Outreach Clinic at Community Center seeing uninsured patients - appointment needed For four years, the Westside Community Center, run by Woodmen Valley Chapel, has provided space for a Nurses Center, providing free medical information and consultation six hours a week. A doctor's services have recently become available for two hours a week in what's being called the Westside Outreach Clinic.Offered by Penrose-St. Francis Health Services, the location for both
The doctor, who grew up in Colorado Springs and lives on the Westside, is Jamie Riesberg, M.D. He is otherwise stationed at Fort Carson, working out of the Robinson Clinic at Evans Hospital. In a recent interview, he said the Outreach Clinic offers free primary care to people with health problems who have problems getting treatment elsewhere, for reasons of poverty or various kinds of insurance shortfalls. His efforts include not just checking of vitals, but also getting to know patients, even talking with them about any “lifestyle” issues, such as obesity or use of alcohol or drugs. Appointments typically last 45 minutes. “I try to take the time to listen,” Riesberg said. “This is my town, my neighbors. If I'm not willing to step out and help them, who will?” The doctor sets aside time in the Outreach Clinic on Wednesdays from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Appointments are necessary at 385-7920 x304. Like the Nurses Center, the clinic is not intended for emergencies. Prescriptions are not written for narcotics, and obstetric care is not provided. The Nurses Center is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome. The phone is the same as for the clinic. The center offers an assessment, a diagnosis, and a “nursing plan of care that focuses on the whole person (mind-body-spirit),” explained Lisa Noll, one of the nurses serving through Penrose-St. Francis' Mission Outreach. “We use what we call the 'CARES' model - coordination of care, advocacy, resource/referral provision, emotional/spiritual support and education.”
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