"When he was alive, Dr. John Caskey told a story about what prompted him and others to form what is now North Country HealthCare.
A single, working mother came into the emergency room to have her child treated for a minor problem.
Caskey began to tell her to take the child to their family physician for a follow-up, but she cut in to say she didn't have the time to schedule the appointment, or any means to pay the bill.
So began, in 1991, Flagstaff's first free clinic, which now accepts patients with and without insurance, charging fees on a sliding scale.
Now another free clinic, named for two longtime health care workers in Flagstaff, is opening, the Poore Medical Clinic."
It will be open only to uninsured people living under 200 percent of the federal poverty
level (that equates to less than $44,700 for a family of four or less than $21,780 for an
individual).
"Everything here will be financed by private donations. And everyone who works here will
be a volunteer without pay," said physician Henry Poore, adding that paid staff could
come later.
MINOR SURGERY
Poore retired long ago from his practice to do medical missions in Africa, Mexico, Latin
America, the Navajo Nation and the Gulf Coast with wife Nina, a nurse and midwife.
The Poores say they don't want to compete with any other health care provider, but that
their operation will be different in at least one way.
"No one will be charged who comes here," Nina said.
The clinic at the corner of North Humphreys Street and Fine Avenue (formerly the
Concentra urgent care clinic building) will have basic health services, including laboratory
work, a pharmacy, minor surgery, and vision testing.
It has a sterilization machine Henry obtained in 1965, exam tables he got for about $30
apiece from Northern Arizona University's clinic, and other medical antiques that are old
but deemed very functional.
Henry opens cabinets stocked with medical supplies donated by local physicians and nurse
practitioners.
He'll be relying on them again to give their time, in order to hold clinics.
"This has been something that my husband has dreamed about doing for years," Nina said.
NO CO-PAYS
Ruth DeBoard is a family nurse practitioner who works with homeless patients at Flagstaff
Shelter Services, and she is excited about the free clinic, saying it will help people who
have jobs that don't offer insurance, and homeless patients.
"There are tremendous barriers for people being able to get access to health care. While
we have a number of facilities and we're very rich in the number of providers, that still
does not ensure that people can gain access to health care," DeBoard said.
She gives the example of a homeless person on the state's Medicaid plan now required to
make a co-pay.
"If they've only got 30 cents in their pocket, and they have to pay that co-pay even if they
have the Medicaid plan, they can't go in the door, they can't fill that prescription," she said.
RESPONSE TO FUNDING CUTS
The Poores and Bill Packard (commonly known for his work with St. Vincent De Paul) are
also responding to repeated news reports of cuts in state programs offering health care for
the indigent.
They also point to local surveys finding 34 percent of the city's residents do not get regular
health care, 2,000 are homeless or underhoused, and 17 percent of residents are living
below the poverty line.
They estimate 5,000 to 7,000 kids aren't getting regular health care annually in Coconino
County.
Mike Keberlein has practiced as an internist in Flagstaff for 31 years and would favor a
system providing health care for all.
"I see patients who aren't getting good care every day in the office. It's not due just to lack
of insurance," he said.
The free clinic is one idea, he said, but it doesn't fix what he sees as the larger problems
like paying physicians to see as many patients as possible in a day, and not compensating
them for providing information to help prevent health problems.
"The system is unsatisfactory, and I'm not sure you're going to solve it with another free
clinic," he said. "But you've gotta do what you've gotta do to take care of sick people."
WANTED: VOLUNTEERS, SUPPLIES
Next up at the Poore Medical Clinic is likely to be a big drive for volunteers (medical and
otherwise), medical supplies, office staff and operating money, Henry said.
The Poore Medical Clinic is likely to be open two days per week at first when it opens Oct.
27. It can be reached at 213-5543.
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