PREVIEW: creative community health and wellness clinic
10/20/2024 at Caffé Lena, Saratoga Springs
“The healthcare system can be daunting to engage with and we feel this clinic is a great opportunity for our creative community workers to do so in the welcoming comfort of a place that exists to serve creatives and their community year-round.”
This weekend, Caffé Lena will once again host a health and wellness clinic for the creative community, providing free essential services to artists, musicians, designers, photographers, filmmakers, writers and anyone in a related field.
The goal of this incredible clinic is to offer uninsured or underinsured individuals in the creative community access to healthcare services in a trusted environment, in hopes of helping them enjoy the best possible quality of life. The clinic, now in its fourth year, is a true collaboration between the legendary folk venue, Jill Burnham RN-BCEN (also of “Mark and Jill Sing the Blues”), Saratoga Hospital, Sight & Sound Vision Care for the Music Industry and The Rotary Club of Saratoga Springs. Although it’s a different sort of event for a live music video, Director of Operations Mateo Vosganian tells me it’s just an extension of their core values.
“Caffé Lena is a historic venue that employs artists and works with a wide range of other creative individuals and organizations,” he says. “We've seen firsthand the lack of proper insurance coverage (or any at all) and understand that each individual has their own path to care. The healthcare system can be daunting to engage with and we feel this clinic is a great opportunity for our creative community workers to do so in the welcoming comfort of a place that exists to serve creatives and their community year-round.”
Volunteer medical professionals from Saratoga Hospital will provide on-demand testing, evaluation, health & wellness education, as well as assistance obtaining access to ongoing care. Saratoga Hospital is a member of the Albany Med Health System, and is the only acute care facility in Saratoga County, Each year, the clinic develops upon the previous year’s, and because this is still a relatively new venture for the venue, they spend a vast amount of time orchestrating the program and figuring out how to properly market it.
“There are so many important things to consider when putting together a clinic like this,” Mateo tells me. “First and foremost is careful consideration of the community we're hoping to serve and how best to do that. With that in mind, we would love to enlist a few of our area's creative professionals with a passion for this issue. This clinic happens once a year, but there is year-round work that can be done to connect further care and expand the impact of the program.” (If you're interested in serving on a special committee working on initiatives like this, please reach out to mateo@caffelena.org).
The free pop-up clinic will run from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM on Sunday, October 20th. Walk-ins are welcome, or you can sign-up in advance via the link below. The services being offered include:
● Vision Care
● Mental Health Resources
● Insurance Navigation
● Connection to Primary Care Services
● Reiki / Tai Chi
● Narcan Training & Distribution
● Blood Pressure Checks
● Nutrition & Diet on the Road
● Cancer Services
● Heart Disease
● Occupational Health - Safe Lifting, Carpal Tunnel, Ear Protection
“This clinic has seen people take their first eye exam in a decade, screen for a host of various diseases & conditions and guarantees follow-up care via our partners at Saratoga Hospital and Hudson Headwaters,” Mateo beams. “People can leave with a free pair of glasses, a consultation with a dietitian and a session with a dedicated insurance navigator. While the country battles over policy and finance surrounding healthcare, we continue to be inspired by organizations and medical professionals putting boots on the ground to attempt to fill some of the many gaps in the system. This is a small offering but clinics like these have life-changing potential for so many.”
For more information on the clinic and to reserve a spot, please visit: https://www.caffelena.org/health-clinic/.
