With health care in crisis, Sage Healthcare Clinic in Bridgeport is stepping up to offer free, compassionate care through a partnership with the Bridgeport Rescue Mission. WSHU's Good at Heart host Randye Kaye speaks with founder Irene Bihl about the clinic’s mission and impact.
WSHU: I'm Randy Kaye, and this is Good at Heart, the podcast inspired by the famous Ann Frank quote. It explores the best in all of us. Health care has been in the headlines quite a bit in the last month. Sage Healthcare has a compassionate approach to meet the growing need for services. Healthcare free of charge for anyone who needs it, that's it. Don't have insurance, no problem. Your legal status is not an issue here. Irene Bihl is the founder and administrator of Sage Healthcare. I sat down with her in our studios to talk about the clinic and why she said yes to the project.
Could you tell me a bit about Sage? Who do you help, and how?
IB: So we saw that there was a great need to give care to people who were in other programs, like recovery, things like in Mission programs, things like having people who have mental disorders that aren't addressed. And so the question came up as to why we can't service these people, and it's just because there are so many that they can't get placement. So the wait is about four to six months to get an appointment with a psych or a mental health provider, and recoveries are the same way, so much now that they're going to 45 days or 30 days for programs and people back out on the street, and they really haven't gotten well. So we said there has to be a better way, and that's how we ended up deciding to start this.
WSHU: So, all right now, full disclosure here, I do have a son who has a mental illness, as you know, I think we've met a couple of times before. I live this as a mom. This wait for care in many, many ways. And we just have four to six months to get an appointment. So what happens if somebody like my son, who's okay at the moment, knock on wood, we're always knocking wood. But if he were to come to you, would he get an appointment right away? Like, how would that work?
IB: So, pretty much people can call our phone number, or they can call either directly to my cell, or usually we get referrals from somebody else, and we can fit them in, yes, by the end of the week. So within 24 to 48 hours. I usually make sure that they're called immediately, so that we know how dire their situation is. Because we're not 100% for every patient, you know, it depends on your acuity and what's wrong with you. So yeah, but they get a call back within 24 to 48 hours.
WSHU: Wow. And this would be for mental health help as well as medical help, I'm assuming. So what's a typical day like over there?
IB: Well, a typical day. Today. We actually had two people who were waiting in line in the pantry who ended up having chest pain. So Mike and I resuscitated two people who ended up having, you know, heart attacks, and we ended up delivering them to 911 and to the ambulance. And in between that, I myself had a student that I was precepting, Mike was precepting a doctoral student, and we had eight undergraduate students from Bridgeport University there today.
WSHU: So, they are volunteers.
IB: They're all volunteers.
WSHU: Are all the people who work there volunteers?
IB: 100%
WSHU: And where do you get them from?
IB: God sends them. I think.
WSHU: Well, that's nice. Okay. And then through what venue, the University of Bridgeport? I think you have some Sacred Heart undergrad nursing students.
IB: Yes. We have affiliations with nine different universities now in the local area. The way this started, I just had a brainstorm. My husband and I had been invited to visit the Rescue Mission to tour the facility…
WSHU: So this is the Bridgeport Rescue Mission.
IB: Yes.
WSHU: Is that the pantry that you spoke about?…
IB: Yes, that’s the food pantry. And they also have the ability to house 125 people. Someone donated. Actually, it was Joel Smilow who donated enough money for them to purchase the old nursing home so they have a full floor of recovery people, for men. And one for women, and then a floor for homeless moms with children. And so right now, there's probably about 100 clients there, and Rhonda, the CEO, can talk more to that, but we were touring the place, and they said, you know, we can't get medical help for our people. The wait list is so long, we don't know what meds they're supposed to be on. And so they approached my husband, and I said, "Are you willing to start a clinic there?" And so my husband and I have been blessed beyond measure in our entire lives, and so we said, “Yes, absolutely. We support this.” And then there was a little bump in the road. They said, “We don't know how to do this, you know, it's malpractice insurance. There are all these other issues that we didn't think were going to come up. We're just trying to do good things, you know?” And they said, “Do you know how to do that?” And I said, Yes, I will help them with that.” And that was five years ago, so I’m still there today.
WSHU: So now you have Sage Healthcare, and where I met you the second time was at a fundraiser for, I believe, Bridgeport Rescue Mission and Sage Healthcare. And I asked you how the new insurance policies were going to affect you. And I believe you said, “doesn't matter, because we don't charge anybody for anything.”
IB: That's correct. And you know, it's not a money issue. It's a care issue. We have people who are very wealthy, in fact, who can't find a doc within four to six months, and they have an acute problem. So what do you do with that? So actually, we take them as well. And it's a conflict of interest to charge them when there are patients, but then when we have fundraisers and stuff, they also want to pay back, you know? And so that helps us out a lot, but there is no, no answer to anybody that comes to our door.
