Extension magazine - Spring 2023

14
BUILD
Feature Story
Extension | Spring 2023 15
This new dental room represents
some of the new services at Holy
Family Healthcare.
the number of treatment rooms to
eight. It expanded its daily hours
of operation to 12, tripled the number
of healthcare providers to
nine, and now sees a record 1,100
patients a month. It also offers an
array of new services tailored to
women’s health.
All are welcome in this place.
“We are not dismissive toward
anyone seeking our services,” said
Bouchard.
THE REALITIES OF RURAL HEALTH
The new space allows for dental
examination rooms with diagnostic
equipment. As the only
free pediatric dental office in this
region, its preventative care will
make an enormous difference in
the lives of these families.
Among the first pediatric dental
patients was a child who had 15
teeth beyond repair that needed
to be pulled. It was traumatic for
everybody—even the dentist.
For a child who has never seen
the inside of a dental office, it can
be frightening. The blinding lights,
the sharp-edged tools, the futuristic
equipment and the whirring
noises might make a first-time
patient feel like they have been
abducted onto an alien vessel.
But over time, Bouchard and his
team hope to normalize dental
care in the community. Once children
have been examined by volunteer
dentists, the clinic’s mobile
hygienists visit the kids’ schools to
do regular cleanings.
“Healthcare is sitting down
with people, developing relationships,
talking to them, finding out
what their needs are and helping
to address their needs,” said
Bouchard.
This is precisely why he insists
that his team still goes out to meet
people, instead of just waiting for
patients to come into the clinic
after their health problems are
compounded and complex.
For example, during the summer
months, Bouchard and his team
visit migrant farmworker fields and
camps.
Each summer from June to
October, tens of thousands of
legally contracted guest workers
make southwest Michigan
their temporary home, working
long hours to plant and harvest
the state’s abundant crops. They
are essential to the local economy.
However, they are not eligible for
health insurance and cannot afford
to see a doctor or dentist.
Bouchard’s “Thirsty Thursday”
visits to the farm fields in the summer
are weekly occasions for his
team to distribute drinks during
the laborers’ long days under the
sun, build rapport with them, and
distribute information to them
about the clinic’s extensive services.
More than offering healthcare
to the workers, the goal is to
extend them friendship and compassion
on behalf of the Catholic
Church.
NEXT GENERATION OF HEALTHCARE
Bouchard has ambition to do
more.
He plans to renovate the vacant
upper floors of the facility into
dorm rooms, complete with a
chapel, in the hope that medi-
PHOTO CHRIS STRONG
Migrant
farmworkers
work long days
harvesting
crops in
southwest
Michigan.
PHOTO CHRIS STRONG
cal students can do monthlong
rotations to be immersed in rural
healthcare and Catholic social
teaching.
He also wants to train them in a
patient-centered model of healthcare
that defines his approach to
medicine.
Bouchard had a revelation after
working in hospitals for more
than 20 years. He had grown tired
of what he perceived to be a conveyor
belt model of healthcare
in which people are diagnosed
and moved out the door quickly—
as opposed to getting to know
patients and treating them in an
individualized, comprehensive
manner. That is why Holy Family
LEFT Before and after: Holy
Family Healthcare’s newly
expanded site tripled its size to
where it can now support 15,000
visits annually.
Migrant
farmworkers are
among the rural
populations served
by Holy Family
Healthcare in
Hartford, Michigan.
PHOTO CHRIS STRONG
Healthcare also offers nonmedical
assistance, such as a food pantry,
a free clothing closet and even
scholarships for children to attend
local Catholic schools.
“Every aspect of our practice
puts the person first,” said Bouchard.
“When they come in, they
are the embodiment of the pain
of Christ and that’s what we’re
addressing.”
Saints Faith, Hope and Charity
Catholic Parish in Winnetka,
Illinois partnered with Catholic
Extension to support this project.
Their parishioners witnessed firsthand
the inspiring work of Holy
Family Healthcare. Bill Kanzer,
the parish council president, who
was among the visiting contingent,
summed it up well. “These people
help you realize the need is right
here in our backyard.”