Community Benefit
The Kitchen Clinic works to help area’s uninsured access care, medicine

BRIEF HISTORY: Started in 1985 as a mobile clinic with nurses one day a week and doctors once a month, The Kitchen Medical and Dental Clinic is part of The Kitchen, Inc., a supportive network of programs and services meeting the needs of the homeless and disadvantaged. More than 1,200 men, women and children each month know that they will be heard, their needs met and their health problems cared for by a skilled and dedicated staff.

In a clean, comfortable waiting room on north Jefferson Avenue in Springfield, more than 30 people are waiting patiently to see a doctor or get their medicine.

Some come from a shelter just a few blocks away while others come from the streets of Springfield, seeking respect, an ear for their problems and a caring touch.

But most people gathered at The Kitchen Clinic are not homeless. They are the area’s uninsured, often just needing help with prescription drug costs.

“Some have totally depleted their savings and are planning to sell their homes because they can no longer afford health care,” says Bill Stalnaker, The Kitchen’s executive director. “It can be overwhelming. We see a lot of families living together because they can’t make it alone.”

To aid The Kitchen, Inc. as they provide comprehensive, continuous care to the growing population of homeless and underserved in our area, St. John’s has offered financial and volunteer support since its inception.

Over the last four years, St. John’s has contributed approximately $330,000 in cash, according to Bill Stalnaker, executive director.

That’s in addition to taking referrals for patients needing hospital treatment. Stalnaker estimates that St. John’s contributes about $150,000 each month in specialty treatment referrals alone.
During the holiday seasons of 2004 and 2005, St. John’s Clinic physicians and co-workers raised an additional $150,000 to help underprivileged families seeking assistance from The Kitchen with their rent, utilities and winter necessities to help them remain in their own homes for the holidays.

“People would be amazed if they knew the extent of the generosity of St. John’s and the physicians and staff,” says Stalnaker. “I have never heard the word ‘no’ from them. I will go to the ends of the earth to find funding for what our patients need before asking St. John’s (to cover the costs) but I know at the end of the day, if there’s no other option, St. John’s is there for them.”
St. John’s and The Kitchen’s missions go hand-in-hand, according to St. John’s Mission Services Vice President Ann Meuser.

"The Kitchen Clinic helps the uninsured gain access to much-needed medical care, which helps fill a void our community is struggling to address,” Meuser says. “We are pleased to support this mission in any way we can.”