‘Bringing the Gospel of life’

St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic, Catholic Charities form partnership

By Gabrielle Nolan

Two local Catholic powerhouses have joined forces to begin a life-affirming partnership that will positively impact the rural communities of East Tennessee.

St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic (SMLC), a mobile medical clinic that provides health services to the medically uninsured, and Catholic Charities of East Tennessee (CCETN), a nonprofit organization that provides social services to thousands of clients, officially came together for the first time on Feb. 27 at St. Mary Church in Gatlinburg.

The SMLC mobile clinic and CCETN’s new mobile ultrasound van were stationed in the parking lot of St. Mary, as the parish hall was used for patient intake and prescribing medications.

Before patients were seen, the staff and volunteers of both organizations held a ribbon-cutting between the two vehicles. St. Mary parish administrator Father Pontian Kiyimba, AJ, blessed the mobile clinics with holy water.

Deacon David Duhamel, executive director of CCETN, said that “it didn’t take much” to form the partnership with SMLC.

“When you have two very like-minded organizations that are focused on bringing the Gospel of life to the citizens of East Tennessee, especially those who are our most vulnerable neighbors, it worked really well,” Deacon Duhamel commented. “Being able to come and present both of these services at the same time at a parish here in the Diocese of Knoxville was an opportunity too good to pass up. We are looking forward to continuing this relationship long-term, where both the assets will be able to be deployed in partnership where it makes sense for the community that we’re visiting, and of course the schedule and operational requirements.”

Countering abortions in East Tennessee

Deacon Duhamel explained that CCETN acquired the van at a discounted rate from a pro-life agency in Indiana, and the ultrasound machine on board the van was funded by the Knights of Columbus.

“As a brother Knight, I have a very close and deep affinity for all those Knights who are out there and so passionate about the pro-life work of our Catholic Church. There was never ever a question of ‘if we can help.’ It was always ‘how can we help?’” Deacon Duhamel said.

“Walt Hanson was a driving force as was Deacon Mike Gouge before he passed away. They represent the St. John Neumann Knights of Columbus council,” he continued.

Mr. Hanson noted that over the years of fundraising, the Knights collectively raised around $35,000. The Knights of Columbus Supreme Council provided an additional $37,000.

“This is about, I’m going to say, three-plus years’ worth of effort that has gotten our ultrasound van on the street,” Mr. Hanson added. “We spent a couple of years just fundraising to get the van and the ultrasound in the van, and then after that was raising money to try to get it on the street. You can have a van, but you can’t go very far if you don’t have gas and you don’t have drivers or staff to go in it.”

The mobile ultrasound van made its debut on Jan. 23 at the Pregnancy Help Center in Helenwood.

“We’re happy to see that it’s being used, but we also realize that there’s interest going forward in a second van; and the fact of the matter is these vans and machines have limited life expectancy,” Mr. Hanson said. “So, now that we know it’s possible, now we know we have to keep it up. We know we can do it, so we’ll have to continue to do it.”

In addition to those from the Knights of Columbus, other contributions poured in from the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, St. Vincent de Paul Society, and individual parishes.

While the ultrasound van may not be as spacious as the ultrasound room at CCETN’s main offices, it “still is affording us to provide these services to young women as a way for them to see their child who is growing inside of them,” Deacon Duhamel said.

“It’s really intended to be a medical tool that will hopefully help us to counter abortions in East Tennessee. There’s a lot of different percentages out there, but it’s a real high percentage when a woman comes to us who is abortion-minded and she has the opportunity to see her baby, hear the heartbeat—the percentage is really high that she chooses not to abort. This is such a life-affirming ministry, and being able to partner with St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic to bring this out to the community is of tremendous value,” he continued.

Sandi Davidson oversees the ultrasound program for CCETN.

“We are just absolutely thrilled to come alongside St. Mary’s Legacy,” she remarked. “There can only be just blessings coming from it. They’ve really done all the hard work, and we’re coming alongside them to add to their services, but also, it’s a blessing for us because then we don’t have to do what they’ve already laid out. It’s a win-win situation, not only for us but also our clients because they’ll only benefit from us referring our clients to them and they referring their clients to us. I think in traveling around the diocese of East Tennessee, underserved communities will have services that they haven’t had in a very long time, if ever.”

