YAKIMA, Wash.- In seeing nearly 9,000 patients a year, the Union Gospel Mission’s Care Center is one of the busiest free medical clinics in the state. The clinic is able to provide services to those who need it through its partnership with local organizations.
“It takes all the parts working together just to get normal medical care happening, but when it’s poverty care, these partnerships matter the most of all,” said Union Gospel’s CEO Mike Johnson.
Johnson and Union Gospel are receiving help from many sources, including the Yakima Valley Farm Workers’ Clinic in a $20,000 donation.
“Yakima Valley Farm Workers’ Clinic’s Board and myself see our organizations as being guided by a shared mission of helping those who are most vulnerable in our communities,” said YVFWC’s CEO Christy Trotter.
The donation will go immediately back into the medical clinic to purchase supplies and pay for care. 92% of all donations goes to the medical clinic, as staffing is mostly taken care of.
“We’ve got retired doctors that volunteer down here,” said Johnson. “We’ve got medical students that are in here learning and volunteering. We’ve got pharmacy students from the University of Washington that are in here.”
Johnson says it takes the village to provide full medical services to the entire Yakima Valley. Working with the Farm Workers’ Clinic helps both parties care for their patients.
“The care center here at the Union Gospel Mission is able to expand their reach of care provision as they invest financially over here in the free clinic model,” said Johnson. “It’s sorta all the parts working together.”
With volunteers working with patients, the patients that go to Union Gospel are being treated in a melting pot of providers and expertise.
“This is such a neat place where all the parts come together to care for folks that wouldn’t get care any other way,” said Johnson. “It’s really one of the most beautiful things in the valley.”
Union Gospel is regularly looking for volunteers to help in the Care Center and in other departments.
