My day volunteering at the C.A.R.E. Clinic in KC today

proud2BlibKansan

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Wed Dec-09-09 06:59 PM
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My day volunteering at the C.A.R.E. Clinic in KC today

I worked a 4 hour shift at the clinic today. It was held in the big convention center downtown. They had over 1000 patients today and they expect that many tomorrow as well.

Here is local media coverage:

KC Star

CBS affiliate

NBC

ABC

FOX

When I got there, I registered, was given a name tag and a t-shirt and was assigned to work as a patient escort. We were given one patient at a time to escort and we stayed with them from the time they were seen by the triage nurse until they checked out. My patients were there for dental work, vision screenings, flu shots, HIV tests and medical exams.

It was very well organized. We had maps to use to find the care area our patients needed. Everyone seemed to know what they were doing and there was always someone there to answer questions. I have been in private physicians' offices that weren't as well organized. It was like these people did this every day. It also didn't seem like the patients had to wait long to see a doctor. At least my patients were seen without much wait time.

I fought back tears the whole time I was there. It was just so unreal. When the lady who gave us our orientation asked if we had any questions I asked how do you keep from crying.

I was blown away by the immenseness of it all. The convention center is huge and every inch of space was taken up by curtained areas used for medical exams and treatments. The dental area was just enormous. So was the line for the vision testing.

When I first got there before the patients came in, it was a sea of red shirted volunteers and a few blue shirts (those were the people in charge). They had said they wanted as many volunteers as patients and it looked like they met their goal.

There were also a few reporters there. There was also a radio station broadcasting live from the clinic. The host was Michael Baisden, who is from Florida. I listened to him on the way home and he mentioned that Keith Olberman had invited him on his show this evening but Michael was going to be on a plane so he couldn't appear.

I chatted for a few minutes with a newspaper columnist I know. We were both overwhelmed by the need right here in our city.

One of the other volunteers mentioned a local wingnut radio show and repeated a rude comment the hosts had made about health care. We wondered if that show was there and laughed that we should call them up and tell them to come on down and see the face of the health care crisis in our hometown.

I had a few moments to talk to the other volunteers and at one point someone asked how we heard about the event and volunteered. Another person commented that our local media hadn't covered this story much but for the last day or so and it was amazing that so many volunteers had shown up. So I said that I had heard about the clinic on Keith Olberman's show and everyone else in my group said the same thing. Every single one of us found out about the clinic from Keith. One lady said she rarely watched TV but she had been turning Keith on every day for awhile now.

I would strongly recommend volunteering at a C.A.R.E. Clinic. It was not only rewarding but eye opening as well.

I also want everyone to promise they will do everything in their power to put these C.A.R.E. Clinics out of business. What I saw today was wonderful but it is shameful that an event like this is necessary in the United States of America.