Currently, the ultrasound van goes out into the field on Tuesdays and Thursdays, to St. John Paul II Parish in Rutledge and St. Mary Parish in Gatlinburg. When fully operational, the van will go out into the field four days a week, including to the Chattanooga and Five Rivers deaneries.

“We have a driver, but we still need volunteers because one of our nurses actually runs the clinic in the Knoxville Pregnancy Center, so she’s just on board right now until we can get someone else to be with our nurse on the mobile unit. We need volunteers; they do not have to be medical. They can just help us with witnessing the ultrasounds and doing intakes, but we also need drivers,” Ms. Davidson said.

Samantha Bigley is a registered nurse who performs ultrasounds for CCETN. She has volunteered with the organization for one year and has been working in the Knoxville area for the past three months.

Ms. Bigley observed that the setup with SMLC was nice because “it is very organized.”

“How we set up was very easy; we weren’t guessing on where to go. The patients knew where to go. Everything was run very smoothly,” she said. The most enjoyable part of Ms. Bigley’s job is “seeing babies, being able to tell people about their babies, showing them and introducing that glimpse of them with the mother.”

On the other end of the spectrum, the most challenging situations are when someone is abortion-minded or when someone miscarries, she said.

“Delivering hard news is challenging,” Ms. Bigley commented.

Melissa Coldiron is the mobile ultrasound clinic coordinator for CCETN, but several years ago she worked as the clinical nurse manager for SMLC. She also enjoys the role of helping moms connect to their babies.

“It’s such a vague kind of thing sometimes, you know, for moms when you’re pregnant you can’t really see the baby yet. It just helps them to introduce them to their baby and start loving that baby from an early point. I just think that the pictures are fantastic,” she said.

“Having worked with St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic before, I think the partnership is very, very good,” Ms. Coldiron said. “The St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic has been in the community for a long time now, and so I think the people trust them. Also, I think us being connected with them at some of the locations will help the clients who we might see feel like they can trust us because we’re associated with them.”

‘It’s like a family’

Martin Vargas, executive director of SMLC, has been anticipating a partnership with CCETN for a couple of years and is now glad to see that goal come to fruition.

“It’s just such an amazing thing that you can have two organizations that are the hands and feet of Jesus today come together and deliver care for those most in need where they’re at,” Mr. Vargas said. “You come in one parking lot and get all your needs met. We’re in a church today, so you have your spiritual needs here. You have your physical healing needs here. You can affirm life here. It’s just a perfect, perfect setup.”

Mr. Vargas said the state of Tennessee offers a wonderful program where women can receive health insurance on TennCare as soon as they become pregnant, so no pregnant mother will be uninsured.

“Going forward, if a woman rolls off of TennCare, then she can continue to receive medical care from the St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic free of charge as an uninsured patient,” he remarked.

Mr. Vargas also shared that the state of Tennessee does provide the clinic with some funding for their patients.

“State funding does not cover the comprehensive nature of care, but it does help tremendously. We are grateful to the state of Tennessee for that funding,” he said. “The state not only recognizes us as a legitimate health-care provider but as a valued health-care partner that goes out to where the people are, meets them where they are, and meets the needs they have. It’s an incredible opportunity.”

The St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic serves the communities of Knoxville, Athens, Decatur, Crab Orchard, Crossville, Gatlinburg, Helenwood, Rutledge, Washburn, and Pigeon Forge.

Scott, a SMLC patient who comes to the Gatlinburg clinic site, said he wishes more people knew about their services.

“I was in the hospital about three years ago with a collapsed lung, pneumonia, and all kinds of problems,” he said. “When I got out, I didn’t have any medical insurance or anything. I hadn’t been to the doctor in years. And some friends here got me to come in; they pretty much saved my life, St. Mary’s.”

When Scott was released from the hospital, he said he could not afford diabetes medication.

“I got into St. Mary’s and they helped with it, they helped me get it at a very affordable price, almost nothing. I’m here trying to take care of my elderly, disabled father, and I wouldn’t be able to do it, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for St. Mary’s Clinic,” he said.

Scott said the clinic staff and volunteers show empathy.

