CARMEL — On Thursday morning, Veronica Chavez is in the classroom at Trinity Free Clinic.
"It's a very great opportunity for me to find a career, to find a path to be able to provide for my family," said Chavez.
Grabriela Mundo-Mora is helping translate for patients who are Spanish-speaking.
"I've been in their shoes where you don't understand exactly what they say or explain, so it's rewarding to be able to help," said Mundo-Mora.
Both are in programs being offered by Trinity Free Clinic and Vincennes University.
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Chavez is in the medical assisting program. Before working to become a medical assistant, she was working the front desk at the clinic.
"It just amazes me how we can develop things we never thought we would and also help ourselves to succeed," said Chavez.
Mundo-Mora is in the Bridging the Gap Program designed to train medical interpreters.
"My main goal was when the patient leaves the clinic, they know exactly what's going on with them, they know how to take their medications," said Mundo-Mora.
Trinity Free Clinic also offers a dental assisting program — that was the first pilot program they ran.
"They're seeing patients, they're serving the underserved as they're doing their clinical rotations," said Cindy Love, deputy director at Trinity Free Clinic.
For more than 20 years, they've provided healthcare services to people in Hamilton County who don't have access to affordable medical and dental care.
Love says during the pandemic, they say the number of people coming into the clinic almost triple.
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Before 2020, they saw about 7,000 patients a year. During the pandemic, it went up to 20,000 patients. Last year, they saw more than 10,000 patients.
"In January alone, we had registered 300 new patients, so we’re still seeing that increase in need," said Love.
With that increase in patients, Love says they need to hire more professionals, but couldn't find them.
"We thought we can educate our own," said Love.
Grant money and an idea led them to creating these Allied Health Programs.
"To educate people who are either not college bound or haven't had the opportunity. We wanted to make our patients our colleagues, so to break that cycle of poverty and educate those colleagues so they get certified and can make a livable wage for the community," said Love.
Over the next year, they'll train 80 students with a goal of getting to 120. Scholarships are offered to those who qualify for the programs.
For more information on the clinic, to sign-up for a program or to donate, click here.
