As Manager of Eligibility Services at Urban Ministries’ Open Door Clinic, my day is filled with routine and organized chaos. The routine: Up to 20 clients a day come to fill out their applications and wonderful groups of dedicated volunteers interview them on schedule. Each patient is different and each has a unique story.
Although we try to make the eligibility process as seamless as possible, many people’s lives don’t fit into little boxes. Not every patient is able to answer a ‘yes or no’ to every question. Simply put, there is a lot of grey. To be honest, the eligibility process can be quite daunting for our patients. That is why our staff, volunteers, and the way in which we do things are so very important. Each patient is treated as a whole person and not just an application. We are constantly stretching towards patients to meet them where they are.
I keep a little reminder on my desk that says “People not process “. It’s a good reminder for me to not get lost in the red tape in determining patients’ eligibility. The more we work with our patients, the more we are able to achieve together. Our clinic is here to provide healthcare to as many people as possible, not just the privileged few.
Eligibility, however, is just the beginning of a patient’s experience at the Open Door Clinic. With the applications that we fill out for patients we are able to give them full access to what our clinic team offers upstairs. They see a primary care physician, a medical assistant who can draw blood on site, and a pharmacist who can give them their medications—just to name a few. We also have specialists such as cardiologists, pulmonologists, and podiatrists. This doesn’t include the team members who are working behind the scenes to process referrals, order medicines from the pharmaceutical companies, or make appointments.
The Open Door Clinic, as well as the Crisis Department and Helen Wright Center for Women, are so excited and honored to be the beneficiary of the Enloe Charity Ball this year. Now, students at Enloe High School can say they are an integral part of the script at Urban Ministries of Wake County.
Molly Beth Lewis
Urban Ministries Manager of Eligibility Services