Matthew 25 Health and Dental Clinic, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Matthew 25 Health and Dental Clinic fills a critical need in our community by serving sick, uninsured, and low income clients and providing necessary medications, supplies, and treatments. These valuable services improve client quality of life and enables entry back into the workforce. For 41 years, Matthew 25 Clinic has provided continuous service to Northeast Indiana making it one of the longest serving free clinics in the country.
In 2017, Matthew 25 served 4,359 individual patients accounting for more than 27,000 unique visits. Patients seek assistance for medical concerns, dental problems, vision screening and eyeglasses, hearing tests, prescriptions and over-the-counter medications. Matthew 25’s service area includes Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio including the following counties: Allen, Adams, Wells, Huntington, Wabash, Kosciusko, Whitley, Noble, LaGrange, Steuben and DeKalb in Indiana. Williams, Defiance, Paulding and Van Wert in Ohio.
What Need Feels Like
Need is living in a constant state of insecurity.
Need is being hungry.
Need is oftentimes living in dangerous situation.
Need is being unable to care for your children well.
Need, in Northeast Indiana, does not have to mean going without medical or dental care, thanks to Matthew 25.
Many consider Matthew 25 a blessing to our community, with all services and medication free of charge to patients. The clinic operates under the mission, “We are inspired by the Gospel to provide primary healthcare services to the uninsured, low-income, residents of Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio,” as well as Bible verse Matthew 25:40, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." (NIV)
To Mark Dixon, Matthew 25’s Chief Executive Officer, the phrase "least of these" does not mean that some humans are less valuable than others, as if there were a hierarchy of worth in being human. To him and the staff of Matthew 25, all human beings have inherent worth or value. Matthew 25 staff and volunteers treat all humans as if they were created in "the image of God" (cf. Genesis 1:26-27). And, in that sense, all humans are equal—treated with dignity and respect as patients of Matthew 25.
Dixon shared, “Patients who access Matthew 25 are people who are vulnerable. They are in a place in their lives where they are socially, psychologically, or economically disadvantaged. This may be due to longstanding issues, or perhaps due to a sudden financial crisis, illness, job loss, or catastrophe.”
He proudly heads the Matthew 25 team after transitioning from Matthew 25 board member to CEO. His service has been a calling, not a job. Mark has a unique quality of empathy and compassion and urges his staff to understand and identify the needs of the poor and underprivileged.
Poverty and Insecurity in Northern Indiana
Poverty and economic insecurity are high across the country, yet Indiana fares better than many states. Last year, Indiana was ranked 31st in the country for overall poverty according to Talk Poverty/Center of American Progress statistics According to the 2017 U.S. Census Bureau, the Allen County per capita income (in 2016 dollars) was $26,058 and 15%, or more than 53,000 Allen County Residents were living in poverty. Of that number, 48,000 lived in the city of Fort Wayne. Poverty levels for the State of Indiana for the same time period were 12.3%. Local incomes have not kept pace with state and national paychecks for many years and families forgo insurance to cover other living expenses. Lack of resources lead many people to seek medical and dental assistance. Matthew 25 is available to these residents, offering hope and support as well as comprehensive medical and dental education.
Finding Gratitude in Giving Back
Negative situations can help us all understand what we have to be thankful for. These experiences have helped shape us into the people we are today. For many people, the key to having more gratitude is to give back to others in their local community. Such is the case for Matthew 25 staff and volunteers. With its meager staff of 32 employees, the organization could not address the countless needs of the community without 500 volunteers contributing more than 40, 000 hours of community service.
Volunteers are the backbone of the organization and volunteers agree that helping others increases their own well-being and makes them more appreciative for their own personal circumstances. Helping others helps each of us. PHP thanks Matthew 25, its staff and volunteers for their commitment and service to Northeast Indiana. Thank You!
Matthew 25 is a 2018 PHP Foundation Grant Recipient as their mission and goals are aligned with PHP’s Foundation—dedicated to building healthier communities by addressing the health and wellness needs of low-income, high risk individuals in the neighborhoods we serve.
About Matthew 25
Mark Dixon, Chief Executive Officer
Bradley Isbister, MD, Medical Director
Ermina Mustedanagic, Director of Operations and Development
Roger Valliere, DDS, Dental Director
Matthew 25 Health and Dental Clinic fills a critical need in our community by serving sick, uninsured, and low income clients and providing necessary medications, supplies, and treatments. These valuable services improve client quality of life and enables entry back into the workforce.
Mission: We are inspired by the Gospel to provide primary healthcare services to the uninsured, low-income, residents of Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio.
