Clinic benefits from unusual donation

Amid the bustle of a busy nonprofit medical clinic, no one noticed anything out of the ordinary. Then, someone glimpsed Ben Franklin's wry smile peeking out of the donations in a little plastic box in the waiting room.

"It was amazing," said Cecilia Murillo, Coastside Family Medical Center development director.

Among the $31 and small change, Franklin had nine identical twins lined up neatly behind him. Someone had donated $1,000 and didn't leave a note of explanation.

"We tried to figure out who could have been here. It had to have been a patient familiar with the clinic as a nonprofit organization. It had to have happened in the last couple of days," Murillo said.

The medical center usually gets $1 or $2, sometimes $20 in the donation box, and $100 would have been amazing enough. The generous donation couldn't have come at a better time. This year the nonprofit is experiencing a turning point in finances through a number of grants received from Mary Wohlford Foundation, Cisco Systems, Labuda Family Foundation and Taproot Foundation. Now, officials at the center can afford to upgrade infrastructure and meet the needs of a growing number of patients.

"It's quite a wonderful thing," Murillo said about the mysterious donation. "With this money, we can purchase new medical equipment to replace the outdated equipment that was purchased 10 or 12 years ago."

Murillo notes the medical center has experienced an 8 percent growth in new patients under the direction of the new Chief Executive Robert Harless and Director of Operations Vince Thomas. Officials claim a number of successes, including streamlined patient flow, tighter security over patient information, and higher negotiated insurance rates with contractors. The medical center can boast of its first audited financial statement, which could open doors with granting foundations.

The medical center is staffed by seven physicians who work in family practice, pediatrics and sports medicine. They provide in-house radiology, laboratory and obstetrics and gynecological services. They also offer a confidential teen clinic. Approximately 60 percent of their patients have medical insurance, while 40 percent are uninsured.

"For any nonprofit, a donation helps us on a daily basis," Murillo said.