Phil Van Treuren's Lorain County Blog

Guest Post: The Lorain County Free Clinic

February 2, 2012

The following is a guest post from Paul Baumgartner at the Lorain County Free Clinic

Take just a brief moment and think what would go through your mind if tomorrow you woke up and you no longer had health insurance. You just returned from the doctor with a worrisome test result or troublesome diagnosis; or learned that your medication might cost several hundred dollars a month. Where would turn?

lorain county free clinic

For over 25 years, the Lorain County Free Clinic (LCFC) has played a significant role in bringing access to health care to the medically uninsured in Lorain and eastern Erie counties.

The LCFC is located at 3323 Pearl Avenue in Lorain, Ohio at Christ Lutheran Church, and was the brainchild of group of local clergy, physicians and community activists to help respond to the growing needs of the uninsured, primarily in the city of Lorain during the recessional period of the 1980’s. The Lorain County Free Clinic originally began service to the community in March, 1986, and was set up as a temporary program.

The Free Clinic is a volunteer driven organization. Area hospitals and medical professionals continue to volunteer time and donate services, usually on a rotating basis by referral, or after normal office hours at one four (4) Free Clinic locations in the county. Last year alone, the medical community donated $3.1 million in charitable care.

The medical and lay communities donated over 6,500 hours of time on a budget less than $400,000. For every dollar donated to the Free Clinic, $8 in care is provided to an uninsured patient between the ages of 19-65. The Free Clinic is a service of last resort for many and does not provide care to the Medicaid or Medicare populations.

In 2011, the Free Clinic registered over 6,500 patient encounters. Currently, over 200 individuals volunteer in some capacity for the Free Clinic. The Clinic has locations in Lorain, Oberlin and Elyria.

The community as a whole has sustained the work of the LCFC through generous grants from private foundations, private contributions from individuals, corporations, religious institutions and civic organizations, as well as funds generated from special events.

This year it is estimated that 48 million Americans will go uninsured. With ever-increasing health care costs, including escalating costs for employer sponsored insurance plans and prescriptions, Lorain County will continue to experience its ever-increasing share of uninsured individuals—estimated to now be 35,000 people at any given time throughout the year.

Today, the Lorain County Free Clinic needs support now more than ever. With the sluggish economy in Northeastern Ohio, the strong competition for available charitable dollars, the decline in volunteer availability and the ever increasing patient demand has pushed the clinic to near capacity. The clinic seeks medical providers to volunteer once a month. (Medical Liability insurance coverage is provided at no charge)!

Despite the uncertainty of health care reform, the LCFC must and will remain a key component to the health care delivery system in the community well into the future, as there will most certainly be a percentage of the population that will be uninsured. Any version of health care reform will not begin to make a sizeable impact until 2014, and the uninsured, under/unemployed need help today, especially when fuel, food, clothing and utility costs leave little left for health insurance premiums or co-pays.

Once a month is all it takes! The time commitment is minimal, yet the impact enormous! The LCFC seeks medical volunteers at all levels…Physicians, Nursing Professionals, & Pharmacy Professionals.

PLEASE CALL PAUL BAUMGARTNER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 440-277-7602 TO ENLIST YOUR VOLUNTEER SUPPORT, MAKE A PERSONAL FINANCIAL DONATION OR LEARN WAYS TO ENGAGE YOUR CORPORATION/OFFICE OR CHURCH IN SUPPORTING THE LOCAL FREE CLINIC AND THOSE WITHOUT ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE. www.lcfreeclinic.org

NOTE: If you would like to publish a guest post on this blog about your Lorain County organization or group, please email it to philvant@gmail.com. I will be happy to publicize it to my 3,000 Lorain County blog subscribers and Facebook fans.

Guest Post: Amherst Ohio Special Olympics

January 27, 2012

The following is a guest post from Colleen Wilson & Mark Murphy.
amherst ohio special olympics
In 1962, Eunice Kennedy Shriver started the Special Olympics as a summer camp for students with intellectual disabilities. Today, the organization has evolved into a worldwide, well-known symbol with over 3 million athletes, which compete on many levels.

The Amherst Special Olympics is in its third year and celebrates over 40 athletes representing all grade levels of our district.

Our 2011 – 2012 schedule includes:

– Participation in our Homecoming Parade & Comets Football Game

– Swimming lessons

– A group trip to see the Cleveland Browns

– Bowling, fitness training, and Corn hole games

– A social dance for older athletes

– Basketball skills camp & cheerleading camp

– Participation in the county track meet in May 2012

– An awards banquet to celebrate the activities of the year

Throughout this year, we will host various fundraising events. Our kick-off fundraiser, a Steak Fry, was held on October 22, 2011.

Our Special Olympics program is completely funded through donations, fund raising and enthusiastic volunteers from our community. Your donation will go directly to help Amherst Special Olympics athletes with the cost of participating throughout the school year.

Feel free to visit our website for pictures and activity updates at: http://www.amherst.k12.oh.us/specialolympics/

and be sure to “Like” our Amherst Special Olympics FaceBook page.

