Opening a free clinic in Dent County has been a dream of Family Nurse Practitioner Kim Kemnitzer for at least a decade. In the spring of 2015, the clinic is scheduled to become a reality, providing healthcare for the working poor and the uninsured in the area.
According to literature released by the soon-to-be clinic, Master’s Peace Clinic of Hope, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is founded on the belief that all individuals, even those without insurance, deserve the right to excellent healthcare. Their mission is “to be able to provide free services to meet the emotional, physical and spiritual needs of those underserved and uninsured in our community.”
Services provided by the clinic to those without insurance in Dent and surrounding counties will be: health care, dental care, vision exams, chiropractic and massage therapy, counseling (to include drug and alcohol rehabilitation and group/individual counseling sessions) and life skills courses – all free to those without any other means to attain these needed treatments.
"I know there's not going to be anything in the state of Missouri like what me and Kim are offering," said Bryan Kemnitzer, Kim’s husband and vice president of the clinic. "It's going to be quite different than everything else."
Controlled substances or narcotics will not be prescribed, and for the dental, vision, chiropractic, massage, and counseling/life skills training courses, patients will need a referral from their primary care provider or a provider in the health clinic itself. While the main clinic is set to open spring of 2015, the dental and vision clinics, which require a larger amount of funding, are set for spring 2016 or sooner if financial donations and volunteers are secured for these services.
What moved Kemnitzer to start the clinic was the endemic poverty she saw all around her in this area, 18.5 percent of the Dent County population as of 2009. “One of the hardest struggles I currently see as a provider,” said Kemnitzer, “are parents and families trying to work to provide for their families who make too much to qualify for Medicaid, but still make too little to afford insurance for them and their children.”
“These families often go without healthcare due to the high out-of-pocket cost to get adequate insurance and care. We at our clinic are here to bring hope to these individuals. Our goal is to help relieve the stress of not being able to get excellent care due to being uninsured.”
The clinic is partnered with the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, a public foundation dedicated to “enhancing the quality of life in our region through resource development, community grantmaking, collaboration and public leadership.” The CFO has more than 2,600 charitable funds totaling more than $250 million in assets as of this past February.
The Aldermen endorsed the clinic on Sept. 30 of last year during a special meeting, but Kemnitzer and her crew are still working on funding. Bryan, who also works as a radiology tech at Mercy Clinic in Rolla, has been helping her out by seeking and applying for numerous grant proposals.
“In a nutshell, he’s doing all of the financial end,” said Kim.
Many of the larger federal grants require an established practice, so the clinic will be applying for those down the road. Right now, they’re mostly operating through charitable donations and partnerships with other resources in the community, like the local food pantry, soup kitchen, health department and hospital.
“Essential to the success of our clinic is the large support of volunteers and medical professionals who will help provide services to our patients,” said Kim.
Dr. Ryan Pharr, DO, worked with Kemnitzer as a physician/nurse practitioner team for about four years, He remembers how dedicated she was to her work and how wholeheartedly she cared for her patients. He thinks the free clinic will be a major help to the uninsured of Dent County. “I definitely think there's a need for those types of services, pretty much throughout the country,” said Dr. Pharr. “It seems like a lot of people can't afford health care, even the health care that they sometimes can get can still be very expensive for them. The cost of healthcare is just absolutely ridiculous. And I definitely think that there would be a need for something along those lines.”
Hospital Administrator Dennis Pryor is lending Kemnitzer and her clinic his full support. “We are happy and totally behind Kim in her efforts to open a free clinic in our community,” said Pryor. “Without Medicaid Expansion there are many residents who do not qualify for any type of insurance. Most can’t afford many doctors’ visits to take care of current health issues, as well as preventative measures. With the free clinic, they will now have an opportunity to get many of their health needs met and live a more healthy, productive life. The clinic should also reduce physician office-type emergency room visits, which are the most expensive setting in which to see a physician. Again, we are thrilled that Kim will be able to take care of residents who are struggling to make ends meet without adding healthcare burdens.”
With the Missouri legislature’s recent choice not to expand Medicaid, leaving those who make less than $11,670 a year unable to qualify for an Affordable Care Act tax credit, and thus – largely unable to afford health insurance – the free clinic will be the first line of defense against disease for those 17 percent of Dent County residents without health insurance, 14 percent of whom are children under 18. Kemnitzer mentioned that local church members have volunteered in droves to help in any way they can. It makes sense that the local church communities would want to help the poor and the sick, as Christ taught. Now, they’ll have a local, charitable medical structure through which to do so directly.
“I think it’s awesome,” said Dr. Yvonne Prince, MD, a local physician who worked with Kemnitzer for about a year and a half. “And I have to tell you, of all people, she would be the best. She’s one of the most compassionate, caring, God-loving people you could hope to meet. I can’t wait to hear what’s coming and what’s next. She’s perfect for the job; I truly feel that this is her calling.”
Kemnitizer, who has volunteered on numerous mission trips around the world – most notably a 2006 trip to Nicaragua – will now be missioning to the community she knows best. She’s thought globally, and now she’s acting locally… in a big way.
A fundraiser for the Master’s Peace Clinic of Hope will be held from Feb. 1-14 online called “Kickoff Giving Days.” They’re hoping to find 2,500 people in the counties that they’ll serve who’ll be willing to donate $10 a month, reoccurring, to help cover operational costs, supplies and building expenses.
The clinic asks that those interested in helping make the clinic a success, either by being a patient, volunteer, or by lending financial support through donating to their cause (all donations are tax exempt), to visit their website at www.mpcoh.org to find up-to-date information, or call (573) 247-7073 for any additional questions and to find out how you can help. Check donations can be sent to P.O. Box 1077 Salem, MO 65560. The group has also recently started a Facebook page.