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Free medical-dental clinic planned here

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

A movement is underway to launch a free medical and dental clinic in Fayette County for the working poor and uninsured residents, and the group behind it is seeking community support.

The Fayette CARE (Compassion And Respect for Everyone) Clinic would operate one night a week from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. with appointments and walk-ins accepted. Organizers say there is a need for such services, as workers without insurance often put off necessary medical care because they can’t afford to see a doctor or miss work.

The clinic will be operated as a non-profit organization and is pursuing a location in Peachtree City at a vacant medical building that is currently part of the campus for Holy Trinity Catholic Church, said clinic administrator Jennifer Pate.

Dr. Betsy Horton, a local physician, will serve as the clinic’s medical director, a position she holds in a similar free clinic offered in Clayton County. She estimated there are at least 2,000 Fayette residents, many of whom are immigrants, who will qualify under financial guidelines for care at the clinic.

Too often, persons without medical insurance don’t seek medical treatment until their condition becomes serious, seeking treatment in the emergency room, Horton said. The idea is to offer preventative medical care to intervene before patients need to go to the ER, she added.

“The goal is to have it just like a regular doctor’s office,” Horton said.

The crisis facing uninsured patients is expected to increase in the future, as cuts in state programs are affecting adults previously on Medicaid and also children who received medical treatment underwritten by the state, Horton said.

The clinic will have a pharmacy that won’t have designer-class drugs but important ones needed to help ill patients, Horton noted.

“Our mission is to promote health and well-being by reducing the barriers to healthcare for the working poor and uninsured population of Fayette County through compassionate medical and dental care, education and acting as a gateway to other community resources,” Horton said.

The clinic needs individuals to help start up the clinic and volunteer board members. Funding is also considered a need in addition to donated products, medical and office supplies and services. To help out, call Pate at 678-358-2566.

Horton said lay volunteers are needed to serve as receptionists, custodians and maintenance workers. A group of 10 nurses at Piedmont Fayette Hospital has already offered to volunteer at the clinic, Dr. Horton added.

A public meeting will be held in the future to garner more support for the effort, Pate said.

The board of directors for Fayette CARE Clinic will provide management, financial expertise and will oversee the allocation of funds.

Ultimately, Horton said she’d like to see the clinic expand to a full five days a week, but the group is starting small. Much support has already been received from Piedmont Fayette Hospital, Dr. Horton noted.

“I don’t think the need for this clinic will diminish as the years go by,” Horton said.

The clinic will ideally decrease utilization of the ER by decreasing medical crises through typical medical intervention, Horton said.

“It’s just the right thing to do,” Horton said.