Moab musician Scott Ibex doesn’t celebrate his birthdays in stereotypical rock star fashion.
Instead of trashing a hotel room, or piling up charges for disorderly conduct, he performs benefit concerts for the Moab Free Health Clinic.
“I think it’s good karma,” he said.
The latest one is set to begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at Club Rio, which is located at 2 S. 100 West. Admittance to the 21-and-over show is by donation; all of the proceeds will benefit the free health clinic.
Ibex also plans to raffle off a collection of his CDs, and he’ll donate portions of CD sales at the show to the nonprofit facility.
For this year’s concert, he’ll be joined by local musicians Emily Ahrendt, Jenna Talbott, Ryan Barnum, Kord Jackson and Jon Olschewski of Stonefed.
“They’re all great artists and fantastic people,” he said. “I’m really excited to be sharing the stage with them. Celebrating a birthday is about spending time with friends, and the opportunity to spend time on stage with them is an awesome way to celebrate.”
Moab Free Health Clinic Patient Navigation Coordinator Xavier Schwartz called the show a fun way to raise money to the clinic, which offers low-cost medical services to uninsured and underinsured residents.
“It should be a great time with great music for a great cause,” Schwartz said.
The latest event will mark the third year in a row that Ibex and a host of other local musicians have joined forces to raise money for the clinic.
Ibex first came up with the idea for a charitable concert series called Music for a Cause in 2013, and since that time, he said that he and his fellow musicians have raised thousands of dollars for the facility and other Moab-based nonprofits.
“It’s important for me to support local charities here in Moab,” he said. “It always has been.”
For the latest show, Ibex lined up support from Club Rio, as well as a substantial donation from event co-sponsor Moab Gear Trader.
“They’ve been really great to help produce these concerts and ensure that we can make these additional donations,” he said.
While the federal Affordable Care Act – also known as Obamacare – is now the law of the land, the free health clinic continues to help uninsured and underinsured patients who might otherwise fall through the cracks.
In 2014, it logged more than 1,200 patient visits – a 60 percent increase over the previous year’s numbers. Moab Free Health Clinic Executive Director Beth Joseph has linked the increase to repeat visits from patients who are seeking more comprehensive medical care, as opposed to urgent care or drop-in clinic services.
To provide that level of care, the clinic relies on a network of volunteer physicians, specialists, registered nurses and others. Last year alone, almost 70 people volunteered more than 2,000 hours of their time, donating the equivalent of $62,260 in services.
Clinic staffers or volunteers will start each consultation by trying to direct patients through the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs or private insurance providers, and they’ve had some success over the last year, Joseph said earlier this year. The clinic has also been able to connect local residents with charity care services in Salt Lake City and Grand Junction, Colorado.
Scott Ibex show on Aug. 18 benefits Moab Free Health Clinic
When: Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 7 p.m.
Where: Club Rio, 2 S. 100 West; 21 and over
Cost: By donation; all proceeds benefit the Moab Free Health Clinic
For more information about the clinic, go to moabfreehealthclinic.org/.
