St. Clare Health Mission, an organization in La Crosse, Wisconsin, that has provided health care to residents regardless of financial status, ethnicity or religious belief since 1993, has announced plans to open a new clinic.
The new facility is mapped to meet the large increase in uninsured and underinsured patients seeking care in the community, a growth reported to be almost 200% in the past five years. The mission is in the midst of a capital campaign to raise $3.2 million to fund the clinic, scheduled to open this summer in downtown La Crosse.
Local news outlet WXOW News 19 reported the announcement, made on Feb. 3, and interviewed St. Clare Health Mission Campaign Co-Chair John Lyche, who said, “... when you pack people in like sardines, they feel like a number. And at the end of the day, we all want to be treated as an individual, and this will help that happen.”
Established by Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration Leclare Beres (pictured above) and named for St. Clare of Assisi, St.Clare Health Mission has served nearly 20,000 people with over 80,000 visits for more than 30 years at its current location by volunteers and the belief that health care is a basic human right; that we all share in the benefits of caring for our neighbors.
Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration Kathy Stuttgen, wearing a blue jacket, and Madalene Buelow, FSPA affiliate, are among the many St. Clare Health Mission volunteers.
Watch WXOW’s full report below, and go to news8000.com and wizmnews.com to view additional coverage of the story. To learn more about St. Clare Health Mission, click here.