Helping Hands: Battle Ground HealthCare: Healing with Heart

In 2011, a Clark County Seventh-day Adventist Church congregation came together to create a free pantry full of clothing, food and other goods. In their efforts to serve the Battle Ground community, it soon became clear that food was only one of the needs of the people they were helping; many were also in need of health care.

Retired doctors and other medical providers who attended the church decided to help. “It started with [limited] medical services one day a week. Now we are in the 13th year,” shares Tina Diluzio, former volunteer coordinator at the organization known as Battle Ground HealthCare (BGHC). “It was really a grassroots local movement.” Diluzio says that as the word spread, more patients sought treatment and more volunteer medical providers from the community stepped up to meet the demand. Soon, a greater variety of medical services began to be offered, including physical therapy and dental care. “It was just a labor of love,” she says.

With CARES Act grant monies, BGHC was able to move to a larger building in 2021. Diluzio says the move created more comfortable and spacious treatment rooms and that “visibility has driven traffic.” The new space on the corner of Eaton Blvd. and 122nd Ave. is also a convenient location for individuals who would otherwise not have easy access to health care.

“We function as a primary care practice,” Diluzio shares. “We see adults aged 18 and over, and the reason for that is we are focused on filling gaps [in medical coverage]. Kids tend to be covered by Apple Health. [Our] target is anyone at 300% of the poverty level or below who needs access to care.” Today, there are a few paid positions at Battle Ground Health Care, but it is still mostly run by volunteers. “We have about 200 active volunteers, and so we estimate about one staff to thirty volunteers. Collectively, in 2023 we had 183 volunteers who served over 6,000 hours and we had nearly 2,800 patient visits last year.”

Having a regular staff in addition to many volunteers helps to fill more needs in the community. A few years ago, Battle Ground HealthCare hired a patient navigator trained by the State of Washington to screen patients and see what types of insurance they may qualify for. “We want [patients] to have insurance for emergencies and things we can’t take care of,” says Diluzio explaining that the patient navigator is important because “once someone gets on insurance, they no longer need the clinic, which opens more space for someone who does.”

Unfortunately, even when someone has options through the Affordable Care Act at healthcare.gov, the premiums are often not affordable. That’s why BGHC is a vital service for working class individuals. “Our services are so needed. People need to be healthy to take care of their families and to be able to work.”

The majority of patients seeking care suffer from chronic conditions including diabetes, hypertension and chronic pain. Battle Ground HealthCare has created programs specifically to educate and treat patients with these issues. “Our community health worker, Jessica, works directly with a registered dietitian who has been volunteering with the clinic for many years,” says Diluzio. “Together, they teach a Diabetes Prevention Program.” This collaboration of clinicians helps to ensure the best patient outcomes. A video on the Battle Ground HealthCare website explains how the dietitian makes referrals to the dental clinic so that a patient can eat healthy foods like carrots and apples without pain.  

This continuity of care is the “ideal approach” for treating chronic diseases, says Dr. Amy Light, an internist who previously worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Vancouver. Before moving to Clark County, Dr. Light worked in public health service on Native American reservations near the south rim of the Grand Canyon. “You definitely learn to work with people who have very limited resources, educationally or financially,” she says about her time in Arizona. “I never got tired of it though. Every patient is different, and I got energy from it.”

Her compassion as a practitioner and background working with medical interpreters made volunteering with Battle Ground HealthCare a perfect scenario for Dr. Light who officially retired four years ago. “Volunteering allows me to continue practicing medicine without having a job!” she says. “I love to be part of a high-quality clinic that offers a wide variety of medical services to a population that would otherwise not have these critical services. For example, a couple of years ago a 40-year-old man came to clinic with severe arthritis symptoms.”

“Because of his pain, he could no longer work and spent most of his time sitting in his bedroom, unable to play with his young children or help around the house. He’d gone to another clinic and they referred him to a rheumatologist, which he couldn’t afford. In desperation, he came to BGHC. I was able to examine him, draw labs, verify the diagnosis and start basic inexpensive medications. His pain resolved over a week and now, two years later, he’s able to work, enjoy family parties and play with his kids. This case is especially dramatic, but I see small changes and improvements with almost every patient that comes to our clinic.”

Diluzio says her favorite aspect of her job was working with volunteers like Dr. Light. “It’s a privilege to be the bridge that allows them to use their time, skills and talent in service of the community. The beauty of working with volunteers is that they are here because they want to be, not because they have to be. This creates a very positive working environment.” Dr. Light agrees, adding, “Sharing this common goal and being part of a bigger vision leads to a very strong feeling of satisfaction and really makes the clinic a great place. We leave clinic after a busy morning feeling really positive about what we’ve accomplished.”

For those interested in helping, there are multiple ways to get involved. According to Diluzio, “Our biggest, ongoing need is always for licensed and credentialed health care providers, physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians’ assistant’s, dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, physical therapists [and] massage therapists.”

She says they have a particular need for more volunteers in the dental program which has grown tremendously. “We also have a need for help with fundraising, IT support, social media, graphic design . . . There’s literally no end to what you can do to help out at the clinic. Any skill or service that someone is willing to donate helps us save money that we can put back into programs. The most important thing for us is the ability to be consistent. If someone can commit to a couple of hours a week, or an afternoon a month, on an ongoing basis, that is really helpful.” 

“I’ve seen us grow tremendously over the past few years as we strive to make quality healthcare more accessible to low-income adults throughout Southwest Washington,” says Battle Ground HealthCare executive director, Susan Neal. “This vital work is made possible only by the dedication of our amazing volunteers and the generous financial support of our community.

To get involved, visit bghealthcare.org, where you can find a volunteer application as well as information about how to become a patient. Simply sharing the website with others is an easy way to spread the word about the wonderful work done by Battle Ground HealthCare. And though Diluzio left BGHC this past May, she believes strongly in their work. “BGHC is more than a free clinic, it is a model of how to treat people with dignity and respect. Patients truly feel valued here.”

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