Community Champions (Community Outreach Health Clinic)

The Community Outreach Health Clinic serves uninsured and underinsured residents of Froedtert Menomonee Falls Hospital's service area, which includes parts of Waukesha, Washington, Ozaukee and Milwaukee counties. The clinic provides quality medical care with dignity and confidentiality, using the services of volunteer professional staff under the oversight of a physician medical director and nurse practitioner.

The Community Outreach Health Clinic is a free and charitable clinic in Menomonee Falls. We're based in Froedtert Menomonee Falls Hospital, open Tuesday/Thursday evenings. We see patients that are uninsured or underinsured and take care of their primary care needs, such as high blood pressure, diabetes.

We also offer medications and help them through medication assistance programs and care for their mental health. And we do all of this by having volunteers come in and work the evenings of Tuesday and Thursday.

"What brought me here was I was seeing a doctor that felt she couldn't meet my needs, and she did some research and found out about this clinic and told me to see if I qualified to go there and I called," said Patti Beringer, Community Outreach Health Clinic patient. "I actually thought I didn't, and I was surprised I did. And I never met such a wonderful staff of people and they were so kind and accommodating and they took care of above and beyond what my expectations were. So amazing place, I wish I would have contacted them sooner."

A fabulous place, the caretakers, but the providers are second to none," according to Mariann Van Winkel, volunteer. "They provide compassion and dignity to the patient and also quality care. They are here for you. They are just a great group of people."

Patti added, "No matter where we live, there's a lot of people that are in need, and we're not aware of it. And they don't know where to go or what to do, and I think it brings the community together more helping people that are in need."

People can support the clinic in multiple ways. We do take donations of medical supplies and some medications — over-the-counter supplies that people might not be able to afford. Of course, donation of money — it helps with running the clinic.

If you know somebody that is uninsured, let them know that there is care out there for them.