Reese Bradburn returns to volunteer at Free Clinic in a new role

Reese Bradburn, PA-C, first began volunteering at the Upper Valley Free Clinic as a nurse. Now he’s returned to lend his expertise as a physician’s assistant.

When Reese Bradburn first moved to Leavenworth in high school, he felt like he’d come home.

Twenty-five years later, he’s still here, and still enjoying the outdoor recreation that called to him then.

In those 30 years, Reese has had a number of jobs, all of them focused on helping people—he’s worked as a ski patroller, then an EMT, a nurse, and now as a Physician’s Assistant.

“Listening to people who are sick, ill or worried is something I know how to do,” said Reese. “It’s how I connect with people. It’s one of the longest-standing characteristics that helped me define my identity. I feel like I can connect in this way.”

Volunteering first as a nurse, then as a physician’s assistant

Reese first started volunteering at Upper Valley MEND’s Free Clinic when he was still a nurse. He took a break while he went to PA school, and then for a while afterward as he got the hang of his new job. At first, the thought of working at the Free Clinic as a provider felt intimidating. For one thing, he’d have less backup, and the Free Clinic, although able to handle a broad range of illnesses, medical issues and corresponding tests, has fewer resources than are available during the day.

“After working as a PA for almost 6 years, I worked up the courage to ask Dr. Kranz if I could come back.”

Now that he’s settled into his new role as a provider, he enjoys it a lot.

“It’s fun to be in this new role at MEND,” he said.

Reese sees many of the same issues at the Clinic as he does during the day working at the hospital. However, he says the feel is a bit different at the Free Clinic, which occurs Monday nights—except most major holidays—from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

“The interaction between the volunteers at MEND and the patients is purified in some way,” he says. Something about the fact that there’s no insurance involved and no money exchanging hands simplifies the process.

Reese says there’s also no shortage of words of gratitude expressed by the patients at the Free Clinic, although he’s noticed that people often try to explain why they’ve come to a Free Clinic instead of the hospital—why they don’t have insurance, for example.

“I just say, ‘When you get insurance you can still come here. None of that matters,’” Reese said. “They seem surprised and glad to hear that.”

Upper Valley MEND’s Free Clinic is held upstairs in the Cascade Medical Center, which donates the space for the Free Clinic’s use.

“Upper Valley MEND and the people who started the Free Clinic and work at MEND are inspirational because it’s a dignified, vital and life-saving community resource,” said Reese. “I’m really sensitive to disparity and this is just kind of a beacon in that environment.”