Meet Amelia de Landa from Chicago, Illinois

Amelia de Landa is a 25-year-old student and volunteer at the Old Irving Park Community Clinic, an all-volunteer, completely free clinic serving Chicago's uninsured population. Amelia requested $5,000 to purchase an ultrasound machine and other equipment for use by the gynecologist, many of whose patients have not had checkups for years. The machine comes with a TV probe, abdominal probe, printer, and mobile cart. The other equipment Amelia is providing includes pipelles, a tenaculum, a cervical dilator, and uterine sounds. Volunteering there every week, Amelia says, “I see how hard just a few people are working to provide quality healthcare. The small group that runs the clinic are some very generous people who really want to see their patients succeed at getting control of their health and manage their chronic conditions.” This new equipment will last for years and benefit many women who might otherwise receive no healthcare at all.

About the Clinic:

The overwhelming majority of the patients are uninsured working people and their families and the unemployed who do not qualify for any type of government assistance programs, such as Medicaid, Medicare or have no access to any financial resources for payment for healthcare. In addition to primary medical care, the clinic services include referrals for dental care and assessment and evaluation for mental health, and alcohol and other drug additions and abuse treatments.

Diary Starts Here

June 14th, 2009
The clinic has received the new ultrasound machine and it's already being used. Amelia says so many women need this procedure, that they are now trying to find an ultrasound tech to come in once a month or so as well just to use the machine and do the ultrasounds so that when the doctor comes in for the check ups, it will already be done and she can move faster and treat more women.

May 6th, 2009
My surprise call to Amelia was set up by George Maltezos, one of the co-founders of the clinic. He arranged to have fellow co-founder & Medical Director Dr. Charles Martinez on hand as well as several other clinic volunteers.

I've had a lot of things happen when making a surprise call to a new hero, but this was a first. Just as I was calling, Amelia left for the restroom! I guess that proves she really was being surprised. When she came back in and I gave her the news, she was so excited and screaming I was afraid she might faint. She was overwhelmed with joy for all the women this badly needed equipment would be helping. They are placing the order today.

The clinic opened in December of 2007, and since that time over 400 patients have been seen. For those patients the clinic has become their "homebase" for healthcare which is invaluable as medical services elsewhere are very difficult to obtain. In fact, the nearby Cook County Hospital is so overloaded, there are 1,700 women on the waiting list.

Amelia moved to Chicago in September from Houston and has three older sisters. She will be going to graduate school in this fall at the Universiy of Chicago for a Masters in Social Work.