The Park City community came together to raise $915,000 for People’s Health Clinic at its annual Walk & Wine fundraiser on Aug. 9 at Stein Eriksen Lodge.
The funds come at a critical moment for the clinic, which said it expects to see a 20% to 25% increase in patients this year, including a growing number of children, as healthcare costs climb and coverage shrinks.
“The people at risk of falling through the cracks of our healthcare system are our neighbors. Your housekeeper. Your landscaper. The construction workers who built your homes. The server who brought you a drink this morning. Our patients make this town run and for 27 years, we have been their medical home,” said Dr. Mairi Leining, CEO of People’s Health Clinic.
People’s Health Clinic is the only clinic in the Wasatch Back that provides free healthcare to uninsured members of the community.
“The People’s Health Clinic has to grow to meet this demand because, in the Wasatch Back, we are the only safety-net clinic,” Leining said. “We are open five days a week, and the care inside is free. And our job — every single day — is to make sure nobody falls through the cracks.”
The clinic said the $915,000 will help it continue to meet the growing need for comprehensive care to local individuals and families who otherwise could not access it.
Throughout the afternoon, patients and providers shared what that care looks like in the lives of local families.
Dalia Gonzalez, director of operations at People’s Health Clinic, shared the story of Debbie, a local mother who received prenatal care at the clinic before giving birth to her second son. Debbie had applied for pregnancy Medicaid and provided the requested documentation but was denied coverage and delivered her baby without health insurance.
Her newborn son did not have to wait for coverage to receive medical care.
“He’s being cared for by our pediatricians because no baby should have to wait on paperwork to see a doctor,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez also talked about her own connection to the clinic. She grew up in Utah without health insurance and received care through People’s Health Clinic as a child.
“The People’s Health Clinic was my clinic — back in the days of the original mobile clinic trailer,” Gonzalez said. “Everything I was given as a child, I now get to give back every single day.”
The clinic provides care through its staff and nearly 40 volunteer providers spanning 17 specialties. Its clinical outcomes also meet or exceed national averages across several key quality measures.
“We may be a free clinic, but we deliver exceptional care,” said Dr. Scott Shulman, chief medical officer and director of primary care.
“I hear them talk about patient cases, and I see and hear how they interact with patients,” Shulman said of the clinic’s providers. “They care for patients the way we want our own families cared for, the way we want to be cared for — the way every human being should be cared for.”
The clinic said that the success of Walk & Wine reflects a communitywide commitment to ensuring that healthcare is available to everyone regardless of their financial circumstances.
“The real success belongs to the volunteers, caregivers, donors, community leaders, and supporters who have invested in this mission year after year,” said Amy Tuddenham, communications manager for Intermountain Health’s Park City and Heber Valley hospitals. “Because of your generosity and vision, thousands of our neighbors have a trusted place to turn when they need care.”
With the clinic expecting patient demand to continue growing, the need for community support is greater than ever, the clinic said.
“When you watch a life turn around because someone finally got care, you want to do it again,” Leining said. “It’s hard to find anything more meaningful than this.”
To learn more about People’s Health Clinic, visit peopleshealthclinic.org.