Donors give $12,000 to help Idahoans access free clinic services

Thanks to Idaho Gives supporters, more Idahoans in need will access primary care, mental health, and dental services. Ninety-six individuals donated $12,165 to Idaho free clinics during the 2022 annual event. Some of those dollars stretched further with matches from generous free clinic volunteers and supporting organizations.

Every dollar donated went directly to free clinic operations due to generous event sponsors, including Idaho Central Credit Union, George and Bev Harad, Idaho National Laboratory, AJ and Susie Balukoff, Boise Cascade, Simplot, KTVB7, and Cambia Health Foundation.

Care House Clinic, located in Nampa, was one of the six free clinics participating this year. Care House Clinic provides medical, dental, and counseling services for those who do not have health insurance and live at or below 250% of the Federal Poverty Level. Pastor Tony Johnson told IAFCC about a patient who recently received services in Care House's newly opened dental clinic:

A Spanish-speaking mother brought her young adult daughter and her elementary-aged daughter to the Care House Clinic for dental services. Because of their financial situation, they had never been able to access dental care. After the initial exams, the provider detailed what treatments would be necessary.

The mother worriedly asked, "How much will all this cost us?"

When Leticia, the translator, told her it wouldn't cost her anything, the mother asked

again, "How much is this going to cost?"

Leticia answered once more, "Nothing. It is free."

The mother got teary-eyed as she said, "Thank you! Thank you! You are a blessing from God."

Care House Clinic is one of eleven Idaho free clinics utilizing a volunteer/staff model to provide health services to economically disadvantaged individuals. In 2021, free clinics provided 18,173 patient visits for almost 5,000 Idahoans.

Mindy Hong, Executive Director of the Idaho Association of Free Clinics, said, "Investing in the free clinic service model is a smart financial move. For every dollar donated, Idaho free clinics provide three to five dollars in services that improve the quality of life for our neighbors."

Genesis Community Health: The Power of a Smile

“Before Genesis, I didn’t like talking to people and my self-esteem was really low. But you gave me back my smile! I can eat better now! You helped me in my time of need, and I am very thankful for the opportunity you gave me.”

Samuel worked hard as a Sales Rep for many years in California. He was successful, independent, and proud of his work. When he was 51, all that came crashing down. First, he lost his job, then his home. During this difficult time, he also lost almost all his teeth. With a job, he could have paid for the dental work to replace them. But without that income, he was left without teeth. Losing his smile also stole his self-confidence.

Looking back on this time in his life, Samuel shared, “I was in a bad place. I had a complete mental breakdown.”

Samuel turned to family. He took the train up from California with nothing but a backpack and came to Boise to live with his brother.

Samuel’s brother reached out to the caring volunteers at Genesis. With assistance from the MK Foundation and Dr. Hisel, founder of Genesis’ Dental program, we were able to provide him with dentures and restore his smile.

Samuel said, “Before Genesis, I didn’t like talking to people and my self-esteem was really low. But you gave me back my smile! I can eat better now! You helped me in my time of need, and I am very thankful for the opportunity you gave me.”

He also received counseling at Genesis to help him work through the depression. Samuel shared, “The counseling was fantastic. To get help with mental health and things like that helped steer me in the right direction.” Today, Samuel is working toward securing new employment—with a confident new smile.

To all the volunteers and donors at Genesis, he said, “Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for giving me this chance to help me turn my life around.”

Visit the Genesis Community Health website for more information.