Erickson is 62nd First Lady of Whitefish

Meg Erickson is not used to being in the spotlight. She would rather focus on the hundreds of patients she and her staff help every year at Shepherd's Hand Free Clinic in Whitefish.

For a little while, however, Erickson will have to get used to a little extra attention — she's the 2009 First Lady of Whitefish, No. 62 in a long line of illustrious local women who give back to the community. The title is given out by the local chapter of the Beta Sigma Phi sorority.

"Obviously it's an honor," Erickson said. "I was quite shocked when I found out. You don't know how to react. I am certainly appreciative of people's good thoughts."

For many, the only shocking thing is that Erickson hasn't been given this honor before, considering what she has meant to the community since she and her family moved here in 1990.

In 1995, Erickson and her husband Jay, a family medical physician, founded Shepherd's Hand as an outreach ministry of the Christ Lutheran Church in Whitefish. Still going strong 13 years later, the clinic has helped thousands of people in need get medical, spiritual and emotional assistance.

Between 1,200 and 1,400 people walk through the doors of the clinic every year, all on Monday evenings, and nobody who needs help is turned away. Nearly one-third of the patients Erickson and her staff treat in a year are new to the clinic.

"Our mission is to help people who don't have health insurance," Erickson explains. "We're motivated to help by our faith and love. Over half of the patients we see are employed. We serve the working poor: People who have service-industry jobs, etc. who may not have benefits. We help people who would otherwise fall between the cracks of the health-care system."

The clinic operates on an all-volunteer staff of 13 physicians who rotate in pairs of two, along with various nurses, pharmacists, teachers and specialists throughout the valley. North Valley Hospital also contributes more than $100,000 in donations of lab work and other services.

Shepherd's Hand is supported solely by private funding, with no federal grants or other aid. The clinic has provided more than $1 million worth of medications for people in need.

"The money that we get goes directly to patients in the form of medical aid," Erickson said. "They get the supplies they need before their health digresses to the point where they can't work or they have to take a trip to the E.R. Over 30 percent of the people in the valley have no health insurance. You don't want people to get into debt, especially in this economy, where they might be one bad injury away from homelessness."

Erickson said one of the more rewarding aspects of her work is her relationship with the clinic's staff and patients.

"To watch (the volunteers' grow is very special," she said. "Some of them have been here all 13 years. I'm very proud of all of them. Also, every Monday there is a patients story that inspires you. They deal with hardship with a lot of grace. I am inspired by our community, in particular our medical community. The consistency and generosity in which they give is amazing."

Erickson points out that her goal over the years is to not simply process each patient as a medical case, but rather as human beings with complex problems.

"One of the things we've found is that people want to be cared for, but also cared about," she explained. "They want someone willing to listen, to guide them through the process, and treating people with dignity and respect. Not going through it alone is very important."

Erickson has a master's in nursing, but she gave up her career in public health to focus on raising her two sons. With both in college, Erickson is now focused on passing along the proverbial torch to younger volunteers and organizing medical mission trips abroad. This July, Erickson and other volunteers will build a church in Ecuador, among other things.

"I would be lying if I said that over 13 years that there haven't been hard patches," Erickson said. "That's where my faith comes in. God has provided me with grace and strength. Some things can be a challenge, but small things can make a difference. Having a smile on your face when you're in line at the grocery store will make a difference in somebody else's life, and it gets passed along. Take a minute to pay attention and ask people how they are. All people have value, and we're all walking through life together."

Erickson will be honored at the Moose Lodge in Whitefish on May 2 at 12 p.m. Tickets are $15 available at Whitefish Credit Union through Diana Giddeon until April 29.