Recent news reports that health-insurance costs for employers rose 17.5 percent in 2004 and another 13 percent in 2005 – and that employers are cutting benefits and shifting costs to employees – probably come as little surprise to most working people. More Coloradans are struggling with health-care costs, and more are completely uninsured.
Families in Arapahoe, Douglas and Elbert counties are no exception. Fortunately, they have a safety net in an organization that builds on partnerships and is unique in the United States. Doctors Care was created in 1987 by Dr. Gary VanderArk and other members of the Arapahoe Medical Society. These community leaders built an organization that began caring for 700 uninsured people.
The numbers have increased steadily until this year, when Doctors Care began to see “an explosion” of need, according to Bebe Kleinman, executive director. In 2004, Doctors Care enrolled 2,500 patients, a large number of them newborns; this year, Kleinman expects at least a 25 percent increase in enrollment.
Doctors Care’s key partnership is with the more than 400 physicians who volunteer to see uninsured patients. Children and people under 30 years of age are seen by a small number of physicians who volunteer at the Doctors Care Kids Clinic in Littleton.
An example of those who give of their time is pediatrician Nancy Mitchell, who has volunteered at the clinic for three years. “I love the people and the opportunity to use my skills to help those who are less fortunate,” she says.
The largest number of physicians who volunteer see uninsured patients over age 30 in their offices. More than 60 specialists, from gynecologists to heart specialists to orthopedic surgeons, accept Doctors Care patients.
Beyond the partnerships with caring physicians, additional partnerships help Doctors Care keep the doors open. For example, the Colorado Physicians Insurance Company provides free malpractice insurance to physicians who volunteer at the Kids Clinic. Pharmacies provide medication at reduced cost. And three hospitals that serve Arapahoe, Douglas and Elbert counties spend millions on patients referred from the organization. The hospitals participate because they know that providing basic preventive care helps reduce visits to their more expensive emergency rooms, Kleinman says.
Like Doctors Care, the hospitals are seeing a dramatic increase in need. In 2004, Swedish Medical Center donated inpatient and outpatient care and support totaling $962,000. In just the first half of 2005, in contrast, Swedish’s costs for Doctors Care patients were more than $1.3 million.
Porter Adventist Hospital saw its donated costs jump from $218,000 in 2004 to $517,000 in the first six months of 2005, and Littleton Adventist Hospital experienced an increase that went from $259,000 for 2004 to more than $300,000 in the first half of this year.
An additional partnership is bringing mental health services to Doctors Care’s patients. Thanks to a $22,500 Community Development Block Grant from the city of Littleton, a therapist from Arapahoe/ Douglas Mental Health Network now sees patients one day a week at the Doctors Care clinic.
Kleinman is excited about the integration of medical and mental health services. She tells of a young girl who was depressed following the death of her mother. “She was cutting herself and came to us for medical care,” Kleinman says, “but she clearly needed help to deal with her grief.” With both medical and mental health treatment, the girl was stabilized and “is enjoying life again,” she states.
Like other nonprofits that care for the medically indigent, Doctors Care constantly raises funds to cover growing need and costs. About one-third of the organization’s budget is “earned income” from Medicaid and patients’ small co- payments. Another third is donated time, supplies, rent and utilities. The final third comes from corporations, foundations and individuals.
Doctors Care is an exemplary model of how people and organizations can make a real difference by working together. And you can be involved as well: When you’re making up your annual “giving” list this year, consider adding support for Doctors Care (www.drscare.org).
