|
Subscribe!
770-267-8371
|
|
Thursday
September 2, 2010
|
|
|
|
Marketplace
|
|
Sections
|
|
Service Center
|
|
 |
|
Help for the uninsured
Published November 1, 2009
LOGANVILLE — Doors have been opening up over the past four months and starting next week, Walton County’s second free health care clinic for those without insurance will begin serving patients.
“We are going to take it slow for now and do things on a smaller scale to work the kinks out first,” said Janet Whaley, who with her husband Dexter and Tamra Nasworthy have been the driving force behind the formation of the Cornerstone Community Health Care Center. “This is going to be a work in progress.”
Tuesday will be the first trial run of the clinic, which will be a mobile clinic, getting out into the community at various sites. The vision is to eventually serve Walton, Newton and Jasper counties and then evolve into a federally-funded health care clinic similar to Tender Care in Greensboro. While the ultimate goal is not a free clinic, it will be federally subsidized and provide more affordable health care to lower income residents throughout the area.
It was Scott Burnette at the Dream Center in Loganville that put the Whaleys and Nasworthy together, noticing a shared vision of wanting to do more to help the uninsured in the county and because they have seen the need of free and affordable health care in the area. Nasworthy volunteers at Healing Angels in Monroe, which is open one day a week to see those without insurance, and Whaley is a family nurse practitioner who works at Eastside Emory Hospital in Snellville.
It has been a “whirlwind” since they all met in July. By August, they had a vision of what they wanted to do. When September rolled around, they were incorporated with the state and filed for non profit status. Last month, Cornerstone had all its paperwork approved by the state and was ready to start work.
“Word of mouth has really helped us,” Nasworthy said. “We have been talking with physicians, nurses and have eight medical practitioners who will be volunteering, six nurses and 30 administrative volunteers.”
The experience this week will be at Faith In Serving Humanity, where officials there have made arrangements for them to provide health care to 15 patients on their first day. They will be somewhat limited as to what they can perform, but initially plans are to things common during a regular office visit — check blood pressure, diabetes, blood sugar and see those with colds or fevers.
“We feel it is important to be in the community and go where the need is,” Nasworthy said. “From an accessibility standpoint, a mobile health clinic makes it easier to do this. But it is also cheaper financially, limiting overhead and allowing us to be more cost efficient.
“The people we are treating are already overwhelmed and stressed. If we can meet them at some place like F.I.S.H., where they are already getting help, it might help alleviate some of that stress.”
Funding for Cornerstone has been mostly out of pocket, showing the resolve and belief in what they are doing. They hope to have a few runs before seeking community support and have already applied for grants.
While the addition of another free clinic — even if limited — is a step in the right direction, this would equate to less than one physician to see all of the uninsured in the county.
“We have been fortunate,” Whaley said. “Every door we need to be opened has swung open. This has moved faster than we anticipated. Hopefully we can grow quickly, but at the same time we want to keep this manageable. We may not be able to bridge every gap, but we can help point people toward the right resources. And we couldn’t be where we are right now without the help of the Dream Center, which has been a blessing.”
For more information, call 678-939-4900 or e-mail cornerstone communityhealtcare @gmail.com.
Share |
Save |
Mail |
Print
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
