St. Luke’s Health Care Clinic

Medical Services

999 West Amador Avenue
Las Cruces, NM 88005
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 6875
Las Cruces, NM 88006
Office Manager:
Martie Miller
PH: (575) 527-5482
FX: (575) 525-3542
Email: slhcc@live.com
Website: www.mvcommunityofhope.org

Mission Statement

The mission of St. Luke’s Health Care Clinic is to provide limited, temporary health care services to meet the physical needs of adult homeless, non-working and working persons who do not qualify for established plans of health care aid.

These services are at no cost to the qualified adult patient, and are without regard to religion, sex, race, age, handicap or national origin, and with the criteria being a genuine need for such services and an inability to obtain health care elsewhere.

History of St. Luke’s Health Care Clinic

In 1989-1990 members of St Andrew’s Episcopal Church joined with local doctors and nurses to create and implement a plan to provide services to the homeless and working poor.

Dr. Stanislas Ting, Walt and Betty Ann Murfin, Georgia Guy, Nelson and Jo Holden, Katherine Peterson and Evelyn Chapman met with the directors of La Clinica, MMC and NM Public Health Department to develop a system of providing health services to be maintained by mutual cooperation and support. St. Luke’s Health Care Clinic opened its doors on January 3, 1991 in a house next door to St Andrew’s, a principle donor in the early years.

In January, 1998 St. Luke’s Health Care Clinic moved into its current location next door to the Community of Hope located at 999 West Amador Avenue. It is open Monday - Wednesday & Friday from 8:00 am until 1:00 pm.

St. Luke’s Health Care Clinic Services

General Practice

Medical care
Nutritional support
Referrals
Eye care, exams and glasses funded thru Las Cruces De Noche Lions Club
Prescriptions

Diabetic Clinic

Diabetic counselor
Medication and syringes (if needed)
Supplies: cotton balls, alcohol wipes, lancets
Gluco-meter
Referrals for specialized medical care
Referrals for diabetic eye and foot care

Personal Hygiene Packs (once a month)

Toothpaste/Powder
Comb
Hand Lotion
Toothbrush
Soap
Shampoo/Conditioner
Razor

Pre-med Students

On-site "shadowing" experience for pre-med undergraduate students

Nursing Students

On-site practical experience thru NMSU nursing program

Outreach

Presenter available to speak to community groups in English & Spanish

Clients and Referrals

St. Luke’s Health Care Clinic serves the working poor, the homeless, the elderly without assistance, and patients with life-threatening illnesses unable to afford their medications. We serve only those who have no other resources for health care.

Patients are referred to St. Luke’s by local churches, the hospital, human services, and other agencies to obtain health care and help to purchase prescription medications.

The number of clients and the number of visits by clients has increased over the years. In 1991 we provided medication to 163 people; in 2001 we gave medication to 1,605 people, and offered vouchers for medications from El Paseo K-Mart to many more. Although only open three days a week, we serve approximately 200 clients each month or 1700 clients a year.

Volunteers and Community Support

St. Luke’s Health Care Clinic is governed by a board of directors and is under the daily supervision of an administrator, a nurse manager and a medical director. Our office manager is paid a stipend with everyone else working at St. Luke’s a volunteer.

St. Luke’s is completely ecumenical.

Currently, medical providers come to us from NM Dept. of Public Health. Our facility provides their outreach for diabetic patients. Some professionals provide sample medications at no cost to St. Luke’s, and no cost to our clients.

Funding Sources

St. Luke’s Health Care Clinic receives funding from churches, organizations, United Way, city, county, and individuals. We honor memorial donations (a card is mailed to acknowledge the gift). We accept cash donations, some medical supplies, and items for our homeless packs. We do not receive state or federal money.

Accomplishments//Goals Achieved

St. Luke’s Health Care Clinic serves approximately 1,300 patients resulting in 2,100 patient visits per year.

St. Luke’s scope of work includes primary care, diabetic care and pharmaceuticals. When appropriate and available, St. Luke’s refers patients for dental, foot and eye care with the cost of the outside treatment borne by St. Luke’s.

The cost of prescriptions for a typical year is approximatly $84,000.00.

Vision//New Goals

Expansion of programs to meet current patient needs.