Who We Serve and Why
Recently, one of our patients said, “When your job lays you off, your benefits go with you…problem is, you’re still sick. If it weren’t for Shepherd’s Clinic, I don’t know what I’d do. The service is professional and I can afford it. What more could you ask for?”
46 million Americans have no health insurance and one-third of the entire U.S. population was uninsured at some point over the past two years. In Baltimore City, approximately 100,000 adults are without health insurance and the number is growing each day. What happens when people are uninsured? They don’t get care.
So, when one of our city residents was referred to Shepherd’s Clinic not long ago, she didn’t know that her blood pressure was over 300/180 because she hadn’t seen a doctor in 12 years.
That’s the very reason we opened our doors back in 1991. The fact that Shepherd’s Clinic exists truly does improve the quality of health care for Baltimore’s uninsured. We offer these individuals a quality alternative to living with untreated illnesses. For the suggested donation of an hour’s wage, they receive the care needed to prevent illness from becoming a medical emergency, to control chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, and to receive annual screenings and care for common health problems. For many of our patients, the Clinic is literally a lifesaver.
Our Services
Primary and Specialty Health Care
- Internal Medicine
- Cardiology
- Dermatology
- Endocrinology
- Gynecology
- Gastroenterology
- Nutrition & Education for Diabetics
- Physical Therapy
- Podiatry
- Prostate Cancer Screening
- Preventive Screening
Clinical Services Not Provided
- Obstetrical Care
- Emergency Services
- Healthcare for the Homeless
- Disability Evaluations for Non-patients
The Clinic’s goal is to arrange comprehensive health care for the uninsured in the following Baltimore City zip codes: 21201, 21202, 21206, 21210, 21211, 21212, 21213, 21214, 21215, 21217, 21218, 21239, and 21251.
Through the dedication of more than 250 volunteers, we offer a host of primary and specialty care services from cardiology to gynecology. Patients are asked to donate the equivalent of one hour’s wage for an office visit or $9.00 if they are currently unemployed. Our community partner, Union Memorial Hospital, joins us in serving this uninsured population by providing our patients with necessary specialty consultations, diagnostic procedures, and surgeries at no cost. As a result, our patients enjoy a continuity of care experienced only by the fully insured.
Clinical Coordinator Kema Goodwin, RN oversees the nursing function and all of the facility, materials and supplies related to patient care. Medical oversight of the Clinic is provided by Union Memorial physicians Lisa Keamy and Melissa DeLong, appointed as co-medical directors by the hospital to work approximately 16 hours per week at the Clinic where they see patients, review laboratory reports, approve referrals back to the Hospital, supervise residents, and are available for consultation with other providers.
Since 2006, Shepherd’s Clinic has enjoyed a permanent home at 2800 Kirk Avenue, right behind Baltimore City College. This wonderful facility has been renovated with the specific needs of the Clinic and its patients in mind. It allows the separation of medical and administrative functions, provides for secure and separate storage for patient records and for medications, includes a separate laboratory space for drawing blood and other procedures, has eight efficient examining rooms, plentiful restroom facilities, ample free parking spaces, public transportation access, and separate patient intake and checkout processing, enhancing patient privacy. It is, in short, exactly like a regular doctor’s office, rather than a charitable clinic.
