There have been so many days when Kathie Brown has awakened for a new day without an idea what to expect, and that was the case well before COVID-19 slammed doors shut for businesses, health care facilities, and even homes.
Turbulent is one way to describe the last decade or so when it comes to affordable health care; another way would be pathetically politically partisan.
As the executive director for Wheeling Health Right, Brown has been forced to navigate a system in ways that’s allowed hundreds of clients to retain access even while expanding services to include dental care. The non-profit’s clientele roster has grown exponentially during the last four years, and the challenges have only increased, especially since the pandemic forced the cancelation of Wheeling Health Right’s biggest fundraiser of the year.
The annual Chefs Auction grew so large since it started 27 years ago that it moved to the main floor of Wesbanco Arena. The feast was scheduled for May 1, only to be sacrificed by this “new normal.” That fact, and so many more, have added to Brown’s daily uncertainty as she prepares to join her colleagues at what has proved to be the lone lifeline for so many in the Wheeling area.
You have always been huge on family, so how have you and your husband handled interacting with them during this pandemic? Please explain.
We’ve been very lucky through the pandemic. Our oldest grandson, who is graduating from Wheeling Park, lives with us, and our granddaughter gets to spend time weekly with us to help her mom out. Since Rick is with the Wheeling Fire Department, we help out with his son when he’s on a 24-hour shift if Ryder’s mom is also working. This certainly has taken a toll on weekly family dinners and birthday parties, but we’ve played games with the kids and watched movies and learned to adjust to the new “normal.” We’re luckier than many grandparents for sure.
During the last two months, have you come to the conclusion that less fortunate citizens in the Wheeling area are more vulnerable to COVID-19 than those in the middle and upper classes?
That’s an interesting question and one I would like to do further research on. Many of the street homeless seem to keep to themselves, and although they don’t understand social distancing, they have done a good job and seem to have lower incidence of COVID-19.
We have not seen one isolated group show more prevalence than others. I strongly attribute West Virginia’s lower incidence to older adults who have taken CDC directives very seriously by following good hand washing, hand sanitizing, social distancing, and shelter-at-home orders. We have patients and many other citizens stop daily to get masks to protect themselves and their families. This is so important.
Has the traffic at Wheeling Health Right increased or decreased during this crisis?
Traffic through the clinic has definitely decreased due to our only accepting acute illnesses until Monday, May 10. We encouraged patients and Ohio Valley residents without a primary care provider or fear of going to the ER or Urgent Care to call us. We relaxed our guidelines and are finding many patients without health coverage due to lay-off or business closings in need of acute care. We have continued to also do emergency dental and to fill prescriptions.
One of our newest ventures that is very exciting and with endless possibilities is Telehealth. We followed so many of our patients virtually through the pandemic. Providers enjoyed it and patients loved it. Access to reliable transportation no longer plays a role in seeing a provider. Now that we are accepting patients again for wellness yearly visits, chronic health care, and routine checkups, we are seeing more patients at the clinic. Telehealth will continue to be another component of our provision of care.
Even when we were only seeing acute illnesses or suspected COVID-19, we had a steady stream of individuals registering to become patients. With the uncertainty of businesses coming back from the pandemic, I believe we will see our numbers escalate again. The one overriding emotion we saw in every patient was the fear in their eyes. Just talking with one of our providers helped to reduce their anxiety.
The annual Chefs Auction had to be canceled, so how is the non-profit now attempting to survive without the hugely successful fundraising?
The Chefs Auction is a huge hit to our budget. We had budgeted $90,000, and now it’s not going to happen. We have been very proactive in trying to secure funding. Many of the sponsors have told us to keep their donations to help with the shortfall. Dr. Hofreuter and I sent an appeal letter to a targeted group of donors which is becoming fruitful. Local media, including Ogden News & WTRF, have helped by doing several human-interest stories. I’m looking seriously at ways to cut costs, and Wendy Tronka is applying for every grant that appears on her desk or email.
We have also had several suggestions which we are exploring.
So many residents in the Upper Ohio Valley have been struggling with affording health care coverage, and no progress has been made by government officials. Do you envision access improvements in the future?
Government improvements in health care are anyone’s guess. Based on the partisan politics currently impacting our country, I have no idea what to expect. I can predict that Wheeling Health Right will continue to operate and provide quality primary health care, dental care, mental health care, and medications to those most in need. Our clinic is used to the “ebbs and tides” of non-profit funding and will continue to be the provider for the underinsured in the Upper Ohio Valley.
