HANGNAILS TO HEART ATTACKS MATTHEW 25 SERVES ALLEN COUNTY
Matthew 25 Health and Dental Clinic, now located at 413 E. Jefferson Blvd.-downtown Fort Wayne, originally began on a much smaller scale than what we see today. The clinic opened its doors to Allen County residents in need on May 1, 1976 offering free medical care and was located in a small 500 square foot house on Clay Street. Within three years of opening, the clinic soon added dental services to the health care services they already provided. In 1981, Matthew 25 moved to its current location. Matthew 25’s recent expansion has allowed for three times the space, double the number of dental rooms, and more than double the number of medical exam rooms. The clinic has not only grown in size since its opening, but has also grown in services and now serves nearly 120 patients a day! This means that Matthew 25 sees roughly 26,000 patients per year!
There are three criteria necessary to be eligible for the services that Matthew 25 provides. You have to be an Allen County resident, and must be an uninsured and a low-income adult. It is estimated that in Allen County alone, nearly 25% of the adult population is uninsured. Even more alarming is the fact that Indiana has the highest number of medical bankruptcies in the United States. Seeing these numbers makes it obvious how important Matthew 25 is to our community.
Matthew 25 offers medical, dental, and vision services and could not run without the support of the community. Volunteers make up the majority of the staff at Matthew 25, with between 400 and 500 individuals staffing the clinic. Nearly 100 of these volunteers are local physicians, and another 50 are dentists. Waynedale’s own family dentist, Dr. Tom Blake, spends time volunteering at the clinic. Dr. Blake sees patients at the clinic once per month, and also spends time on the Dental Advisory Committee at Matthew 25. The Dental Advisory Committee helps implement new programs and offers advice about beginning new programs at Matthew 25.
Matthew 25 is one of the most successful free health clinics in the United States. Since the clinic runs completely on private funds, Matthew 25 relies on not only the volunteers that work at the clinic, but also on donations from the community.
Matthew 25 holds fundraisers annually to help raise money to keep the clinic running. The 8th Annual Dr. Philip O’Shaughnessy Walk/Run for Health is scheduled for Saturday, July 21, 2007 and will be held at Foster Park. Nearly 300 runners participated in last year’s Walk/Run, and hopes are high for even more participants this year. If you are interested, there are numerous ways to participate in the Walk/Run, including volunteering during the day of the event, sponsoring someone who is running in the event, or walking/running in the event. Donations are always welcome, and appreciated.
From hangnails to heart attacks, Matthew 25 proudly serves a large portion of the Fort Wayne area. Want to be a part of something great? Join the Matthew 25 team and make a difference! For more information about Matthew 25, visit their website at www.matthew25online.org, and for information about volunteering or about participating in the upcoming Walk/Run, contact Jennie O. at 426-3250.
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