Sacramento doctor treats some homeless women for free
Family practitioner Karen Hart, left, provides a tissue, free care and comfort to Women's Empowerment graduate Glynda Schaeffer at Hart's east Sacramento office on Wednesday. Schaeffer has multiple sclerosis and fears she will lose her mobility or eyesight if she can't get therapy. Schaeffer is ineligible for Medi-Cal and says she's had a tough time getting treatment through the county.
Christine Wheat has endured endless hours in emergency rooms and county clinics, waiting for care for her chronic ear infections and abdominal pain. She is used to the humiliating questions and pitying looks she gets when people find out she is homeless and has no insurance.
"There have been times when I have prayed to just get through the night or cried myself to sleep because I was in pain and had nowhere to go to get help," Wheat said. "You just go without."
Not any longer, thanks to a local physician who has opened her heart and her practice to homeless women.
Family practitioner Karen Hart is treating graduates of Women's Empowerment, a nonprofit program that helps homeless women get back on their feet and land jobs, for free. Free consultations. Free exams. Free treatment for everything from heart ailments to breast lumps. For conditions that require specialists, Hart is assembling a group of doctors who will provide care at low or no cost.
It's simply part of a "business plan" that allows Hart to earn a modest living while giving back to her community, she said.
"It's something I've wanted to do for a long time," said Hart. "I've found the perfect nonprofit to work with me."
Hart, who spent a decade working in a managed care system that she argues puts too much emphasis on the bottom line and shortchanges patients, opened her east Sacramento practice about a year ago. It offers both standard and alternative medicine, including massage therapy.
For patients who have health coverage, Hart bills insurance companies. Those who are without coverage can sign up for a "membership plan" and pay a nominal monthly fee, plus a modest fee for office visits.
Women's Empowerment clients like Wheat, who is looking for work and living in shared housing, pay nothing.
A majority of Women's Empowerment clients are without insurance, said director Lisa Culp. "Many of them have chronic problems that they have not dealt with for years."
Some are covered by health plans for the indigent, but "the system is very challenging to navigate," especially for someone who has no car or phone, she said.
Health problems, said Culp, are one of the main obstacles preventing homeless women from finding and keeping jobs.
Wheat, 43, who lost her last job last year, has been without insurance for about five years. She said she typically puts off health concerns until "I'm ready to drop over."
"I don't want the bills," said Wheat. "It's too stressful."
She is ineligible for Medi-Cal because she has no young children. She qualifies for county care, but getting appointments can mean camping out in the clinic lobby for days. Knowing that she now has access to medical care, she said, gives her some peace.
Wheat is among a dozen Women's Empowerment graduates with significant health problems who are signed up to get care from Hart. One has a colostomy bag that needs attention. Another has a suspicious lump in her neck and a history of cancer.
Glynda Schaeffer has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and fears she will lose her mobility or eyesight if she is unable to get proper therapy. She is ineligible for Medi-Cal and has had trouble, she said, getting treatment through the county.
She visited with Hart for the first time earlier this week. When she walked into the lobby, she saw walls painted in pale shades of lavender and blue, smelled the soft scent of flowers, and heard soothing music. Almost immediately, she felt comfortable.
Hart, wearing jeans and high-heeled black boots under her white coat, took her into an examination room and spent 40 minutes chatting with her. Schaeffer, 46, was so overwhelmed that she began to cry. "There aren't many doctors like you," she said.
Hart told her she believes the "ugly truth" of modern medicine is that poor people get a lesser standard of care than the privileged. Hart's goal is to make good health care "affordable and accessible to everyone," she said.
"It's why I went into medicine."
Hart was prepared to take a financial hit when she started her practice. "I have, and I'm OK with that," she said. "At the same time, I realize this is a business and I have to keep my doors open."
"I'm still seeing patients with insurance," she said. "I'm just adding another element, and it's working out very well."
Hart is willing to find discount prescriptions and specialty treatment if her patients need such things, she said.
As for Schaeffer, she said, "I have no doubt I will be able to help her. What I am not able to do myself, I will figure out a way to get done."
Schaeffer left Hart's office with a smile on her face and a feeling of serenity.
"I feel so much better," she said. "I think she's the doctor for me."
Dr. Karen Hart, shown with medical assistant Lola Rios, says that offering free medical care to homeless women is "something I've wanted to do for a long time. I've found the perfect nonprofit to work with me."
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