News & Important Events

Free medical clinic now open to public

Tue, 05/16/2006 - 4:39pm

By: John Munford

Fayette CARE Clinic, the county’s first free medical and dental clinic, began seeing its first patients three weeks ago in a “soft opening” with little fanfare.

The clinic provides free basic medical and dental care to uninsured and underinsured patients who live in Fayette County. It has been so popular that appointments are necessary for the one night it is open a week.

So far, most of the patients have a number of medical problems, and diabetes, a chronic malady, has been near the top of the list for many, said Executive Director Mary Ann Cox. High blood pressure has also been one of the most often diagnosed problems, Cox added.

“When they see you, they may have gone years without medical care,” said physician’s assistant Wendy Larsh, who has treated patients all three weeks the clinic has been open. “They are so excited to be seen.”

Larsh is disappointed that she can’t help each patient with all their maladies, but the clinic is open only two hours a week with an all-volunteer medical staff, so time is of the essence.

One patient, a 15-year-old who goes to McIntosh High School, was treated for bronchitis and also needs surgery to repair a hernia. If he doesn’t qualify for Medicare, “we’ll find a surgeon who will do it for him,” Cox said.

One patient had been unable to purchase insurance because his diabetes was so bad, but now he has a place to get care, Cox said.

Dr. Terry Simmons, the clinic’s dental director, said one of the clinic’s first dental patients needs major dental work that had been recommended a year ago by local dentist Lindsay Pope, and Pope remembered that the patient never returned to get the necessary care, Simmons noted.

“She is a working parent with three children, but there was just no way they could afford it,” Simmons said.

Now, thanks to the CARE Clinic and the efforts of those like Pope and fellow dentists such as Bobby Vassey, those patients can get such basic dental care.

Many of the clinic’s first wave of patients are also Hispanic, and the clinic has volunteer translators on hand for those not fluent in English.

Dr. Ivy Smith, a Tyrone family practitioner who’s the clinic’s medical director, noted that the clinic’s medical staff is all-volunteer.

“We’ve had a really good response,” from patients, Smith said at the end of a three-hour shift, facing more paperwork to do at home after spending a full day at her private practice. “People are very appreciative of it. And they’re very patient. ... We’re kind of learning as we go.”

Smith noted that volunteer translators have removed the language barrier for the clinic’s patients, many of whom are Hispanic.

“I think if we are going to continue to serve more people, having more volunteers can really help,” Smith said. “We don’t want to overwork the current volunteers we have.”

Ordinary lay people are needed to help staff the office operations, said Clinic Administrator Sheryl Watford. More volunteers also are needed for the medical staff such as doctors, physicians assistants and nurses, she added.

Monday evening, the clinic’s waiting room was full. Located off Sumner Road and Ga. Highway 54 near Peachtree City, across the street from Coweta-Fayette EMC, the clinic looks just like a regular doctor’s office on the inside. But no one has to pay for treatment, so long as they qualify for income guidelines and provide written proof they live in Fayette County.

To qualify for treatment at the CARE Clinic, a person can earn no more than 200 percent of the federal poverty guideline. For one person, that limit is $19,600. For two the limit is $26,400 and for three persons in the same family the limit is $33,200.

A family of four can make no more than $40,000; for a family of five, the limit is $46,800.

Patients are also screened by state Medicare staffers to see if they qualify for Medicare or another program, called Georgia Partnership for Caring that provides free prescription medication for six months at a time. Patients who qualify for Medicare can be seen by other physicians who participate in the program; patients are also notified if they qualify for food stamps or other assistance.

By the time all was done Monday evening, the clinic had helped 15 medical patients and 10 dental patients.

The CARE Clinic has a modest supply of prescription samples on its shelf, all provided by drug companies, Cox said. For other necessary prescriptions, Jones Pharmacy in Fayetteville has agreed to provide clinic patients the medication, charging only the cost to the clinic, with no retail markup, Cox said.

Cox, who has helped see the initiative through for nearly three and a half years, said it was exhausting — and rewarding — to get to this point.

“It’s just been wonderful,” Cox said. “People have come out of the woodwork because they want to help.”

Dr. Betsy Horton, who served as the clinic’s first medical director, will also be on hand from time to time to help out, Cox said.

The clinic will need more funds to help pay utility bills and buy supplies that aren’t donated, she added.

The Fayetteville Daybreak Rotary Club has committed to supplying dinner for volunteers once a month, leaving three other weeks a month that food is needed, Watford said. Though the clinic opens for patients at 6 p.m., staff comes in around 5:15 from their day jobs with precious little time to get ready for clinic patients, Watford added.

Cox said the clinic building couldn’t have been possible without the volunteer work of construction crews and donations from local electricians, plumbers and carpenters. Also, Piedmont Fayette Hospital is doing lab work for the clinic, including blood work-ups and X-rays.

“They’ve been supportive since day one,” Cox said of the hospital.

The CARE moniker stands for “Compassion and Respect for Everyone,” which has been one of the tenets of the volunteer operation: making sure patients get quality care even if they can’t afford it.

The clinic has made other local services aware of its availability to see patients who are needy, such as the health department, Fayette Samaritans and Fayette Senior Services, Cox said.

To make an appointment or to volunteer, call 770-487-4778. Volunteers will soon be trained in daytime sessions, Watford said.