Bread of Healing Clinic, which has provided free and low-cost care to Milwaukee residents since 2000, is preparing for more patients as Wisconsin implements new Medicaid work requirements that could put coverage at risk for tens of thousands of people. The requirements, created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, apply to some BadgerCare Plus members ages 19 to 64 who do not live with a dependent child under 19. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services estimates about 200,000 adults will be subject to the rules. About 63,000 people are at immediate risk of losing coverage because the state does not have documentation showing they meet the requirements or qualify for an exemption, the agency said. “We serve people that can’t be served anywhere else,” said Erica Wright, the clinic’s executive director. She expects both new and returning patients as coverage changes take effect. The clinic is already seeing signs of growing need. Wright said more patients are arriving at younger ages with more serious chronic conditions, raising concern that people are missing preventive care until their health problems become emergencies. Many people who rely on the clinic are working but still cannot afford insurance or the costs of using their coverage. Gerald Brooks, 41, said he was uninsured after leaving the hospital following treatment for severe gastrointestinal bleeding. He was unable to afford the medication he needed, and hospital staff connected him with Bread of Healing for follow-up care. Brooks said the clinic helped him lose nearly 230 pounds, reverse his diabetes and reduce the number of medications he takes for high blood pressure. “Bread of Healing makes you feel at home,” he said. The clinic provides primary care, behavioral health, social work, pharmacy support and dental services from locations in Milwaukee churches. Volunteers, medical students and retired health professionals make up much of its workforce. It also takes referrals from hospital discharge planners, typically arranging appointments within a week so patients can continue treatment after leaving the hospital. Bread of Healing has taken on some patients and volunteers from the closed City on a Hill clinic, including the team that provided vision services. It now offers basic vision screenings and glasses fittings at Eastbrook Church, 5385 N. Green Bay Ave. The clinic has also opened a South Side location at 1025 E. Oklahoma Ave. The expansion comes as grants become harder to secure and demand for free and low-cost care grows, Wright said. The organization has launched a fundraising appeal and a corporate membership campaign to help sustain services. Bread of Healing is seeking dentists and dental hygienists, along with volunteers for its South Side site in roles including interpretation, reception, nursing and pharmacy assistance, and electronic health record support. The clinic also accepts financial and in-kind donations and asks community members to share information about its services. The clinic was founded after Barbara Horner and Tom Jackson saw uninsured patients repeatedly return to Aurora Sinai Medical Center because they had nowhere to go for follow-up care. Board member and longtime volunteer Mark Chelmowski, a former primary care physician, said he saw untreated chronic illnesses lead to devastating outcomes, including kidney failure and blindness among patients with diabetes. “What not having insurance did to people was pretty heartbreaking,” he said. With support from Aurora, Bread of Healing recently put an electronic medical record system in place to improve coordination between hospital and clinic providers. Wright said the organization is ready to care for more people, but needs community support to keep that safety net in place.