Mobile Clinic Project receives grant

PRINCETON — The Bureau County Health and Wellness Clinic has received a $3,500 grant from the Community Foundation of Central Illinois.

The Community Foundation of Central Illinois was formed in 1988 as the Peoria Area Community Foundation for the purpose of meeting social, cultural, educational and charitable needs throughout Central Illinois. The local grant will go toward the BCHWC’s Mobile Clinic Project, which would provide medical supplies, laboratory equipment and pharmaceutical support throughout the health clinic’s outreach area.

Heather Tinker, founder and director of the BCHWC, said the health clinic has more than 1,700 clients using the clinic as their primary health care provider. About 5,000 patient visits were recorded last year. The clinic opened in 2002 with eight patients.

The BCHWC is located at 500 Elm Place and also has a satellite clinic in DePue. The BCHWC also provides health care for residents of neighboring counties and communities that don’t have their own free health clinics., Tinker said. The goal of the proposed mobile clinic project is to have a mobile health clinic to take to communities throughout the area, Tinker said.

The need for affordable health care is great in the Bureau County area, Tinker said. There’s a huge gap in the health care delivery system for those people who don’t qualify for government programs or employee health insurance, she said.

In describing the BCHWC clients, Tinker said they are typically people who are at the beginning or the end of their careers. They may be people just starting out in their positions who don’t qualify for their company health insurance or they may be those nearing retirement age. The clinic also has a large percentage of individuals who no longer have an employer, like those people affected by the closing of the Harper Wyman factory in Princeton, Tinker said.

“Yes, we have seen a large growth in the last four years, but I know we still haven’t reached everyone who needs to know about the clinic and to receive help through our services,” Tinker said.

The BCHWC operates completely through charitable donations and grants, Tinker said. The clinic is overseen by a board of directors, which manages the financial and overall direction of the clinic, and also by a ministry committee, represented by the faith community, which deals with practical issues of the clinic’s day-to-day outreach, she said.

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