Ninety-year old Woldecy, from Brazil, needed emergency care at an Intermountain Healthcare facility, accruing more than $12,000 in fees. Because she is a UPFH patient, her provider suggested she meet with our patient navigator, Margarita, who helped her apply for emergency Medicaid. Emergency Medicaid allows Utahns to get their bills paid and stay out of bankruptcy. Sadly, Woldecy was denied coverage. That's when Margarita went the extra mile, helping Woldecy apply for financial aid relief directly from Intermountain. This aid is available when donors give and when insured patients take their business to nonprofit centers like UPFH and Intermountain. Woldecy's bill was cut by more than half and she could not stop thanking everyone in the office in English and Portuguese, often blessing them. She is a beautiful soul. To help people like Woldecy, please donate today. 

A hard life can land people in hard places. This woman says, “You know, when I got out of prison I didn't know about Sublocade (medicines to reduce cravings). I thought immediately when I got out that I was going to go back down to a dark pathway. But because of the program (UPFH) introduced, I am now clean.” 

UPFH Medical Director Tony reports that this woman is employed as a lead manager and has graduated from a course of recovery classes. She just put in her for address change to be able to move back down to Cedar City which is a safe place for her. UPFH is setting her up with counseling and a primary care provider there. She’s cleaner than she’s been for years and she's doing fantastic. This is just one of many stories of how medication can save people from addiction.

New to Utah, Daniel does not have vision insurance. He needed new glasses and heard about UPFH vision appointments in his area. UPFH has proudly offered Salt Lake County mobile medical and vision services for more than 15 years. We visit 45 locations throughout the year, offering more than 100 days of appointments.  Daniel says UPFH is, " . . . a great support to us. Aside from the great attention, it's a great service. Thank you."  To watch a video about Daniel and our mobile clinics click here. 

Fifth-grade Erick won't sit still long, but eagerly settled to have his eyes tested when UPFH’s Mobile Vision Clinic came to his Title 1 school. Hundreds of kids in Salt Lake Valley struggle like Erick to read or see the chalkboard. These children too often end up with behavior problems, poor grades, and a general sense of life being unfair and hopeless, creating whole neighborhoods who fail to believe in education. Utah children can be given so much more. As for Erick, the benefit of UPFH is simple. "My favorite thing about my eye exam is that I can see!"

Got a tooth ache? No one's tooth can be as cute as Dominic's. UPFH has the best care at the lowest price for kids from Title 1 schools like Dominic, helping their teeth feel better.

In her own words, Kaylynn says, "I can’t see far. My teacher makes you go put your desk in front. It doesn’t work because it is still blurry and you still can’t see it. It’s not easy to learn that way. Glasses makes it easier to see, easier to learn. My favorite thing about glasses is that I can see now." And she has the shy smile to prove it!

A young patient of mine started off emotionally distant—fleeting eye contact, one-word answers. She had seen multiple counselors before seeing me, all of whom had moved on from charity facilities to higher paying jobs. Poverty isn’t just a measure of pay. It includes the revolving door of service providers with insecure funding. This young lady had developed attachment wounds.

I choose to work at UPFH because, here, the money we earn goes to helping patients like this one. You don’t have to give money to UPFH to help the community, just shopping at our pharmacy or getting your teeth checked here supports those who need it most. My patient takes her mask off when she comes in now. She smiles. She cries. She’s doing the things anxiety had made impossible before, like driving and working a job.

I think about her a lot. I’m so freaking proud of her.

Elda prefers Spanish and had big smiles as her blood pressure was taken and even during a blood-sugar-testing finger prick. Although her diabetes makes regular checkups important, Elda does not have a medical home beyond our mobile clinic. That's why UPFH offers discounts to those living below the poverty level, like Elda. David, a native Spanish speaker, made sure to review Elda's dietary restriction in language she understood. Elda was eager to share her story and photos with Utah Partners for Health, and we're proud to help in her fight against diabetes. 

Meet Kahlil! UPFH Mobile Vision, in partnership with Charity Vision, is providing Kahlil with glasses that will help him read the board in his 5th grade classroom. That’s good because he doesn’t want to be in one spot too long, preferring to throw an arm around his friends and maybe wrestle around. He says, “Sometimes my sister tells me to look but I don’t know what to see.” He is very excited to get his glasses. In his own words, "So in first grade, I didn’t have any glasses. I couldn’t see nothing so I always have to get a clipboard and go on the rug. And it was so embarrassing. Even with my glasses now I had to get a clipboard. But with new glasses I can see better. You don’t embarrass yourself and you look good. You look like king drip!" You sure do, Kahlil!

Please join Utah Partners for Health in welcoming Doctor Jack Wang to the mission to provide quality vision care to the underserved communities of Salt Lake County! Not only is Dr. Wang a highly skilled optometrist, he has experience bringing eye care directly to patients, having worked at a mobile clinic in Dallas. He loves the engaging nature of mobile care—who wants to be in an office all day anyway? He and his wife, also an optometrist, have two young children starting school for the first time in Utah this fall. Soft-spoken and dedicated, Dr. Wang finds special satisfaction going to shelters to provide care and glasses to displaced parents and kids. "The appeal of working with Utah Partners for Health is that it's fun. It feels good." UPFH and its 2,000 annual vision patients are honored to have an accomplished partner in Dr. Wang.