Ribbon-cutting for free clinic

A free clinic opened quietly in Alford this summer, and soon, a ribbon cutting ceremony will be held to officially mark its existence.
The clinic is located at 1770 Carolina St.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 9:30 on Nov. 21. The event should last about half an hour. After the crowd of well-wishers moves on, the clinic will open for its usual third Saturday hours.
Clinic director Tom Heddle, who is also an RN, said the clinic sees eight to 10 people every time the doors open.
The ceremony was delayed, he said, in order to give the clinic a chance to get on its feet and be working smoothly by the time it’s availability was publicly announced.
It is open only twice a month, the first and third Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
An outreach of Alford Baptist Church, the clinic is open to anyone within a certain income level who is not covered by insurance, Medicare or Medicaid.
“People come from Georgia, Alabama and other parts of Florida,” Heddle said. “It’s open to everyone who falls within the federal definition of the poverty level. We take people at their word on their incomes. They just fill out paperwork on what they make, where they live and how many live in the household.”
Three practicing physicians give their time and expertise to the clinic each month, along with two nurse practitioners.
Dr. Leo Welch serves as the medical director and attends to patients. He is joined at the clinic by Drs. Leisa Bailey and James Clemmons.
Nurse practitioners Inez Rose and Cynthia Corbin round out the volunteer medical staff.
The clinic partners, in a sense, with the state because it is under Florida’s immunity umbrella, and enjoys some assistance through the health department for those it serves.
It has access to some sample medicines, but no narcotics, and keeps no money on hand, Heddle said. The doctors can, however, write prescriptions to be filled at discount pharmacies. The clinic also tries to help patients obtain free medications through programs available to it.
Church members and others donate their time and money for the purchase of supplies. According to Heddle, several volunteers perform clerical duties and help in other ways each Saturday the clinic is open.
Heddle said the hours and days of operation may be expanded as the need increases.
He also said the clinic stands ready to help those who should qualify for Medicaid or Medicare, but for some reason doesn’t have it.
The clinic will try to help such persons qualified and into those programs, he said, leaving more of the resources of the clinic for those who have no such options.
“Most of the people who come to our clinic are between the ages of 20 and 50. It may be families with or without children, older people who aren’t quite old enough for Medicare yet, but the common denominator is that its people who either have to go to the emergency room or not at all,” he said. “We’re trying to fill that void.”
The clinic sits next to the church and was once the parsonage. But when the pastor moved into a home of his own, he asked Heddle to re-purpose his old living quarters. The church covers the clinic’s utilities and supports it in other ways as well.
For more information, call Heddle at 263-7106.