By the end of this year, an estimated 32,500 people, the vast majority of them poor and uninsured, will receive medical treatment from Clinica Family Health.
This is not rush-them-in, rush-them-out health care. It is a comprehensive, compassionate system with an emphasis on preventive medicine.
“We strive to give these people the same kind of care that they would give the queen of England,” said Susan Wortman, Clinica’s developmental director for 11½ years.
The vision of Clinica Family Health — formerly Clinica Campesina, which began in a tiny Lafayette office in 1977 — is to assure that every low-income and underserved person in southeastern Boulder, Broomfield and western Adams counties has access to high-quality medical and dental care.
In July 2007, Clinica merged with the Boulder People’s Clinic to increase the reach of the program and save money by combining resources.
People of all ethnic backgrounds come through the clinics’ doors, and last year, there were an estimated 146,000 medical visits.
“We see predominately the working poor,” Wortman said. “More than 85 percent of the families we serve have someone in the household working full time, but they still don’t have adequate medical coverage. That’s what we strive to provide.”
Above all, Clinica Family Health preaches preventive medicine.
“We can give a child a shot to prevent whooping cough for $10,” Wortman said. “That covers everything, the shot, the nurse, the clinic time. But if that child gets sick with whooping cough, it’s going to cost $17,000 to put them in a hospital and treat them.”
Clinica’s budget comes from the federal government, the state of Colorado and donations to the foundation. The organization is seeking funding from the Season to Share campaign.
The origins of this community health network date back more than 30 years to when Alicia Sanchez became known as the local “medica” to the Spanish-speaking migrant farmworkers in the area.
People looked to her when they were sick and had no money. Every week, she loaded her car with the area’s poor and drove to University Hospital in Denver so they could get low-cost care.
“We’ve come a long way, but our goal remains the same,” Wortman said. “We believe that every person deserves proper health care. ”
Clinica Family Health (formerly Clinica Campesina)
Address: 1345 Plaza Court North, Lafayette
In operation since: 1977
Number served last year: 32,500
Staff: 297
Yearly budget: $25 million
Percentage of funds directly to clients/services: 16 percent
Post-News Season to Share, a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, gave $1.79 million to 62 agencies last year serving children, the hungry, the homeless and those in need of medical care. Donations are matched at 50 cents for each dollar; 100 percent goes directly to the agencies. To make a donation, see the coupon in today’s paper, call 888-683- 4483 or go to .
