Oasis Free Clinics was created over 25 years ago because there was a gap in the healthcare system. It was created as a space where our uninsured neighbors could receive free healthcare with dignity and respect. Unfortunately, there continues to be gaps in our healthcare system for many people. This is especially true for those who experience poverty, struggle with mental health and substance use issues, have limited literacy skills, and/or who bring complex lives into the exam room. This is why Oasis is important. We serve those who need something different from the traditional healthcare system and are facing challenges that require more time than the typical 15-minute visit.

Over the years, our services have grown and evolved as we have faced new challenges and adapted to the changing needs of the community we serve. Our most recent challenge has been the ever-changing face of COVID pandemic.

Everyone I know has been affected by the COVID pandemic. I find myself talking to people every day who are suddenly realizing they are not okay. I hear from patients who tell me they simply feel overwhelmed. Medical visits to address physical ailments are taken over by long conversations about anxiety, fear and depression. My co-workers talk about how they are not sleeping well, while my family members tell me they are wrestling with anxiety. I have friends who report they are quicker to anger and to cry.

Our bodies are not designed to live with prolonged periods of stress, and we have been living in this COVID world for a year. Stress hormones affect appetite, disrupt sleep, cause fatigue, interfere with memory and impair judgement. If you have found yourself feeling “off,” wondering why you are not ok, please know this is a real physiological response to a prolonged period of heightened stress. Heck, with what we are living through, I am more surprised when someone tells me they are fine.

In March 2020, when the COVID pandemic was arriving in Maine, Oasis made the difficult decision to temporarily close the clinic to in-person visits. During this time, we spent much of April and May calling our patients to check in with them. We needed to make sure our patients knew we were here for medication refills, that providers were available for telephone visits and that we were working hard to get the clinic safely re-opened.

When we excitedly welcomed back in the clinic on June 1, we assumed the majority of our care would be provided through our new telehealth platform. We thought our patients would feel more comfortable “seeing” a provider by video from the safety of their own homes. However, what we have found is the majority of patients want to come into the clinic.

We have had a lot of discussion about why our patients prefer to come to the clinic. Could it be a longing for a bit of normalcy? Is it a desire for some human interaction? Does it speak to the confidence our patients have in our ability to keep them safe? My theory is that it is a combination of all of those.

Like many of you, most of our patients are not OK. As healthcare providers, we do not have a simple solution for our patients who are struggling with the relentless pressures of the past year. But we can listen, we can be empathetic, and we can let them know they are not alone. Collectively, we are living through a global crisis that future generations will read about in history books. It is impossible to understand the full impact of our experience today. What we do know is that we all want a bit of normalcy and human interaction. For our patients, coming into the clinic offers that. Oasis is a safe space, a place to come where they will be seen, heard and cared for, even in the midst of a pandemic.

Michelle Barber is the lead clinician at Oasis Free Clinics, a non-profit, no-cost primary care medical practice and dental clinic, providing care to uninsured members of our community. For more information, call 721-9277 or visit www.OasisFreeClinics.org. Giving Voice is a weekly collaboration among four local non-profit service agencies to share information and stories about their work in the community. 

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