Facing a health crisis is challenging enough. Facing one without insurance makes it even harder — and it's a reality Milwaukee's Bread of Healing Clinic works to address every day.
The faith-based clinic provides free healthcare services to uninsured patients, seeing between 15 and 30 patients a day and logging 8,000 visits a year. It operates on a million-dollar budget funded entirely through donations and grants, staffed by an all-volunteer team of healthcare professionals from the Milwaukee area.
Linda Taylor, an uninsured day care teacher, has relied on the clinic for nearly a decade. Her employer does not offer health insurance, and she said she has been unable to afford coverage on her own.
"It's been very challenging. And, yes, I did try to get insurance. I couldn't afford it. It's so high," Taylor said.
For Taylor, the clinic has become more than a place to receive medical care.
Watch: Milwaukee healthcare clinic helps uninsured as need grows for free medical service
"And I thank God I came here and I've been here ever since. It's family," Taylor said.
The clinic was co-founded 25 years ago by Dr. Barbara Horner-Ibler. She said the patients who come through the doors share a common struggle.
"They all have a, a financial crisis because they're at the very low end of the income," Horner-Ibler said.
Executive Director Erica Wright was hired a year ago to work in her hometown. She said the patients the clinic serves share several defining characteristics.
"The commonality is they do not have insurance, they are seeking a medical home, and they typically have a chronic condition that needs to be managed," Wright said.
Clinic leaders say they are concerned the patient list will grow. New rule requirements are expected to make it harder for some people to maintain health insurance coverage.
Horner-Ibler said a significant impact is anticipated in October, when changes are expected to affect immigrants — including those who are in the country legally, those whose cases are in process, and those who hold green cards.
"We expect a second wave in October when the immigrant population — those who are here legally, those who are in process, those who have green cards, it apparently doesn't matter, and they will lose their eligibility for Badger Care," Horner-Ibler said.
Badger Care is Wisconsin's Medicaid program, jointly funded with federal dollars. Horner-Ibler also noted that new work requirements for some enrollees are set to begin in January.
Wright said the clinic makes a meaningful difference in the lives of the patients it serves, but acknowledged its limitations.
"I think when people come into our care they are so much better for it and they're healthier and they thrive, but we are just one piece of the big puzzle here and we can only serve so many people," Wright said.
For patients like Taylor, the impact is deeply personal.
"I love you all so much - you have changed my life," Taylor said.
Bread of Healing says it is always looking for volunteers, and donations are always welcome.
This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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