Article Contributed on: 8/26/2008 3:06:03 PM
More than 100 medical professionals, elected officials and community health center representatives gathered at the Hotel Boulderado on Aug. 19 to thank the many specialist physicians and health care providers in Boulder and Broomfield counties who provide medical care to the area's low-income and uninsured residents.
Clinica Family Health Services, along with medical product manufacturer Covidien, hosted a luncheon to thank the specialist physicians and various health care providers in Boulder and Broomfield counties who provide care to the area's poor for free or at a greatly reduced rate.
"These people don't have to do what they do," said Dr. Chris Keenan, medical director for Clinica's Lafayette site. "They have busy practices. They don't have to treat our patients, but they do. They provide excellent care to people who would otherwise go without."
For more than 30 years, Clinica - including its Boulder site, People's Clinic - has provided affordable health care to the uninsured. While Clinica provides primary care to more than 15,000 people at its Boulder and Lafayette sites, it does not have surgeons, oncologists, optometrists or other specialized care providers whom its patients frequently need. For those services, Clinica turns to members of the medical community in Boulder and Broomfield counties. Local specialists treat more than a thousand patients each year, saving these patients hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Three doctors and one medical group were given special recognition: Dr. David Himel, a Lafayette optometrist; Dr. Charles Jones, a Boulder general surgeon; Dr. Nelson Trujillo, a cardiologist with Rocky Mountain Cardiology; and the Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers' Boulder office. Both Avista Adventist Hospital and Boulder Community Hospital were also honored for the care they provide to the uninsured and underinsured members of the community.
Currently, 9.8% of all Boulder County residents are living in poverty (calculated at $21,200 total annual income for a family of four); 21% are living at or below 200% of the federal poverty level ($42,400 or less annually for a family of four). Approximately 13.5% of the county's residents are currently uninsured, according to the Colorado Health Institute.
Also on hand to thank the many specialists who give of their time and talent were Jared Polis (Democratic candidate for Congress in Colorado's Second Congressional District), Rep. Alice Madden (House Majority Leader), Dickey Lee Hullinghorst (Democratic candidate for State Representative in House District 10), Boulder City Council members, and the mayors of Lafayette and Louisville.
For any additional information, please call either:
Connie Holden, capital campaign development director, at (720) 565-4115 or (720) 318-4457.
Susan Wortman, development director, at (303) 665-3036, x164, or (720) 341-3849