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Lake Area Free Clinic celebrates milestone
A free clinic in Oconomowoc is doing more than just filling medical and dental needs, it's celebrating a milestone this month.
OCONOMOWOC, Wis. - A free clinic in Oconomowoc is doing more than just filling medical and dental needs, it's celebrating a milestone this month.
When Terry Lehman first started coming to Lake Area Free Clinic, he was dealing with a lot: high blood pressure, diabetes – and fear.
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"I knew it was here, but I didn’t want to come here because of embarrassment or something," said Lehman.
The clinic serves low-income, uninsured Waukesha County residents.
"If we look at our patient population, 70% of the people we see work," the clinic's Dr. Peter Geiss said, "but they work at low-income jobs, and they don’t get benefits. We’re essentially taking care of the working poor."
Lake Area Free Clinic, Oconomowoc
People, like Lehman, put off medical care because of the stigma of being poor. After working at the clinic for nearly two decades, Geiss said there should be no shame. The clinic celebrated its 100,000 patient visit this month.
"There is a huge need, even in a relatively wealthy county," he said.
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Three years ago, 54-year-old Shawn started coming to the dental clinic with his caretaker, Matt Garcia.
"I would say the service that he’s seen here has far outweighed most of the ones we’ve seen out in the public," said Garcia. "Prior to coming here there were a lot of dentists that we had seen. Some would take Medicaid and some wouldn’t."
Dr. Peter Geiss
It takes about $2 million a year in donations and grants to keep the clinic running. Giess said he’s seeing more patients now than when he first started two decades ago.
"People can see there’s sort of some good news here. We have a community that supports people in need. That’s a good thing," he said.
The doctor said, after 100,000 visits, helping still feels good. The clinic accepts online donations.