SEQUIM — Mary Griffith had already been a nurse in the community for a long time when, in 1999, she started noticing a gap in the health care safety net.
In her position as parish nurse at Dungeness Valley Lutheran Church, she saw that many people, particularly seniors new to the area, were having trouble finding a doctor.
And many of her colleagues at nursing care facilities also didn’t have access to health care or couldn’t afford it, even though they worked in the medical field.
Filling in the gap
She began to envision a clinic to fill this gap — one staffed by volunteer medical professionals, open to the public, that could connect those in need of free or reduced-cost medical services and prescription drugs.
That idea, and a lot of networking and hard work, led to the Dungeness Health and Wellness Clinic, which opened Oct. 15, 2001, and saw people walking in the first night.
Since then, the clinic has recorded more than 2,200 patient visits, the vast majority of them Sequim-area residents who were referred by a friend or family member.
“Once it took off, we got going pretty quickly,” said Griffith, who is the clinic’s director and one of three nurse-managers who volunteer there.
Four years later, the clinic is open two nights a week and sees, at most, 12 patients each night.
Patients have access to a doctor and nursing staff, lab work, X-rays, and help with prescriptions and dental services, all free or at a fraction of normal cost.
“There’s just a huge pent-up demand of people who, for one reason or another, cannot get health care,” said Dr. Joe Knapp, one of the physicians who volunteers at the clinic.
“It’s almost insatiable. A place like this, you could probably be open 12 hours a day and be continuously busy.”
Griffith stepping down
That demand is leading to some changes at the clinic. Griffith, 54, will be stepping down as clinic director Sept. 1, although she will continue to volunteer as a nurse.
“I just won’t be the boss,” Griffith says.
The clinic’s board of directors has approved a paid clinic director position.
Griffith said she’s already busy with two jobs — parish nurse, and human resources director for Sherwood Inc. — and the clinic needs someone who can devote time to recruiting additional medical volunteers.