Please call the clinic if weather is bad to check if we are open.

* The next new volunteer orientation will be January 21st from 6:15-7:30 p.m.

Clinic Needs
February Clinic Hours (pdf) {last updated 1/February/2010}
Community Health Needs Assessment Report (pdf)
Does Lincoln Need a Free Medical Clinic?
Clinic Volunteer Opportunities
Clinic Photo Gallery

The PCM Medical Clinic exists to offer
physical, emotional and spiritual healing to
hurting people in Lincoln, Nebraska who lack medical insurance
or the ability to pay for health care.
 
We will accomplish this by committing to our core values
of compassion, honesty, respect, innovation and stability,
and by providing services that are needs responsive
and that reflect the love of Christ.

PCM Medical Clinic
The PCM Medical Clinic provides health care to uninsured residents of Lincoln and Lancaster County who are homeless or low-income. Its primary purpose is to fill gaps in the existing medical network where it is difficult to meet needs of the uninsured as quickly as needed. In the past, many of our patients have used hospital emergency rooms or simply gone without care. 

Medical services are provided through a network of practicing and retired volunteer doctors and other medical professionals, with a combination of day, evening and weekend hours. Volunteer doctors and medical professionals can focus on providing care while minimizing their administrative requirements — i.e. they can treat people without worrying about insurance coding, managing staff, paying rent, etc.  

This clinic is operated entirely through volunteerism and donations from private sources. Traditional methods of funding such as insurance, Medicaid and Medicare, or government grants are not being accessed for its operation. 

Clinic Needs

Funds to provide:

• Dental services
• Vision services
• Pharmacy services
• Specialty services i.e.: lab, x-ray, transportation to and from appointments etc.

Equipment:

• EKG machine
• AED unit
• Clavitron ultrasonic unit for cleaning teeth

Volunteer opportunities:

• Physicians, Dentists, Dental Assistants, Dental Hygienists, Nurses, Pharmacists etc., active or retired ,must have current license, that are willing to give a little of their time serving the 44,000 uninsured residents of Lancaster County. We will work with what ever schedule they are available.
• Greeters, front desk, medical records, people to pick up prescriptions , take patients to appointments etc.

Does Lincoln Need a Free Medical Clinic?

• It can take 4 to 10 weeks for low-income individuals to see a doctor at existing medical providers.
• At least 40% of emergency room visits at BryanLGH Medical Center not resulting in admission were for visits that could have been treated in a physician's office or prevented by appropriate treatment.¹
• Recent US studies show that wait times in hospital emergency rooms increased 36% between 1997 and 2004, with many visits related to the lack of care for chronic illnesses among uninsured and under-insured people.
• 74% of homeless and near-homeless men did not have a regular physician.²
• Top barriers to receiving health care were cost of service (70%), and cost of medication (51%).²
• 23% used the emergency room as their primary source for health services.²
• More than 1 in 5 Nebraskans earning less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Level had no health insurance.³
• 14% of uninsured Nebraskans did not get needed care in the past year.³
• 12.3% of Nebraskans had no healthcare coverage in 2007 (up from 9.2% in 2000).⁵
  1 in 4 Nebraskans were without coverage during part of the year.⁶
• 71% of those without insurance are employed.⁴
• Those most likely to lack access to health care in Nebraska include:³
  — Single heads of households with children under age 5.
  — Children (21% of uninsured).
  — Single adults under age 65.
  — Minorities (29% not covered).
• 11% of Nebraskans live in poverty.
• 23% of female-headed households live in poverty.
• 36% of Nebraska children live at or below 200% of the poverty line.

Prompt treatment of minor medical needs and ongoing management of chronic health conditions will improve the health and wellness of uninsured residents of Lincoln. By providing holistic care and patient advocacy, low-income community members will better deal with health concerns that have kept them from living a healthy, self-sufficient life.

• Timely treatment of routine illnesses and minor injuries
• Maintenance of chronic conditions
• Preventive care
• Earlier detection and treatment of health problems
• Improved access to specialty care
• Help in applying for appropriate medical coverage or assistance
• Better health will contribute to improved job stability for low-wage-earners

People's City Mission served nearly 2,000 homeless men, women, and children with shelter and another 20,000 low-income residents of Lincoln with food, clothing and household items in 2007. Almost 825,000 meals were given away during the year.

¹Assessment of the Safety Net in Lincoln, March 2004
²Blueprint Project, www.CHELincoln.org, 2002
³UNMC Dept of Preventive & Societal Medicine's Nebraska Center for Rural Health Research, Dec. 2004
⁴Nebraska Health Information Survey Vol. 6 Issue 1, 2006
⁵United Health Foundation Call to Action Report, 2007
⁶Going Without Health Insurance, Families USA Foundation Report, 2003

Please contact Ashley Gerlach for more information or to help with the clinic:

Phone: 402-817-0980
Email: agerlach@peoplescitymission.org.
Mail: PCM Medical Clinic, 110 Q Street, Lincoln, NE, 68508