Marian Clinic Newsletter

Marian Clinic publishes a quarterly newsletter for its supporters in spring, summer, winter and fall. Excerpts follow.

Winter 2004 Newsletter

From the Executive Director

The volunteer effort at Marian Clinic is phenomenal. With over 230 health care providers giving of their time and skill to helping those in need, it is a real tribute to the Topeka community. I do not know of such an extensive network of care for the medically underserved anywhere else. (See list of our volunteer health care professionals.)

There is always room—and need—for more nurse volunteers. With the nursing shortage it is difficult to get as much support as we could use.  If you are a nurse who is interested, contact our clinical director, Sister Mary Rosaleen, to arrange a tour and discover the possibilities for service. You can leave a message with her assistant, Denise. (Call 233-8081 and when the automated greeting begins, press ext. 305. You can also e-mail Denise at [email protected].) We would be grateful. 

On my mind and from my heart,
Marilyn Page

More patients call for boost in service
Pilot Plan Aims to Meet the Demand

Earlier this year over 70 people who met income eligibility guidelines for Marian Clinic services were waiting to be contacted for their medical intakes. The group was just one indicator of the growing pressure to respond to the needs of the uninsured.

As the first step in a six-month pilot plan to help meet this intensified demand for medical services, the Clinic has arranged with Dr. Myron Leinwetter to serve as a staff physician and to work alongside the volunteer doctors who will continue to see and care for patients. At this time 34 physicians provide nearly 1,000 hours of on-site service each year.

High Level of Need

The current level of care needed at Marian Clinic reflects the national experience that the uninsured get sick more often, take longer to get well and die younger. This reality, along with the projection that the number of uninsured families will continue to grow, means that safety net clinics face the challenge of building their capacity to serve and the necessity of expanding staff.

Marian Clinic anticipates that Dr. Leinwetter’s presence will allow for more accommodation of acute care needs, less waiting time for appointments and an enhanced use of advanced level nurses.

A Heart for Mission

Trained in and dedicated to medical missionary work, Dr. Leinwetter will spend a portion of his time working with Clinica Cristiana de Carpio in Costa Rica. The remainder of his time will be spent at Marian Clinic where he can be of service to those with limited financial resources.

A native of Atwood, Kansas, Dr. Leinwetter earned a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, and a doctor of osteopathy degree from the University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kansas City, Missouri. He is certified by the American Osteopathic Board of Family Practice. He is a member of the Kansas Association of Osteopathic Medicine, American Osteopathic Association and American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians. Dr. Leinwetter has been a staff physician at Dodge City Medical Center’s Montezuma Clinic and Stormont-Vail HealthCare’s Rossville Clinic. 

AFP: TCOP honors Dr. Ann Socolofsky as “Outstanding Philanthropist 2004.”

National Philanthropy Day in Topeka last month, hosted by the Association of Fundraising Professionals—Topeka Chapter on Philanthropy, celebrated the theme “Change the world with a giving heart.” Marian Clinic’s nominee, Dr. M. Ann Socolofsky, a physician and former Board member, received one of five top awards—recognition as Topeka’s 2004 “Out-standing Philanthropist.”

In the nominating letter, Carolyn Zimmerman wrote: “Dr. Ann, as she is called in our Clinic, became involved seven years ago as an on-site volunteer. She continues to donate two days of service each month. Her compassion for patients is evident when she calls to inquire about their progress. Her colleagues praise her as a diagnostician and for her knowledge of conventional and alternative medicine. She is an excellent health educator and converses with patients in down-to-earth language. She is currently serving on the Clinic’s medical advisory committee.

Beyond her clinical contributions, Dr. Ann has taken a leadership role. She served on the Board and during her term helped create and stage the First Annual Arts and Medicine Lecture Series to enhance the Clinic’s visibility among prospective supporters. A major donor herself, she was the spokesperson for the annual physicians’ appeal in 2001. Following her Board term, she wrote and submitted a grant proposal on behalf of our prenatal dental project. We at Marian Clinic believe that Dr. Ann’s loving concern for the health care poor has permeated her entire career. She has been a director, a healer, a consultant and an advocate for many Kansans. She has served as the state medical director for Kansas prisons and worked in the public health agencies of Shawnee and Johnson Counties.”

Kansas Foundations Smile on Marian Clinic Dental

Marian Clinic Dental is the recipient of two new grant awards. The Delta Dental Plan of Kansas Foundation is providing $10,000 to support dental care for elderly patients. Americans age 65 and older pay more than three-quarters of their dental expenses out-of-pocket. For those on limited incomes and with no dental benefits from Medicare, access to care they can afford is important. The Delta Dental grant will assist with the un-funded cost of treatment plans for 100 individuals.

The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund is providing $5,000 to support “The Next Step,” an effort to redesign the dental program for expansion and enhanced services. Currently Marian Clinic Dental averages 541 appointments a month. About 10% are first-time visits. The goal of the project is to increase capacity and decrease the waiting time for appointments.