EDITOR’s NOTE: – Second of a two-part series that began Sunday.
SEQUIM — The popular perception of Sequim is that it never rains and most of the people are retired and loaded with money.
A visit to the free clinic at Dungeness Valley Health and Wellness, 925 N. Sequim Ave., would shoot holes in that perception.
Executive director Mary Griffith says clinic statistics show:
* 58 percent of patients at the clinic are unemployed.
* 81 percent don’t have health insurance.
* 80 percent don’t have a regular doctor.
* 70 percent are younger than 50 years.
No Medicare doctors
Some of the patients qualify for Medicare but can’t find a doctor who is accepting the federal government coverage.
“We try to get them into a doctor when there’s an opening,” Griffith said.
The clinic is open Mondays from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Physicians Kari Olsen and Carl G. Weber add three hours to their days with assistance from nurse practitioners Donna West and Rebecca Zambido, who drives from Kitsap County to help out.
“We’re always looking for more volunteers,” Griffith said.
There are retired physicians in the area who could help out, but getting them licensed is a problem, according to Griffith.
She thinks a license limiting practice to free clinics might be the answer to the problem.
The Dungeness Valley clinic was started in October 2001 under the sponsorship of Dungeness Valley Lutheran Church, but the majority of its support comes from other sources.
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The rest of the story appears in Monday’s Peninsula Daily News. Click on SUBSCRIBE to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.