David Tucker is a returning patient at Sheep Inc., a faith-based medical center that provides a variety of medical services to the uninsured.
The former firefighter and EMT first used the service’s Monroeville pop-up store in 2017 while on unemployment after contracting pneumonia.
Tucker, who works for a small construction company that doesn’t offer health insurance benefits, returned to his Penn Hills store in August because his knee was swollen when he woke up in the morning.
Her daughters, ages 9 and 10, are in the middle of a new school year, making Tucker busier than usual.
“Getting private health insurance is a little difficult, especially during the back-to-school season,” he says.
Mr. Tucker’s job requires him to go up and down ladders all day, so he couldn’t stand the situation with his knees.
“These clinics are a blessing in disguise right now, given the economic climate and the cost of health insurance,” Tucker said.
The healthcare center opened in Penn Hills in November 2020 after the former YMCA building was purchased by the Monroeville Assembly of God in 2019.
“They gave us the space and all we had to do was raise the money and renovate it ourselves,” said Eileen Andrews, director of Sheep in Penn Hills.
The clinic is connected to The Fold, an outreach hub owned by the Monroeville Assembly of God, which offers a walking track on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and hoops every Saturday night. For Jesus will be held.
Andrews said most of the clinic’s furniture was donated by Premier Medical Associates in Penn Hills. Each room at the center has a bed for patients.
The clinic relies on donations of money, equipment, and grants. The clinic’s most recent grant from the Highmark Foundation went toward funding an eye scanner to help people with chronic eye conditions.
“This is a big deal,” Andrews said of the new car. “This is the highest quality product.”
The clinic collaborates with Guerrilla Eye Services through the University of Pittsburgh. For years, students and employees using the service have hosted pop-up clinics at Sheep Inc.’s centers.
Volunteer pharmacists bring in students and retired pharmacists to help clinics more efficiently supply medications. If patients want to talk to people, chaplains are available.
“Our mission is to demonstrate the love and compassion of Jesus Christ by providing free health care,” Andrews said. “We want to give people a place to talk. We don’t force patients. They don’t have to go in and talk to a chaplain, but sometimes they just want to talk. ”
The clinic also has a laboratory where general tests can be performed free of charge for patients. The laboratory has donated echocardiography equipment.
“It has a floppy disk, and it’s very old, but we have a volunteer cardiologist come in and do an EKG and an echo,” Andrews said.
She said the clinic doesn’t typically distribute medications, but patients can get $10 off each prescription if they go to certain pharmacies that are affiliated with the center.
“The only things we distribute are diabetic supplies and asthma supplies,” Andrews said. “They are life-giving and necessary, but they are horribly expensive.”
All of these supplies were donated by people who had relatives who passed away and left behind unused medicines. Some people donate their unused medication if their doctor has prescribed a different medication.
The clinic is run by volunteers. Mr. Andrews is the only full-time employee, and there are four part-time employees in management positions.
The Penn Hills store was the clinic’s only office location until Aug. 15, when a second location opened at Reclamation Community Center in Monroeville.
The two stores are open on Thursday nights, and the Penn Hills location is open on the second and fourth Saturday mornings of the month. Our Monroeville facility is open the first and third Saturday of each month to maximize patient care opportunities.
Sheep Inc. Healthcare Center began in 2010 as a pop-up clinic at the Monroeville Assembly of God.
“We had volunteers come in on Thursday mornings or afternoons, pull out of the clinic closets (folding beds and boxes of supplies in each room) and set up offices,” Andrews said. “At the end of the night, the volunteers had to tear it down and put it back in the closet. We did that for 10 years.”
Andrews, a Penn Hills resident, has worked at the center for the past 10 years. She described the center’s services as similar to people going to their GP. We offer annual physical exams, physical exams, flu shots, acute and chronic disease treatment, and basic testing.
“We pay for these basic exam rooms and basic beds, and our biggest weapon is follow-up care,” Andrews said.
The location also has a “free store,” a large bookshelf filled with donated items.
“We have everything from medicine and hygiene products to socks and books,” Andrews said of the shelves.
Andrews said the center provides an opportunity for volunteer nurses, doctors and medical students to bond with patients who come to the clinic. Building a relationship gives patients the confidence to return to the center for follow-up questions or care, she said.
“A good half of our volunteers are retirees,” Andrews said. “We work with great people here.”
The Penn Hills organization has about 100 volunteers. This number includes approximately 85 caregivers, including Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine pharmacists, nurses, students, physicians, board members, and fundraising volunteers.
Andrews said the clinic is always looking for more volunteer nurses.
She said the clinic sees about 110 patients a month between clinic dates and follow-up care appointments. So far, the new Monroeville store is serving about 70 people a month.
“Anyone who doesn’t have health insurance can come and get treatment,” Andrews said.
Andrews said the clinic sees patients of all ages, from college students to those just before Medicare age. She said the most common demographics are patients who work multiple jobs to make ends meet, people who have just started a new job and have not yet started receiving benefits, and college students.
“People just find themselves (without insurance),” Andrews said. “This is not where they want to be and this is not where we want them to stay. It’s usually only for a certain amount of time. We want to help them find the insurance and care they need. That’s what I think.
