By Benjamin Rothstein

DOVER – There is a gray area in Delaware health care. Some individuals make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but they do not make enough money to purchase insurance from the marketplace. These people are stranded, and that is just the problem that the Hope Medical and Dental Clinic aims to solve.

Started in October 2003, Hope Clinic provides free medical and dental care for these kinds of people.

“What we do, is we provide free medical and dental services to adult Delawareans who are uninsured and underserved, but they have to meet eligibility criteria. And when I say we provide free, it’s literally free,” said Hope Clinic Board President Nisha Lodhavia. “We pay for any service that happens here in the clinic. If they’re referred to specialists, we pay for that. If they need medications, we pay for that. If they need lab work, X rays, imaging services, whatever they need, we take care of them.”

The medical professionals at the Hope Clinic take time off from work and donate it to the clinic to help its cause. The clinic also has several partnerships with organizations for things like x-rays and lab work.

One could think that they are flooded with appointments, but they are not, and are desperate to get the word out so potential patients can receive the help they need.

“We don’t have any (wait list),” said Executive Director Michele Lee Waite. “(It’s) word of mouth. We’ve made brochures. We’ve been trying to just get the word out there, because we have doctors, we just need people to make the appointments.”

“We’ve been around for 20 years and yet many Delawareans do not know we exist,” said Dr. Lodhavia in a speech addressed to attendees of the clinic’s annual gala.

Even though the clinic operates on donated time, equipment and medication still costs money, and that is where the clinic’s fundraiser comes in.

“They’re not trying to change what the government’s doing, they’re not trying to do anything but just help the community,” said Ms. Waite. “And the only way we can do that is through sponsorships, because someone has to help us pay for the lab, the medical, the equipment. Sometimes things are donated, but this gala is huge.”

The fundraiser took place on Friday and featured both a live and silent auction and hosted several community leaders and lawmakers. This year marked the clinic’s 20th anniversary.

“Our staff and board of servant leaders is small but dedicated — united by the common goals set forth by our founders. Together we have navigated challenges, celebrated victory, and most importantly continued to make the magic happen. But this magic cannot happen without you, our supporters. Your generosity doesn’t just fund our clinic. It fuels the hope, the care and the compassion that defines the Hope Medical Dental Clinic.”

Contact information, eligibility criteria, and instructions on donating are listed on the clinic’s website, hopeclinicde.com. It is in Dover behind the Modern Maturity Center.