Free Clinic of Southwest Washington was set to host its largest fundraiser of the year on Tuesday, April 28, the Sam Beall Breakfast, named after a local physician and founder of the clinic in 1990. The breakfast in part was to commemorate the clinic’s 30th year. But given the current Washington Stay Home, Stay Healthy order to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, the privately funded health care clinic canceled the in-person event.
“As so many of us are directly impacted by COVID-19, we know that our community is especially vulnerable during this time and we have come to the difficult decision to transition this year from our annual Sam Beall Breakfast, to a 24-hour flash fundraiser event,” said Pam Knepper, the free clinic’s Communications, Development and Outreach manager. “While we are extremely disappointed to miss seeing your faces in person, we know that this is the most responsible decision for our staff, and for the health and safety of our greater community.”
For 24 hours on April 28, in lieu of attending, supporters can:
- Make a one-time donation. Free Clinic of Southwest Washington has set a goal to raise $20,000 during the flash fundraiser.
- Make a monthly pledge or increasing a monthly pledge to the Free Clinic. To sign up, click the box next to the prompt that says “I would like to join the Sam Beall Stewardship Society, and donate on a regular basis” found on the donation page. A recurring, monthly donation provides a reliable source of income for the Free Clinic.
Supporters who make a donation during the flash fundraiser on April 28 will be automatically entered into a raffle for a chance to win prizes from a number of local businesses, including Bleu Door Bakery, Broadway/Portland Opera, Burnt Bridge Cellars, Cana’s Feast Winery, Heathman Lodge, Latte da Coffee House & Wine Bar, Maryhill Winery, Utopia Salon & Day Spa, and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
“Before COVID-19, many businesses in the Vancouver community graciously agreed to sponsor our annual Sam Beall breakfast,” said Knepper. “Despite the cancellation this year of the breakfast, all have donated their sponsorship money back to the Free Clinic.”
The 2020 Sam Beall breakfast sponsors include presenting sponsors Vancouver Clinic and Group Health Foundation, Providence Health & Services, Wells Fargo Advisors, Columbia Bank, Patrick Hildreth Brand & Design and NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness).
The Free Clinic has quickly evolved its patient care and communication to respond to the covid 19 crisis, pivoting to virtual methods of care, in-line with the Governor’s guidance and the other medical clinics.
“The medical director and community health worker for our diabetes clinic are staying in-touch with our diabetes program patients, monitoring their lab results, making sure they get their medications and even holding on-line classes,” said Knepper. In addition to responding to calls and emails from patients, she said, “We are reaching out to other recent patients to find out how they are and if they have immediate needs. Often, these needs are food or financial assistance, and we are helping find programs to cover those needs.”
Clinic staff is helping the uninsured sign up for Medicaid and other options, in conjunction with the health navigators. Knepper said the clinic is also using this time to work on permanent changes that will be implemented when the physical location, including enhanced telehealth and phone triage services.
Perhaps the biggest shift will be in the clinic’s service delivery model.
“We are also reorganizing our service delivery to move to an appointment-based clinic, rather than a walk-in urgent care model,” said Knepper. “This will provide better patient service, and will better protect our patients, volunteers and staff from infection.”