WSHU: Wow. When I learned about this, I had no idea there was a resource like this available for people like my son, and, you know, it does my heart good. So I'm like, Ah, good at heart. This is perfect. So just to be clear to listeners, because we have a vast listening area, this is in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on Park Avenue, I believe, and your website is…
IB: shcare.com
WSHU: shcare.com. And when you go on there, you can read all about Irene and Mike. What you spoke about is Dr. Mike Demasi, who is your doctor. And there are many, many, many volunteers. And you train your volunteers. It's a very impressive website. And it all came from you heard a call, and you answered it. So I think we have the “what” and the “how” and “who” you help. But I want to talk about “why”. Why you? You could have closed your eyes. You could have said, “Oh, gee, I'm so sorry you're having that problem. Here's $500,” But you chose to do this. So what inspired you to take this huge step?
IB: Well, you know, it's funny that you asked that question, because I think about it a lot. It was a lot of work. I've never had a job where I've stayed somewhere for five years. I've always either been promoted into a different role or moved on into, you know, a different area. So this really is more than a full-time job, actually. And so I thought it through, and I'm like, you know, there are a lot of times in your life when you say, “Oh, dear God, why do I have to learn this? Oh, this is not something I want to do.” Well, now I know why. And so when you ask me, "Why did I do this?" It's because I can, and there are a lot of people out there who cannot. So I am not a dreamer, I'm not an idea person. I'm 100% operator. If you ask me to do it, it will get done.
WSHU: I have two follow-up questions. One is your volunteers? What do they say they get out of working for free at Sage Healthcare?
IB: It's incredible. You know, I am very spiritual. So I do believe there's a higher power that guides us all, whether it's within our souls, our hearts, or wherever. But I once said to my good friend, Dr Rocco Marotta, whom I'm sure you know, from Silver Hill. I said, Rocky, all these people that come, I don't know why they come, they stay, they're smiling. They never complain. I said, "This is like the first work environment where people are always happy." And he said, “Irene, that's because the Holy Spirit is filling them with grace.” And I thought that that was such a profound statement, because there is something intangible that they're receiving there that is very meaningful to them. That is filling their hearts. And I think that's why it works. Here's a perfect example. We were having new students come. You know, the rescue mission was a little low on funds, so we didn't really have anybody who could come clean our area. And that's one of the things that I mean my standard can't go any lower. So I said, Guys, this needs to change. I actually came in yesterday, they had their spouses, this is my team, my volunteer team. Spouses came in, and they scrubbed the floors, vacuumed the carpet, steamed it, and washed the chairs. The place looks incredible. And they don't want any extra money. They don't want anything. They just wanted to feel good about what they were doing. And it's amazing.
WSHU: When you say filled with the Holy Spirit, that could be any religion, any thought, it's just feeling like we're here for a reason. And maybe that Holy Spirit is love, however you want to interpret that. It says the Holy Spirit doesn't belong to any particular religion. And so that's what I love about unifying us and being good at heart. So my last few questions have to do with that. So I would like to know what's the best advice you ever got, or a quote that you read that you just live by, and you want to pass on to other people.
IB: Okay, so my husband and I, and we actually use this as a toast for our daughter when she got married. But there's a song. It's about dancing, and there's a line in the song that says, “If you have a chance to sit it out or dance, we hope you dance.” And that, to us, is pretty much our life mantra, and it's so much so that our other daughter says, “You know, it's okay. You guys are retired. You can sit it out sometimes.” But we choose not to, you know, and that's what makes us be vibrant and, you know, still relatable. And you know, you just end up knowing that if you can help someone put that hand out, particularly to those who haven't had their hand held in their lives. I mean, that is, you know, that's free. You don't have to pay anybody to do that. And so I recharge my battery every morning, you know, and I spread that charge around.
WSHU: That's, I love that, and I love that song, by the way. So, how can people help you and Sage Healthcare right now? What needs do you have, besides being a nursing student and being able to volunteer? I'm a good hand holder, but I can't do that. Like, how can people help Sage Healthcare?
IB: Believe it or not, it is a community organization between the Bridgeport Rescue Mission and the universities that I am affiliated with; we have created a hub in Bridgeport that is super strong. People who don't have families, who don't have others that they can turn to, consider us home, you know. So when they're struggling, they come. I had a girl as a client who had been trafficked. She just came back. This is five years ago. She is now going to school at one of the universities. So when you see those kinds of stories, how does she need help? Well, things like driving them to appointments. There are so many different things that people can do. You don't have to have a special skill set. You just have to care.
WSHU: Is there a place on the website where people can find out ways to help or donate money, donate time?
IB: Yes, there is. And so between the Bridgeport Rescue Mission and our website, there's more than you can do, and you can always reach out, and we will contact you, and you know, tell us what your skill set is, and we'll make sure we use it. There isn't anybody I don't recruit
WSHU: And that kind of sounds like us during pledge drive time. Okay, so my final question I ask of everybody is, I think I have already heard your answer, but why do you think we're here on Earth?
IB: Okay, now I'm really going to get philosophical, but I believe we are all connected with our souls. And I don't care what religion you are, you know, our soul was created by whatever great creator you believe in, or even if you don't believe in a creator. We are all cut from the same cloth, and that connection cannot be undone. So we have strength in being connected in that way. And any time that we can reach out and maintain that connection, we're making ourselves stronger, and it's a better place. So it drives me. It drives me every day. I don't like discourse. I don't think there's any need for it. There's no room in my brain for it, because I'm thinking of so many other things. And with that, I've been able to achieve a lot, not through me, but through everyone who wants to be with me.
