Fayette CARE Clinic, which provides free medical and dental care to uninsured local residents, has seen a surge in demand for its services with the weakening economy.

Each day the clinic is open, about six potential new patients come by. That used to be a whole week’s worth of new patients when the clinic first opened three years ago, said clinic director Sheryl Watford.

The waiting list for medical treatment is approximately two months, while the list for a dental appointment has stretched out beyond 300 patients, Watford said. Among the newer clients are those who have lost their middle management jobs, she noted.

The clinic only treats uninsured patients and do so completely for free, thanks to donations from local residents and community groups.

It costs upwards of $10,000 a month to keep the operation going, between rent, utilities and office expenses. While money is always needed and will help the clinic, the real need as of now is in the area of professional expertise. To open the clinic for more hours each week, more volunteers are needed from physicians and physician assistants to nurse practitioners, dentists and dental assistants.

Organizers are hoping to attract more medical professionals to volunteer for as little as three to four hours a month. That would allow them to expand their hours further and serve even more patients.

The good news is that such volunteering will not only help serve uninsured residents of Fayette County, but also can help the medical professionals gain credit for their required continuing education hours at the same time, Watford said. Dental professionals may soon be able to do the same, she added.

The clinic is hopeful that area churches and groups will find a way to put its efforts on routine giving lists to help fund the recurring costs of providing free medical services. Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church in Peachtree City undertakes a giving drive among its parishioners every year to help provide staples for the office such as ink and paper, Watford noted.

The clinic principally benefits from partnerships with:

• Piedmont Fayette Hospital, which runs all patients’ lab work for free;

• OutPatient Imaging in Peachtree City, which runs all patients’ diagnostics for free, such as x-rays, CT and MRI scans, ultrasounds and mammograms; and

• Clothes Less Traveled, a Peachtree City thrift store that dedicates annual funding towards the clinic’s rent payments.

Those willing to help don’t need to undertake massive programs to help the CARE Clinic, Watford said, as any help is well-received.

Also, local dentists who work at the clinic have taken clinic patients in at their practices, treating them for free in cases where specialized equipment is required, Watford noted.

The top four maladies among patients are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and mild depression, officials said. Depression is popping up a bit more often as clients relate their emotions about seeking help, Watford said.

“Some of them say, I’ve never had to ask for anything all my life,” she said.

In some cases, patients with depression can be treated with relatively mild prescriptions, Watford said. In other cases, patients are referred to Fayette Counseling Services.

The clinic treats a diverse mix of clients. Although 48 percent of its clientele is white, another 26 percent is African American and 23 percent is Hispanic, while 3 percent is Asian.

Typically the clinic doesn’t treat children who are generally covered by PeachCare, the state program for uninsured children, Watford said. Although the clinic is used more often by females than men, the number of males is increasing as more layoffs hit Fayette residents, she added.

To qualify, patients must provide income documentation as well as proof of residency in Fayette County. Patients must be completely uninsured with no medical, dental or vision coverage.

The clinic recently began a partnership with local optometrist Nancy Barr and Georgia Lions Lighthouse to provide vision exams at the clinic, with eyeglasses or contacts being mailed to patients at a later date.

Other medical specialties now offered by the clinic include physical therapy and dermatology. The clinic also has an education program, with one of its most significant classes being for diabetes care.

The clinic is also benefitting from relationships with Griffin Technical College and other educational institutions like the Central Education Center in Newnan that are providing interns to help at the clinic.

The clinic is located on Sumner Road just off Ga. Highway 54 just east of Peachtree City.

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