OCONOMOWOC — A Waukesha nonprofit is celebrating a momentous milestone this month in its mission to improve the overall health of people in need.
Twenty-three years after opening, the Lake Area Free Clinic will see its 100,000th patient visit.
“It makes us feel that we’ve really done our job, not that there isn’t more to be done, but if you’re in the community, you live in Waukesha County, you’re low-income, and you don’t have insurance, there’s a place you can go to get help,” Dr. Peter Geiss told TMJ4.
Watch: Local free clinic helps patients in need.
Geiss is an internist at the facility and has worked there for 17 years.
Funded solely by donations and community grants, the clinic serves uninsured adult residents of Waukesha County whose income is below 250% of the federal poverty level.
“We estimate there are between 16,000 and 18,000 people who don’t have access to adequate healthcare, and those are the people we see,” Geiss explained.
“It makes us feel that we’ve really done our job. Not that the work is done, but if you’re in the community, you live in Waukesha County, and you don’t have insurance, there’s a place you can go to get help.”
“Seventy percent of our patients work, but they are the working poor. They have low incomes and no benefits.”
That’s where the clinic steps in, offering services such as primary care, specialties, and insurance enrollment assistance. It also partners with ProHealth Care and Aurora Health Care for labs and imaging.
“I couldn’t even tell you how many offices I called in Waukesha County,” Vicki Auckutt, an Oconomowoc resident, shared.
“Not a lot of people have taken my insurance since I retired. I found these guys, and it’s like a match,” Auckutt said on her way back from a dental cleaning.
The clinic opened in 2001 after a group of emergency room doctors at Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital saw many patients using the ER for medical care because they had no insurance.
“It is shocking because Waukesha is the second or third wealthiest county, but we still have a huge population that can’t access care,” Geiss said.
In the first year, the clinic saw just 100 patients.
Since opening, it has served more than 9,000 people, even adding a free dental clinic in 2017.
Along with seven full-time staff members, there are more than 200 volunteers who have provided thousands of hours of service to keep the clinic going.
“They’re just wonderful people when you can’t find anyone else to go to. I’m very grateful to have this place,” Auckutt said with a smile.
Lake Area Free Clinic is a nonprofit. Its 2024 budget for expenses is $2.1 million, a number Geiss said they need help to reach.
The clinic is open Tuesday and Thursday evenings by appointment only.
For more information or to support the clinic, visit their website.
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