NIU's Tri-County Clinic receives new endowments

by Mark McGowan

Two more generous friends of NIU have come forward to support the mission of the Tri-County Community Health Center.

The clinic, an operation of the NIU School of Nursing in the College of Health and Human Sciences, in collaboration with Kishwaukee College, has received pledges of more than $1.75 million.

NIU alumnus David Layman has promised to designate $1.5 million of his estate in his will. Layman also has pledged $20,000 annually for the remainder of his lifetime as expendable support for the clinic.

Another $250,000 is coming over the next two years from the Douglas C. Roberts Trust, whose intention is to inspire others to give. Layman's gift is the first after Roberts' lead.

"It's really something to celebrate because it means that this is forever. We will be here as long as the community needs us," an elated Tri-County director Mary Uscian said. "To assure absolute, long-term, forever sustainability of the nursing center, our goal for the endowment is $2.5 million. These two gifts bring us remarkably close."

More than 12,000 low-income residents of DeKalb, Ogle and Lee counties with little or no insurance have received affordable treatment at Tri-County since the clinic opened in 1994.

No one is turned away for an inability to pay.

Combined with another anonymous gift of $500,000 received over the past two years, and additional generous donations from community members, the new dollars strengthen the guarantee that the clinic's doors will remain open for countless years to come.

Uscian and her staff of nurse practitioners have enjoyed that security only since 2000: The federal grant that launched the clinic expired in 1998, and financial support from the university and the community bridged the gap.

Once the endowment is fully funded, interest generated from the account should produce at least $100,000 annually to cover expenses and allow for some growth to meet the ever-growing need for affordable health care.

The number of visits to the main clinic in Malta and the two satellite clinics in DeKalb and Rochelle has climbed 30 percent so far this year, Uscian said.

"It's the economy," she said. "There are just more and more people who are losing jobs or are in jobs where they lose their health benefits. Most certainly, we're seeing people with higher and higher deductibles when they have insurance, which requires them to pay for most of their health care out of their pockets."

John Bass, director of Gift and Estate Planning in the NIU Development Office, said Layman sees Tri-County as a deserving recipient of his support.

Layman is a former high school biology teacher from Chicago who two years ago pledged an additional $500,000 through a pre-paid life insurance policy to the David R. Layman Endowed Scholarship in Biology at NIU, which was created in 1997.

"Mr. Layman was touched by the work of Tri-County Clinic and the nature of the clientele it serves, along with the educational experience it provides the nursing students and its impact on the local medical and social service community," Bass said.

"When David was a teacher in Chicago, he taught at public high schools," Bass added. "A number of the children he had in his classes were from low-income areas and had to get their health care from clinics like ours."

Layman also recognizes that nursing students, all of whom practice at the clinic during their studies at NIU, take biology classes. "He sees a direct application between biology and their nursing pursuits," Bass said.

The $250,000 endowment from the Douglas C. Roberts Trust is significant in its motivation for other donors. Roberts has earned gratitude from Tri-County officials for his willingness to consider yearly support for expendable dollars.

Roberts is deeply committed to the community and appreciates the clinic for its philanthropic commitment to its clientele, its mission to prepare nurses and its outreach to other human service agencies in the three-county area, Bass said.

The clinic continues to need financial backing from the community and beyond, Uscian said. More money means more services or, in other words, keeping pace with rising demand.

"What we need now is more staff to be able to see more patients. Our patients just can't cover the total cost of the services we provide, so we genuinely count on donations and grants to help as many people as we can," she said.

"We're running a marathon, and we're so deeply grateful for each cup of water we get along the way, but there are still many miles to go."