To get involved or inquire about our program, contact us through email at: special_olympics@amherstk12.org.

Thank you for your time and continued support.

Elyria Mayor Holly Brinda Proving Fiscal Responsibility Has No Political Party

January 26, 2012

We Should Thank Lorain County Officials Who Cut Unnecessary Spending, Whether They Are Democrats Or Republicans

It’s something I hear everywhere I go: voters in both parties are just plain angry this year about reckless government spending. The federal government isn’t the only focus of this anger; Lorain County residents are starting to become more aware of the huge amount of wasted taxpayer dollars at the county and local levels, as well.

Elyria Mayor Holly Brinda

I often remind my supporters that fiscal responsibility has no political party. In fact, you can find examples of both Democrat and Republican politicians who treat taxpayer money with disrespect and spend it like it’s their own.

Elyria Mayor Holly Brinda and I are in different political parties. But in her first month of office, she is already challenging conventional political wisdom by cutting unnecessary spending from her city’s budget and keeping promises that she made about saving taxpayer money.

This kind of fiscal responsibility should be applauded whether it’s shown by a Republican or a Democrat.

Earlier this month, Mayor Brinda followed through on a campaign promise to pay her own transportation costs and return a portion of her salary to the city. This week, Brinda has proposed slashing the salary of her administration’s legal council by tens of thousands of dollars.

A few of our elected officials on the county level could learn a thing or two from Holly Brinda’s actions during her first month in office.

Lorain County is facing a deficit of more than $10 million next year, and it doesn’t seem that the Board of Commissioners can agree on cutting even the small stuff from their budget. Although it’s good that the Lorain County Commissioners made minimal cuts to their own department’s budget in 2012, they need to do a lot more leading by example.

Lorain County is facing a $10 million deficit in 2013.

Lorain County voters overwhelmingly shot down a proposed increase to the sales tax last year, and made it very clear that they want our elected officials to focus on cutting unnecessary spending instead. In spite of this, some commissioners are still hoping to increase the county sales tax.

It’s time for Lorain County residents to make it clear to our elected officials that raising taxes isn’t an acceptable solution when so much of our money is being wasted on unnecessary expenses.

One good way to start is by thanking Mayor Brinda for setting the example . . . regardless of whether you are a Republican, Democrat or Independent.

Guest Post: Women Business Owners Network of Lorain County

January 22, 2012

The following is a guest post from Written by Dr. Jennifer Robb, ( http://www.drjrobb.com/) General Dentist, Lorain, OH on behalf of the Women Business Owners Network

Women Business Owners Network (WBON) of Lorain County is not your typical networking group. Membership is complimentary (no cost), and we don’t enforce attendance at every meeting or referral quotas. Our members know that they will get the best results by attending meetings and getting to know fellow business owners on a personal level.

lorain county women business owners

How do we do this? At our twice monthly meetings, each attendee presents a 30 second commercial for her business and passes out business cards or brochures. One member, usually the one who has arranged the meeting, provides a more in-depth look at some aspect of her business. During dinner, we chat with the people around us to learn more about each other and our livelihoods. We also occasionally have a social event with more informal networking in lieu of our
regular meeting. The better we know someone, the more comfortable we feel referring others to her.

But we don’t stop there! We each want to make our business the best it can be, and one way we do that is by learning from other business people, both men and women, who come to speak to us and to share their knowledge and experiences. We’re also a resource for women who are considering starting a business. The path to your own business is fraught with twists, turns and potholes. Chances are, someone in WBON has already traveled that path and can help you avoid some of these setbacks and make your road a little less bumpy.

Our membership consists of women who own businesses, women who make significant managerial decisions at their place of employment, women who have started their own businesses as a source of additional income, and women who are planning to start their own business.

WBON meets the first and third Thursdays of the month at 6 P.M. at various locations. Most of our meetings are in Lorain County, but we do occasionally venture into Western Cuyahoga County. Our calendar is posted at www.wbonlorain.org (under the Meetings tab). Come discover this hidden networking gem!

Guest Post: Lorain County Woodcarvers Club

January 20, 2012

The following is a guest blog post from the Lorain County Woodcarvers Club.

Lorain County Woodcarvers Club Welcome to the Lorain County Woodcarvers’ Club. Our mission is to promote and encourage wood carving throughout the county. This includes chip carving, relief carving, whittling, in-the-round carving, pyrography (wood burning) and much more. The level of experience of our members range from “Beginner” to “Master Carver”.

We have a business meeting the second Tuesday of each month at the Lucy Idol Center (see map on our web site). Also, we have an “OPEN CARVE” night every other Wednesday at the same location – check the calendar on our web site for dates.

Not sure if you have an interest in carving? Stop in on an “Open Carve” night and chat with the members. See what members are working on. We have wood, extra knives and safety equipment so you can do a little carving yourself to see what it’s like!

New members are ALWAYS welcome!

Hope to see you there!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LorainCountyWoodcarversClub?sk=info

Web Site: http://loraincountywoodcarversclub.shutterfly.com/