are chronic issues for many of our patients. Through our partner, Creations of Faith, we are able to offer a safe place for fellowship, prayer, Bible study, and therapy. In addition to care provided through Creations, individuals, especially Lupe, Dr. Pandya, and our seminary intern pray with patients and give other spiritual care.
Community Health
This year we held four mammogram and other (hypertension, diabetes, asthma, etc.) screening events plus one other screening event. Screening is coupled with health teaching and all patients with positive findings receive follow-up. Through our partner, Baylor School of Nursing, we provided weekly health-related classes for parents at Zaragoza Elementary School (three blocks from Agape), as well as health classes for Zaragoza students. Baylor students also follow-up on complex patients and provide outreach to more isolated patients. Community partners such as Concilio Dallas offer weekly classes on diabetic self care and how to access CHIP and Medicaid. We also were a site for infant/child car seat education through the East Dallas Health Center.
Social Services
The health problems of many of our patients are worsened or complicated by a variety of other issues. From teaching people how to use private insurance to assisting people into the healthcare system, patient advocacy and assistance are key aspects of our care.
Jonathan’s Place
We continued to provide intake physicals and screening for children newly admitted to this residential facility for abused and neglected children removed from their parents.
Professional Education
Agape is a training/clinical site for students from Baylor, University of Texas at Arlington, Texas Women’s University, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas Theological Seminary, and other institutions.
Community Development
A grant awarded by the Dallas Women’s Foundation brought to fruition ongoing work to advance the health of the community through community empowerment. We have a history of recruiting volunteers from the community served by Agape (the community served thus becomes the community of solution).
The Women’s Foundation grant allows us to train and intern promotoras de salud (lay health promoters) from the community to teach and assist patients in the clinic and the community.
Community Partners
Providing comprehensive care such as outlined above requires extraordinary cooperation among different organizations. We approach relationships with other organizations from a working perspective (vs. endless meetings, networking, dialoging, and the like). Our community partners include:\
A number of other organizations and individuals participate in the life of Agape.
News & Comments on the Board and Organization
There was good media coverage of Agape this year. The Dallas Morning News included Agape in an article on access to healthcare (January), al Dia also included Agape in an article Hispanic health issues (March), and the Lakewood Advocate featured the clinic in a very nice article (December).
The clinic as an organization and Bobbie Baxter as an individual were honored by Weed & Seed as Heroes of East Dallas.
Charles Kemp and his colleague Lance Rasbridge from Parkland Refugee Services had a book (Refugee and Immigrant Health) published by Cambridge University Press.
David Baxter is replacing Charles Kemp as board chair; Roxanne Arambula is replacing Kathryn Marshall as director; Melissa Elmore is replacing Kay Dial as FNP. Funny thing, everybody that is leaving is staying on as a volunteer. It feels good to be part of an organization like this
Contacts
Leslie Kemp 469 387 8134
(volunteering for Thursdays & Fridays)
Kathryn Marshall 214 929 6488 (volunteering for Saturdays)
Charles Kemp 214 801 3627 (for donations, other)