EMPTY STOCKING FUND: ‘Good care' a big help for widowed mother
Jodie went to Peak Vista Community Health Centers last spring because she had health problems and no health insurance.
The 49-year-old widowed mother of seven was surprised by what she found at the clinics serving the uninsured and underinsured.
It's not "low-income care," she said. "It's good care."
Peak Vista is one of 14 agencies receiving money from The Gazette-El Pomar Foundation Empty Stocking Fund. Peak Vista has medical and dental clinics in El Paso and Teller counties.
"You just call and register. They make it so easy; they are so easy to work with," Jodie said. "Sometimes if you're poor and can't afford medical care, you get the lowest care or don't get the care you need."
Not at Peak Vista, she said.
"They take an interest in my well-being," she said. "The prescriptions are so reasonable. I'm on about 10."
Peak Vista patients pay on a sliding scale according to what they can afford.
Jodie's husband died when their children ranged from 1 to 15. Two are now teenagers, one is in college and the other four are grown.
Jodie goes to Peak Vista for dental care, something she'd been putting off for a long time.
"For me to afford two fillings out-of-pocket wasn't an option," she said. "I started to have a toothache. They treated me like I was the numero uno patient."
She recently took a job as a schoolteacher and will soon be eligible for insurance benefits.
She said she likes it so much she plans to stay at Peak Vista.
TO DONATE
Make a secure donation at www.fillanemptystocking.org. Call 476-1673 to make a credit card or stock donation over the phone. Checks can be made payable to the Empty Stocking Fund and mailed to P.O. Box 400, Colorado Springs, CO 80901.
