Hopefully within a year, a free medical clinic will be in operation in Lehigh to serve not only local residents who are not insured or who are under insured, but will be available to residents from all over Lee County.

It's a dream coming true, according to Dr. Stephen Schroering, who is chairman of a local group of people who are working together to establish and staff the clinic.

The group is called Lee County Volunteers in Medicine and is a Florida not-for-profit corporation founded in December of last year. The group held its first board of directors session this past week and elected a slate of officers.

They include Schroering as chairman, Jos F. Morillo, vice chairman; Rebecca Springer, secretary and treasurer. Members of the community that have volunteered to be board members are Michael Swords (SDS Accounting), Rick Anglickis (Landex Corporation), Edd Weiner (architect, chairman of the Lehigh Acres Economic Development Board), Rae Nicely (Lehigh Community Services executive director), John Kerschner (First National Bank), Laurie Jerriey (Preferred National Bank), Jere Carrick (Majestic Golf Course), Dr. Mark Asperilla, (Charlotte County physician), Rusty Dunham (pharmacist), Joe Lemmons, (ER physician).

The mission of Lee County Volunteers in Medicine is to provide health care for the sick and unhealthy and for those that cannot afford it and have no access to it, said Morillo, the CEO of Lehigh Regional Medical Center. He said the mission is aimed to also educate on preventative health and to refer to other organizations, as necessary, for additional life sustaining and/or life-changing necessities, to improve the health of our community by investing in the human capital in our community, to elevate and raise the awareness of our responsibility of caring which in turn raises our sense of community and to actively promote and participate in building a strong, healthy, sustainable, and enriched community.

"As LCVIM is in its initial stages, we are in the process of securing private and corporate donors to fund the operations of what will eventually be a clinic that provides free health care to those without insurance that live in Lehigh Acres and Lee County. The location of this clinic will be in Lehigh Acres.

There is a temporary web page at www.leecountyvim.com to give the community more information, but it is still in the infancy stage, said Dr. Schroering, who is the chairman of the board.

"There are people in Lee County working from paycheck to paycheck, people who have no insurance and others whose insurance is insufficient. People here in Lehigh get sick and because they can't afford to see a physician, they don't get medical treatment.

"Before we know it, others in the family get sick and what happens often is that the parent gets so sick that he or she is rushed to the Emergency Room of a hospital where they usually are admitted because the illness has become so severe," he said.

"There is a tremendous need for this clinic, People have been hard hit due to the economic collapse," Schroering said.

"What do we do as a community? Do we turn our backs on people. They are not lazy because they can't find jobs. They find themselves in unfortunate circumstances."

"Often when they end up in the hospital, they can't afford the bills and the families can end up in bankruptcy. Also, if you're sick, you can't work, you often cant get around if you don't have transportation. We just can't continue to turn a blind eye to the situation," he said.

A lot of work is underway to get the clinic in operation, but it takes money and it also takes time to make sure things are right in the legal areas. We have sovereign immunity which prohibits suits against doctors who give of their time, Schroering said.

"We are a little disappointed inasmuch as we tried to correspond with our legislators and none has gotten back with us," Schroering told The Citizen.

There are free health clinics in Port Charlotte and they have been set up by Dr. Mark Asperilla, who has an office there and practices infectious disease medicine.

"I met him in September on a trip to New York and learned how the operation is being handled," Schroering went on to say.

Asperilla has become Schroering's mentor. He has offered a four-inch binder on how to set up such a clinic in the area. Asperilla is also a business investor in Lehigh.

Also working with Asperilla is Dr. David Klein, an optometrist who has a plan to open up a free health clinic in Immokalee soon.

He said the owners of Lehigh Regional Medical Center, HMA with home offices in Naples, has made a pledge to give the clinic an appreciable amount of money each month. And already without much fanfare and publicity, the group has received $8,000 in donations already and the financial commitment of others.

"Jose Morillo, the CEO at Lehigh Regional Medical Center, has a sincere heart. He knows of the need in this community. With his support and the support of local business leaders, we are going to have a clinic by the end of the year, and sooner if possible," Schroering said.

"We have a contractor who is offering us a brand new 5,000 square foot building to house the clinic in Lehigh and we have commitments for free lab testing including MRIs and other tests," Schroering said.

He said the group is looking at charitable grants and already have individuals and businesses that will donate a thousand dollars a month to fund the clinic.

"We're looking right now for four more businesses or individuals who can give us $1,000 a month and we have people showing interest," he said.

The news of a health clinic in Lehigh that would be free and would not handle any type of cash or check is new to Lehigh residents. Schroering said it has been mainly word of mouth discussions and the news is getting out fast.

He said the idea was really born on Dec. 29 and now the group has a board and is moving forward.

Anyone who would like to contribute is encouraged to send checks to Schroering's office at 1328 Homestead Rd. Checks can be made out to Lee County Volunteers in Medicine or LCVM. The clinic will have state-of-the-art technology and has the support of local physicians in addition to the hospital.

He said the board is now looking for an executive director, who will be a full-time employee who will be responsible for fundraising, grant writing, administrative and clinical duties within the clinic.

"The group plans to sponsor several fundraising events to help make this possible," Schroering said.

"We are hoping that this community, as well as all of Lee County will be fully supportive and give unselfishly to our support.

"We all have an obligation to be of sound morale principle. The real test of this is if you to sell your character, would you get full retail price, or would you go for a bargain basement price. There is no experience better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up," Schroering said.

He said that if folks feel compelled to make a difference in thousands of lives, he hope they will give generously.

"It is easy in charity to give away what you don't want, but true charity requires giving away what you do want," Schroering said.

"And now is the time for an all-free medical clinic. The time is right and it's the right thing for us all to do," Schroering said.

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JustinFlorida1
02-03-10 8:52 PM »Report Comment Abuse	This is something Lehigh really needs. Everyone needs to support it. As the story read, no money is exchanged and tests are being contributed from places like the Lehigh hospital and others. And it is for all the county, but located here in Lehigh. Lehigh always come through when there is a need.

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