Ashton M M, Laird S W
Carondelet Life-Care Corporation, St. Paul, MN.
Health Prog. 1994 May;75(4):36-7, 57.
In 1991 the St. Paul Province of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet formed Carondelet LifeCare Ministries (CLM) to ensure that the poor and underserved in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area have access to affordable healthcare. The sisters decided that they could best serve this population by going directly to them, opening health clinics in neighborhoods throughout the metropolitan area. The first of CLM's St. Mary's Health Clinics began operations in January 1992. Since then, 10 clinics have opened to persons in poor and medically underserved neighborhoods, and CLM plans to establish a network of 15 to 20 health clinics within the next year. The clinics, which are staffed primarily by volunteers, offer primary, basic, intervention care. Patients are referred, when necessary, to specialty and subspecialty physicians. Clinics are initially open for one-half day per week, and hours are expanded as need dictates. The clinics served 2,689 patients in 1993, two-thirds of whom were women and children. Patient ethnic mix is representative of the demographics of the metropolitan area. Clinic volunteers work a minimum of four hours a month. A core paid staff--consisting of a director of nursing, a staff nurse, and a clinic coordinator--recruit volunteers and oversee daily operations. St. Mary's Health Clinics provide a variety of educational programs to prepare volunteers for their work.
1991年，卡伦德莱圣约瑟夫修女会的圣保罗省成立了卡伦德莱生命关怀部（CLM），以确保明尼阿波利斯-圣保罗地区的穷人和医疗服务不足者能够获得负担得起的医疗保健。修女们决定，直接深入到这些人群中，在整个大都市地区的社区开设健康诊所，是为这一人群提供最佳服务的方式。CLM的第一家圣玛丽健康诊所于1992年1月开始运营。从那时起，已经有10家诊所面向贫困和医疗服务不足社区的居民开放，CLM计划在明年建立一个由15至20家健康诊所组成的网络。这些诊所主要由志愿者提供服务，提供初级、基本和干预性护理。必要时，患者会被转介给专科和亚专科医生。诊所最初每周开放半天，根据需要延长工作时间。1993年，这些诊所为2689名患者提供了服务，其中三分之二是妇女和儿童。患者的种族构成代表了大都市地区的人口特征。诊所志愿者每月至少工作四小时。一个核心带薪工作人员团队——包括一名护理主任、一名护士和一名诊所协调员——负责招募志愿者并监督日常运营。圣玛丽健康诊所提供各种教育项目，帮助志愿者为工作做好准备。
