Dayne Shawgo (right) receives a H1N1 vaccination from volunteer Lisa Kudva at the Free Clinic of SW Washington, which offers free medical, dental and vision care to residents without access to services. / Courtesy Free Clinic of SW Washington

H1N1 hysteria has dominated headlines for the past few weeks with photos of crowds packing doctor’s offices and queuing up for hours in hopes of a chance at the injection. Whether the flu bug lives up to its hype remains to be seen, but I dragged my kindergartner to the pediatrician for a quick prick in the arm just in case. When we arrived at the doctor’s office, the scene was almost festive. The line of children wound out the door and into the hallway, kids played freeze tag, and well-prepared moms unpacked lunch boxes with fruit snacks and juice boxes.

Unfortunately, every week in Clark County hundreds of people wait in similar lines for hours at a time in hopes of seeing a physician. Each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning and Tuesday and Thursday evening a line forms at the Jim Parsley Community Center which houses the Free Clinic of Southwest Washington. The clinic offers free medical, dental and vision care to residents who would otherwise have no access to such services. Volunteer physicians, physician’s assistants, nurses, dentists, optometrists, ophthalmologists, intake specialists, and clerical staff provide all care at the clinic. During the last fiscal year that translated into 531 volunteers and 18,080 hours of service.

According to Dani Leis, Volunteer and Community Relations Manager for the Free Clinic, the need for more volunteers is growing as the number of those without insurance and employment rises. “People line up every day to compete for space,” said Leis. “Even with our incredible network of volunteers we’ve never been able to meet the need. We turn sick patients away at every clinic.” Washington State estimates from 2007 report that over 11.7 percent of residents are uninsured. On a national scale, when unemployment increases by one percent, uninsured numbers increase by 1.1 million.

Weekly medical clinics require approximately 15 volunteers for each shift, with four to five physicians, three to four nurses, a lab tech, pharmacist, triage specialist, and front office support. Last year the clinic hosted 14,000 patient visits. My dad, Arnie Dyer, who retired from teaching last year, volunteers on Friday mornings. For someone who considers himself retired his weekly schedule is jammed packed with a variety of volunteer positions, but the Free Clinic is by far his favorite. “The first time I volunteered there, I went in without recognizing that I had pre-conceived ideas of what the waiting room might look like,” he recalls. “That first day I realized the waiting room could be any doctor’s office in Vancouver. The majority of people are working full time, but don’t have insurance. They’re likely friends, neighbors, even Voice readers. I really love volunteering at the clinic because the patients are treated so respectfully and compassionately.”

Medical volunteers agree. Leis believes this is due in part to the collegiate atmosphere the clinic fosters. Doctors who are qualified to practice in other countries and medical students working on residency shadow the physicians during rounds. Physicians are also able to practice alongside their peers in the community to share knowledge and collaborate. Since the clinic administers acute care, specialists can hone skills they may not have used since residency. Outside the seven exam rooms, physicians consult one another about unusual medical cases or gather in the break room to compare notes.

In addition to the uniqueness of this team approach, the patients the clinic serves are extremely thankful. “Our patients are extraordinarily grateful, which is such a rewarding and positive experience for our volunteers,” reports Leis. “60 percent of our patients would have stayed home if it were not for our services. This population is under served and waiting in pain.” This concept of waiting in pain is in sharp contrast with the playful mode of the H1N1-line my son and I waited in.

Leis uses the example of a patient with an abscessed tooth to illustrate the urgent need for additional volunteers — particularly dentists who are in highest demand. While a physician at the medical clinic can treat the infection, it will take an additional three months wait for a dentist to fix the underlying condition. The Free Clinic established an online scheduling system for volunteers to help with ease of use and coverage gaps. Volunteers can log on from home and register to cover a shift online. The majority of medical workers volunteer once a quarter for three hours. For more information or to volunteer visit www.freeclinics.org or call 360-313-1390.

And, the next time I find myself in a doctor’s waiting room, I don’t think I’ll complain about the wait.

Kate Dyer-Seeley is a mom, a writer, a coffee junkie and avid reader. Her column appears every other issue in The Voice.