Healthcare Access For All
For many Oklahomans, the term “Bedlam” conjures up memories of a fierce, highly competitive rivalry. But in this medical context, it means Oklahomans coming together.
The Bedlam Clinics provide free healthcare for uninsured individuals who do not qualify for other assistance in the Tulsa community.
Since 2003, The University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine has been bridging the gap in access to healthcare. Nearly 1 in 6 Oklahomans live in poverty, and even hardworking individuals often find themselves unable to afford basic medical services as healthcare costs continue to rise.
Situations like this force answers to hard questions. When money is tight, do you schedule a doctor’s appointment, or schedule more working hours? Do you fill your prescription, or fill your stomach? When all of your energy is being spent trying to survive the present, how do you think about preventative care for your future?
As medical needs like this are continuously – and often unintentionally – left unaddressed, they culminate into more critical, costly health issues.
I have gotten the most thorough medical examinations in the OU Bedlam Clinics – the best I have received anywhere. Bedlam saved my life.
That’s where the Bedlam Clinics come in. By providing free healthcare for uninsured individuals, they open access to essential healthcare services without the heavy weight of financial burden.
The Bedlam Clinics’ network includes an evening acute-care clinic, two longitudinal clinics and a charitable pharmacy. A food pharmacy is also available to Bedlam longitudinal patients where medically tailored recipes and fresh produce are offered. All services are free, including prescriptions, lab and radiology services.
'I have gotten the most thorough medical examinations in the OU Bedlam Clinics – the best I have received anywhere,” said Steven, a former patient. “Bedlam saved my life.”
The benefits of the Bedlam Clinics extend even further than the community it serves. OU medical students gain real-world educational experience while they serve at the longitudinal clinics. There, students have the unique opportunity to create and maintain relationships with their patients which forms an in-depth understanding of each health journey, rather than the short, block-based visits found in other programs.
The clinics utilize a team-based model, providing PA, medical, nursing, pharmacy and social work students with an interdisciplinary service-learning opportunity that’s rare to see. Future medical leaders and faculty alike learn from their practice here to continuously evaluate and improve their own systems of care.
“I remember my very first patient during the Bedlam evening clinic, my third year,” former medical student Ainsly Wolfinbarger said. “He had gone four years without any healthcare and had very uncontrolled diabetes and almost every complication you could imagine.”
When presented with prescriptions and a care plan, the patient initially refused out of fear of being unable to pay.
"I said, ‘here's the thing: we’re covering this for you,’ and he just broke down crying. He said for the first time in a long time, he finally felt hope. We get to be hope dealers to people in our community, which really is a physical representation of what our mission here is at the School of Community Medicine.”
In just one year, support for the OU Bedlam Clinics:
- Aided 1,358 uninsured individuals
- Facilitated 3,540 patient visits
- Filled 6,139 no-cost prescriptions
- Provided 11,900+ student learning hours
The Bedlam Clinics provide a vital lifeline to our neighbors in need. Rising healthcare costs raise difficult problems – but they don't have to stop us from providing solutions.
When you give to the Bedlam Clinics, you make this care possible for even more Oklahomans and expand learning opportunities for bright students. Join us this Giving Day and help change a life.