Anyone in need of medical, dental or optical care can find free and empathetic service from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Columbia Presbyterian Church, 8715 St. Helens Ave, Vancouver.
At the fourth Compassion Vancouver Heights event, volunteers are gearing up to serve more than 200 people who either lack insurance or can’t afford to use the insurance they do have.
“We just want to reach out with the love of Jesus to our community and let them know that we care about them,” said Debbie Engley, a coordinator of the clinic. “We care that their tooth is hurting. We care.”
According the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, 6.5 percent of Clark County residents younger than 65 years old are without health insurance, totaling nearly 31,000 people.
The free clinic is put on by seven different churches in the Vancouver Heights neighborhood in coordination with the Portland nonprofit Compassion Connect. They’ll be joined by hundreds of volunteers and health care providers, including dental hygiene students from Clark College, dentistry students from Oregon Health and Science University and optometry students from Pacific University.
Since the first Compassion Vancouver Heights clinic in 2010, organizers have learned to expect between 200 and 250 patients.
“The people that come to our clinic, they might have no insurance. They might have insurance but they can’t afford to use it because their deductibles are too high,” Engley said. “They literally don’t have anywhere else to go.”
Attendees can get medical screenings and dental care including extractions, fillings and cleanings. They’ll also be able to get free haircuts, chair massages and vision care — “people are able to leave with glasses,” Engley said.
The event will also offer a free lunch and children’s area.
Engley and her husband, Jeff Engley, started coordinating the clinic in January, she said. They lead a team of 14 other organizers, each of whom guides between 10 and 20 volunteers. It’s a tremendous undertaking, Engley added — and a fast one. Coordinators need to tear down the clinic immediately to get the church ready for Sunday worship services.
Patients don’t need to show any proof of low income in order to be treated.
“It’s a blessing, just seeing the thankfulness of people that come to the clinic,” Engley said. “I love our clinics that we have available in Vancouver, but there’s often a wait. There’s often a three-, six-month wait to get an appointment.”
The next regional Compassion Connect events will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on consecutive Saturdays: July 28 at Eastside Free Methodist Church and Aug. 4 at The Gathering Church, both in Portland. These mini clinics will offer medical and dental care on a first-come, first-served basis.
