The Art of Healing Life
October 8, 2010
From The Art of Healing Life:
Mental health experts have long recognized the benefits of integrating primary health care with mental health treatment. Tragically, the life expectancy for people with chronic mental illness is 25 years less than that of the general public.
Thanks to a partnership with Heartland International Health Center (HIHC), Mary Dudek is helping C4 consumers beat the odds and take control of their overall health. Every Wednesday afternoon, the soft-spoken physician’s assistant sees patients in a small nurse’s office at C4 Clark.
Some come for routine exams, including women’s health, pelvic exams and pap smears.
Others come with physical complaints, such as fatigue, difficulty sleeping, joint pain. A health professional with 13 years’ experience in family practice, Dudek says the Wednesday clinic is especially rewarding.
She recalls the recent experience of diagnosing a man in his 30s with diabetes.
“He complained of being tired all the time and always thirsty, classic signs of diabetes,” observes Dudek, who is controlling the man’s condition with diet. It turned out the encounter with Dudek was life-changing: with improved health, the Recovery Point consumer is now able to hold down a job for the first time in years.
“When people have insurance, they have an inkling that something is wrong because they routinely see doctors,” explains Dudek. “At C4 I am helping people who often have no idea that something is wrong. It’s challenging, but very rewarding.”
People with mental illness may go for years without regular screenings such as mammograms or routine tests for cholesterol. Lack of insurance, little access to transportation, poverty and fear of doctor’s offices act as barriers to treatment for ailments like diabetes or heart disease, conditions easily treatable with regular care.
Most Wednesdays, Dudek is helped by Spanish-speaking medical assistants who help with paperwork and other routine tasks. Patients who need follow-up screening, such as laboratory work, x-rays, or EKGs are referred to Heartland’s nearby Lincoln Square clinic. Mammograms are available at Weiss Hospital. Dudek is also able to refer patients to health specialists.
“You can get everything here that is available at a family practice clinic,” says Dudek.
Besides affordable health care, (for clients without health insurance or Medicaid, office visits are $30), the Wednesday clinic makes it possible for C4 to offer a more holistic system of care.
“Integrating mental health treatment with primary health care is a major goal for us,” observes C4 Clark site director Susan Kogan.
The new on site clinic enables psychiatrists and therapists to consult directly with Dudek. “The bottom line is that this improves care for our consumers,” adds Kogan, who helped launch the clinic last January. C4 Clark therapist Audra Massey echoes Kogan’s enthusiasm.
Massey, who has referred at least eight consumers to the clinic since January, says the service has been a boon for clients fearful of seeing physicians. She credits Dudek’s sensitivity and gentle manner as key factors in earning consumer trust.
“My clients tell me they are treated respectfully and feel cared for,” Massey observes. “It’s a relief for them to have quality health care that is affordable.”
“Going to the clinic is an opportunity I wouldn’t have had anywhere else,” observes Shannon, a client of Massey’s who sought relief for some joint pain she was experiencing. “Mary (Dudek) has a kind heart and listens. She is very attentive to your needs.”