By Clyde Noel

Every Monday and Wednesday evening, working people who are unable to pay for health insurance sit in the Mountain View RotaCare lounge waiting to see a doctor.

“Almost half of the patients seen in RotaCare Free Clinics are children, and over half of all patients are female,” said Nidia Farruguia, RotaCare medical assistant. “Many patients are unable to receive care because they work and don’t qualify for assistance or weren’t born in this country. If they didn’t come here, they would go without medical attention.”

Volunteers are responsible for the operation of RotaCare clinics. On the back wall leading to the examining rooms is a photographic montage of 70 volunteers who keep the RotaCare Free Clinic running.

Glenda Crespo, RotaCare volunteer coordinator, said that when they are open they need three doctors, three nurses and three translators, even though the four staff members are all translators. There are also 12 to 15 volunteers and several medical students.

Nurse Cheryl Canning, director of clinical services for RotaCare and a member of the El Camino Hospital Outreach program, said the hospital donates staff time, partial funding and discounts to buy drugs and medical supplies.

“Because we are dependent on volunteers, we never know how many patients we can see in an evening,” Canning said. “It could be as many as 30 or as few as eight, and because we need more volunteer doctors we tell some patients to come back later.”

Last month the RotaCare Free Clinic attended to 200 patients and provided 247 services. Fifty-five new patients were attended to, and 58 were referred to other diagnostic centers.

Mark Campbell, a Santa Clara doctor, formed RotaCare in 1989. Campbell was asked to see homeless patients residing in a shelter at Agnews Developmental Center, in San Jose. He was a Rotarian and asked his Rotary for help in finding drugs needed to treat his patients. Other Rotary clubs in District 5170 picked up the movement. Today there are nine RotaCare Free Clinics in the Bay Area.

“The clinic’s work originally concentrated on non-emergency medical care of wounds, coughs, ear infection and backache variety, but with more volunteers, the clinic has expanded to provide care for patients with chronic diseases that include diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma,” said Dr. Benson McGann, a longtime supporter of RotaCare. “Communicable diseases like tuberculosis are always a concern at the clinic, but in recent years diabetes has become a condition of particular concern.”

Canning said the largest request is for pediatric care, and the clinic offers many checkups. Patients are treated for dermatologic symptoms, psychological problems, diabetic-training programs and insulin usage.

“We have had the same medical staff for more than five years, and this builds up a relationship with the patients. We know what their needs are besides medical problems,” Crespo said. “The staff know the area for follow-ups and where different resources are available.”

The nurses take each patient’s history and vital statistics. The Mountain View RotaCare clinic provides toys and books for the children as they wait to see the doctor. The physician examines the patient and charts the findings in a permanent chart. The chart then goes to the pharmacy for dispensing of free drugs, and the social worker looks for special needs and a discharge plan for a follow-up.

Diagnostic tests that cannot be done at the clinic are referred to El Camino Hospital and are processed free of charge. If tests indicate that patients need treatment not available at RotaCare, they may be referred to the Valley Medical Clinic. With waiting lists and related issues at other facilities, many patients retain the RotaCare Free Clinic as their primary care provider.

Dr. Dexter Hake, a retired internist, is being honored as the 2003 volunteer of the year. He has been volunteering at the clinic continuously for seven years.

RotaCare operates through donations. Before the clinic moved to its current location in the Park Pavilion, near El Camino Hospital, a drive to fund the new partnership with RotaCare was undertaken. Joan Rosselle, from the El Camino Hospital Foundation, said the drive to fund the new partnership between the RotaCare Free Clinic and El Camino Hospital exceeded $220,000.

Contributions from individuals included $50,000 from the Los Altos Rotary, $15,000 from the Sunnyvale Rotary, $11,000 from the Cupertino Rotary and $22,000 from individual Los Altos Rotary members.

The Mountain View RotaCare Free Clinic is located at 2400 Grant Road, in the downstairs portion of the YMCA building. The volunteer direct line is 988-8202.