History of Siloam

History

Siloam opened in 1991 as a faith-based, volunteer-driven primary health care clinic committed to caring for an uninsured, underserved and indigent population. It began with one volunteer physician, Dr. David Gregory, seeing a handful of patients for two hours on Saturday mornings.

Today, Siloam has a staff of 24, more than 450 volunteer supporters and is open 45 hours, including three evenings and Saturday mornings. In October 2005, Siloam moved into a new 12,000 sq.-ft., debt-free facility that allowed services to greatly expand to help meet the growing number of uninsured people in need of high-quality, affordable health care. It ended 2007 with more than 16,000 patient encounters.

We know that many uninsured patients do not practice preventive health care; they seek treatment only when a condition is urgent, if not an emergency; and they usually present with complicated health needs. This understanding of our patient population drives the scope of care available at Siloam. The program addresses acute and chronic illness, preventive and well-care, immunizations, and specialized refugee health screenings.

The program is also designed as a cutting edge health care delivery model that integrates behavioral and spiritual care into a multi-specialty clinic setting. Specialty care includes: internal medicine, endocrinology, cardiology, neurology, gastroenterology, orthopedics, hepatology, gynecology (and mammogram referrals), pediatrics, dermatology, otolaryngology, wound care, physical/occupational therapy, behavioral health care and pastoral counseling. Staff and volunteer providers are encouraged to develop treatment plans that encompass emotional or behavioral problems to help insure a greater probability of successfully managing chronic conditions.

In addition, Siloam’s patients have access to a disease management and prevention video library containing 370 titles supplemented by more than 1,400 written handouts in eight languages. Since so many of Siloam’s patients face financial, transportation, language and other barriers, it is critical to have needed medications available, as well as interpreters on site to provide instructions and help with questions concerning medications. Multi-tiered pharmaceutical services are available to meet patient medication needs in a way that optimizes health while taking into account their limited financial resources. Siloam utilizes a network of community partners to provide laboratory, hospitalization and imaging services for its patients.

Siloam’s Mission Statement is . . .

To share the love of Christ by serving those in need through health care.