CV NEWS FEED// Bella Primary Care, the first Catholic health care clinic in Northern California since 2015, has become “a beacon of hope” for patients and parents seeking life-affirming care.
The Archdiocese of San Francisco reports that the clinic, which accepts insurance, offers services to patients at any stage of life, from prenatal to geriatric, including those who are underinsured or self-paying. They rely on donations, grants, and volunteers to provide care for patients and local pro-life organizations.
Executive director and nurse practitioner Dolores Meehan explains, “Every patient that comes to us is a medical advocacy patient, because every patient coming to us is coming for life-affirming care,” adding that at Bella, doctors encourage parents “to embrace life and accompany them on that journey.”
A caregiver named Amy, who takes care of her disabled older brother, explained her experience with Bella’s medical advocacy. She was concerned that her brother was not receiving adequate care at the hospital, so she contacted one of Bella’s providers.
My brother was admitted to the ICU with varied complications but alert and with signs of hope. The attending physician made assumptions and comments about his quality of life, commented he will ‘never improve’ and even phoned me in the middle of the night to pressure me to sign a Do Not Resuscitate agreement. We wanted good medical care but instead these behaviors caused us to feel bullied and concerned about the quality of care.
Amy said that “I spoke with a Bella provider who advised me by phone and helped us so much with sound medical advice. She valued his life and gave us a feeling of not being alone. We had a second wind to approach the next steps in his care. We also had a sense of peace and an advocate when we needed one. We are so grateful.”
Other patients and caretakers have testified to the high quality of care. Mother of four Tessa explained “With our previous providers, there was a real lack of humanity. Everything seemed very clinical,” adding that doctors were often cold toward her children.
“When we came to Bella, it was a completely different experience,” because “Finally, someone is here to actually ask the questions I want to be asked and to actually take care of me and my family in a way that I want as a parent,” Tessa said.
The office manager of Bella Primary Care reported that many of their new patients are referred by current patients, since patients are so pleased with the quality of care. Tessa recommends the office “to anyone who is dissatisfied with your current health care or seeking a more deserving medical experience.”
To find out more, visit https://bellaprimarycare.org/.