“They care about how we’re feeling, what we’re doing. You’re not sure about something, they’ll walk you through it. They’re just very great; it’s great here,” he observed. “They’re all great, and they go above and beyond for me and everyone else. You don’t know how many lives they touch. Thank God for St. Mary’s.”

For those who are uninsured and uncertain about seeing a doctor, Scott has some encouraging words.

“Come right here; it’ll save your life. Dr. [John] Harris and the Sisters, they’re all great here. It’s like a family now,” he shared.

Sister clinics

During the Gatlinburg clinic site, SMLC was visited by two members of the Rural Parish Clinic from the Archdiocese of St. Louis in Missouri.

Terri Cammarata, president and CEO of Rural Parish Clinic, and Sister Mary Rachel Nerbun, a Religious Sister of Mercy of Alma, Mich., and medical clinic director, visited the Knoxville area for one week to shadow the staff and volunteers of SMLC.

“We have both medical and dental mobile clinics that provide care to our rural communities in the St. Louis area,” Ms. Cammarata said, noting that their medical clinic is entering its sixth year.

Sister Mary Rachel works closely with SMLC’s medical director, Sister Mary Lisa Renfer, RSM.

“[Sister Mary Rachel] thought it’d be a great opportunity to come in and observe, see some of their efficiencies, how they run some of their processes, get to know Martin (Vargas) and Sarah (Grimes), just to be able to collaborate. So, we’re kind of like sister clinics and help each other as we navigate these changing times,” Ms. Cammarata said.

She explained that when the Medicaid program expanded, Missouri expanded its program, but Tennessee did not.

“So, there’s a higher number of patients here that are uninsured versus that are in Missouri,” Ms. Cammarata shared. “So, just trying to understand the differences related to those programs, getting the message out. … We still have a lot of room to grow, and I know the communities out there that need the care, and just trying to get the message out there. How do I draw them in? How do I get them? Because we provide such an outstanding service; our medical providers and our dental providers do a fantastic job. We just want to make sure we are utilized to the fullest of the ability and also pick Martin’s brain about how he’s gone out and different avenues that he’s utilized, having interviews to help get the message out, social media, branding, those kinds of things that we need to continue to work on.”

Sister Mary Rachel noted the St. Louis mobile clinics also are run by Religious Sisters of Mercy, staff, and volunteers.

One of the greatest needs of the Missouri clinic is to establish more connections in the rural communities.

“This is something that St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic has done extremely well. They have partnered with local people who invite them in, help to support the clinic, meet them here on clinic days, and help to get the patients here,” she said. “Very often the interpreters they are using come from the local communities here. So, this is something we are really working on trying to build up on our clinic because it makes people much more comfortable to come on the clinic if they know that the community is supporting them and involved.”

The Religious Sister of Mercy also believes working with local communities raises awareness of population health concerns.

“I think that both our clinics, the real goal is to try to improve the health-care outcomes of people over time. And to bring a little bit of the touch of the Lord with us, right, is to have them have an experience of being loved and cared for as a whole person, because we’re not just looking at medical needs, we’re also looking at … all the other needs. We can give them medication, but if they can’t eat or they have no place to live or they lose their transportation, it’s kind of not really looking at the whole person,” Sister Mary Rachel shared.

While visiting SMLC in the Knoxville area, both Sister Mary Rachel and Ms. Cammarata said there is a lot to be learned from each clinic site.

“Many things to be learned, even in how they do their process of check-in,” Sister Mary Rachel said. “Even in how many volunteers they carry with them at a time to help with the process of greeting people, checking them in, and trying to keep the flow up to the physicians going smoothly. There are also some differences in how we get resources and what we carry on board and some of the services that we’re able to do. We’re able to do bedside ultrasound. They don’t have that here at this clinic, but I have a provider that was very interested in doing this.”

Mr. Vargas called the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Mich., “the secret sauce to what we do” in describing their medical prowess as they provide health care to the uninsured in the rural areas of East Tennessee and in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

“It’s an amazing day,” Mr. Vargas commented. “We have brought together the Religious Sisters of Mercy. We’re doing a best-practice swapping. We have a Sister in who is their medical director and their brand new CEO, Terri Cammarata, is here. They are teaching us so much and we’re sharing with them what we do, how we deliver the healing ministry of Jesus Christ.”