Peoples State Bank Donates $5,000 to Free Clinic Project
Peoples State Bank announced a $5,000 donation to the First Presbyterian Church of Wausau’s Free Clinic construction project. “Access to healthcare is an important issue in the Wausau region, and we’re committed to providing our support to ensure its availability,” said Mark Oldenberg, chief financial officer of Peoples State Bank.
When complete, the free clinic will be housed in the lower level of the First Presbyterian Church in Wausau’s downtown. The clinic will serve those in need who don’t have health insurance, with a focus on underserved populations such as the homeless, immigrants, and those with transportation, health and other issues that serve as obstacles to healthcare access.
The clinic will be volunteer driven, staffed by unpaid medical personnel including Jeff Oswald, MD, FAAFP; Paula Vogt, RN, BSN; Rosemary Benson, RN, ADN; and Jeffrey Todd, MS, CMPE. While awaiting their permanent location, the volunteers opened an outreach clinic at Catholic Charities Warming Center.
“After opening our outreach clinic, we were overwhelmed with the positive response,” said Todd, manager of the free clinic. “As we expected, we have found some significant unmet medical issues among those we have served.”
The renovation project is expected to cost $240,000, with the volunteers more than halfway to the goal. They expect to reach the goal and open the permanent clinic in late 2019.