Pictured are David Coe, left, and Gretchen Baldwin, a registered nurse with St. Anthony’s, a free health care clinic in Kosciusko County. InkFreeNews photo by Phoebe Muthart.

By Phoebe Muthart
InkFreeNews

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — St. Anthony’s is a free health care clinic offering a limited range of medical testing and health care services to economically disadvantaged residents of Kosciusko County who do not have insurance.

The free clinics are offered in North Webster and Warsaw. A Pierceton clinic closed due to lack of patients. A new clinic is opening this month in Milford.

The clinic was founded in 2019 by Kathy Kostro, the executive director. Kostro, who was working in the medical field, said she saw a critical need in Kosciusko County for free health care.

“We were the only county in Indiana that did not have a free clinic,” she said.

Kostro said she found that people were using the emergency rooms as their primary care physicians.

“The ERs were overrun with patients, and there was no care plan and no follow up,” she said of people using the ER.

The clinic provides a limited range of medical testing and adult health care.​ Its mission statement is to help residents of Kosciusko County move toward wellness by providing primary care services, spiritual counsel, and emotional encouragement to those who lack the resources to obtain them.

It currently has two locations in the county with a third one opening this month.

A free clinic is located at First United Methodist Church of Warsaw, 179 S. Indiana Ave., Warsaw. It is open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesday of each month.

The other clinic is located in North Webster United Methodist Church, 7822 E. Epworth Forest Road.

“We support this ministry 100%,” said Pastor Paul Rogers of North Webster United Methodist Church.

Another clinic is coming to Milford after the new year. The free clinic will be located at Milford United Methodist Church and will be open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays, after Monday, Jan. 1.

St. Anthony’s currently has eight staff members, including a social worker, medical director, respiratory therapist and nurses. Funding comes from donations, grants and the K21 Foundation.

St. Anthony’s also assists people with prescription costs with such help as GoodRx cards in order to get discounts on medications. The clinic can, at times, even help with transportation.

“We pay a lot of cab fares,” said Kostro.

The staff also helps to get patients on Medicare or Medicaid, if eligible.

“Our dream and our hope is to get a mobile unit,” said Kostro. “I’d like to also have a pharmacy one day.”

Kostro said the patients are truly grateful.

“Some are praying with us,” she said. “We have learned so much from our patients.”

Kostro said she would like some specialists “to start working with us.” This would be dentists and eye care facilities, among other medical professionals.

The free clinic works closely with Parkview Hospital in Warsaw.

“They give us a contract every year, she said. “They do our lab work.”

The free clinic is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and all donations are tax-deductible. All services are by appointment only and are free. It is a member of the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics.

For more information or an appointment, call (574) 526-1401 or visit kosciuskofreeclinic.com.

Pictured are Pastor Paul Rogers, left, and Rose Gesaman, a nurse practitioner with St. Anthony’s Free Clinic. The clinic has three locations in Kosciusko County. All services are free to patients. InkFreeNews photo by Phoebe Muthart.