It’s a family affair for clinic volunteers

bowens@theacorn.com


LISA ADAMS /The Acorn  WORKING TOGETHER-Tina Saffell, left, and her sister, Anne, work together as volunteers at the Conejo  Free Clinic.

LISA ADAMS /The Acorn WORKING TOGETHER-Tina Saffell, left, and her sister, Anne, work together as volunteers at the Conejo Free Clinic.

Some patients do a double take when they see Anne Saffell volunteering at the Conejo Free Clinic because she looks a lot like her sister, Tina. Both are nurses and volunteers at the nonprofit facility in Thousand Oaks.


"People think we look the same and sometimes they ask us if we’re twins," Anne said. "We’re not, but we both have red hair."


The sisters volunteer to give immunizations each month at the clinic, located at 80 E. Hillcrest Drive.


In fact, several volunteers work alongside their relatives.


Dr. Lou Acosta and his wife, Sandy, volunteer on family practice medical night.


Dr. Bader Iqbal provides medical care while his daughter helps translate English for Spanish-speaking clients.


Zita Brannon and her daughter, Cathy, provide back room assistance during medical clinics.


"A lot of times in a family that volunteers, one person does this and another does that for different organizations," said clinic Executive Director Sharron Baird. "These family members are helping out together in one place and there’s a neat rapport, a feeling of commitment that you can sense."


The shared service amounts to a double dose of "quality time" that multiplies the benefits for family as well as community, Baird said.


"I believe everybody should volunteer," Anne Saffell said, noting that her mother volunteered as a nurse in Catholic schools while Anne was growing up. "I truly love it. It’s totally fun. It’s not like it’s horrible work."


The mission of the Conejo Free Clinic is "to provide health and legal services to people who may have no other access to such care, without regard to ability to pay."


The work has never been more critical.


"We need volunteers and money," Baird said. "With the state budget crunch, the need for our services is just going to increase. A lot of people are falling through the cracks and those cracks are getting bigger."


Last year, the clinic’s 98 volunteers gave over 5,000 hours and served over 5,500 people.


Among other services, the clinic provides care for needy women and children and blood testing for AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases.


Some of the patients are homeless—some had health insurance but lost it because of divorce, a labor strike or other unforeseen circumstances. Most are white––in fact, only 27 percent are Hispanic.


A lot has changed since the clinic started 28 years ago. The illnesses, for example, have become more acute.


"We are seeing a lot sicker people than we used to," Baird said. "It’s not just the flu and ear infections anymore. Now it’s diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cancer––life-threatening things which the clinic tries to educate people about."




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