For more than two decades, Bread of Healing Clinic has provided free and low-cost healthcare to Milwaukee residents who often have nowhere else to turn.
Expected changes to Medicaid and health coverage will soon leave more people unable to afford care, experts say. As a result, the clinic is preparing for a surge in patients and asking the community for support.
“We serve people that can’t be served anywhere else,” said Erica Wright, executive director of Bread of Healing Clinic.
She said the clinic expects to see new and returning faces as health coverage continues to change.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services stated in late July that federal Medicaid work requirements could put health insurance coverage at risk for tens of thousands of BadgerCare Plus members.
The new requirements were created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The law requires states to implement Medicaid work requirements for some adults.
In Wisconsin, the requirements apply to BadgerCare Plus members ages 19 to 64 who do not have a dependent child under the age of 19 living with them.
About 200,000 Wisconsin adults will be subject to the new requirements. The agency estimates that approximately 63,000 people are at immediate risk of losing their healthcare coverage because the state does not currently have documentation showing they meet the requirements or qualify for an exemption.
‘You feel at home’
For one Bread of Healing patient, the clinic has been life-changing.
Gerald Brooks, 41, first came to Bread of Healing after spending nearly a week in the hospital with severe gastrointestinal bleeding. He had no insurance and could not afford the medications he needed after leaving the hospital.
The hospital connected him with Bread of Healing before he was discharged.
He began returning regularly for medication and medical care but said the clinic also gave him a place to address emotional and personal challenges.
“Bread of Healing makes you feel at home,” he said.
He credits the clinic with helping him lose nearly 230 pounds, reverse his diabetes and reduce the number of medications he takes for high blood pressure.
His story also highlights a misconception about who needs free healthcare.
Many patients are working but still cannot afford insurance or the cost of using their coverage.
“It’s hitting a lot of us that are working full-time jobs and even making decent money,” he said.
Bread of Healing Clinic
Since 2000, Bread of Healing has served uninsured and underinsured Milwaukee residents, including people living with chronic illnesses and working people who cannot afford insurance through their jobs or can’t afford to use the coverage they have.
The clinic operates out of several churches in the city, providing primary care, behavioral health, social work, pharmacy support and dental services. It is largely staffed by volunteers, medical students and retired healthcare professionals.
The organization also serves as a teaching institution, giving medical students and other trainees an opportunity to learn about barriers to healthcare that aren’t always visible in traditional hospital settings.
Preparing for growing demand
Bread of Healing is already seeing signs of increased need.
Wright said more patients are arriving younger and with more serious chronic conditions, raising concerns that people are missing preventive care until their health problems become emergencies.
“We’re just worried about any potential trend of people already not getting the preventative care that they need,” she said.
Like several other clinics, Bread of Healing is also still responding to the closure of City on a Hill clinic. Bread of Healing absorbed some of its patients and volunteers, including the team providing vision services. The clinic now offers basic vision screenings and glasses fittings at its Eastbrook Church location at 5385 N. Green Bay Ave.
Bread of Healing also opened an additional site on Milwaukee’s South Side at 1025 E. Oklahoma Ave., expanding access for residents in another underserved area.
The expansion comes as the clinic faces its own financial challenges. Wright said grants are becoming harder to secure, while demand for free and low-cost care continues to grow.
The organization has launched a mid-year fundraising appeal and a corporate membership campaign to help sustain its services and prepare for the expected changes in health coverage.
A safety net after the hospital
Bread of Healing was created after founders Barbara Horner and Tom Jackson saw uninsured patients repeatedly return to Aurora Sinai Medical Center because they had nowhere to receive follow-up care after being discharged.
Today, hospital discharge planners and social workers connect uninsured patients with Bread of Healing. Clinic staff can follow up shortly after discharge and typically arrange an appointment within a week.
The goal is to keep patients from falling through the cracks and prevent health problems from becoming emergencies, Wright said.
Board member and longtime volunteer Mark Chelmowski, who spent 37 years as a primary care physician, said he saw the consequences of untreated chronic illness firsthand, including patients with diabetes who eventually developed kidney failure or blindness.
“What not having insurance did to people was pretty heartbreaking,” he said.
With support from Aurora, Bread of Healing recently implemented an electronic medical record system, making it easier for hospital and clinic providers to coordinate care.
How the community can help
Bread of Healing says it is ready to serve more people but needs community support to do it.
The clinic is looking for dentists and dental hygienists, as well as volunteers for the new South Side location. Needed roles include interpreters, front-desk support, nursing and pharmacy assistance, and people familiar with electronic health records.
Financial donations are also critical. The clinic accepts one-time and recurring gifts, in-kind donations and legacy contributions. Businesses can participate through its corporate membership program.
For those who cannot donate money or time, clinic leaders have another request: spread the word.
Share the clinic’s social media, tell others about its services and connect Bread of Healing with organizations working on healthcare access, Wright said.
She said they are ready to do the work. They just need the community to help make sure they can continue.
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
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