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* he Houston County Volunteer Medical Clinic ... Offers Hope and Health imagine you are a hard working Houston C ounty resident and a single mother with two children and a young granddaughter, and votive found a lump on your throat. Imagine not having any medical insurance to pay for a diagnosis and treatment. That's exactly what Angela Davis of W arner Robins faced last year. Although she has a Tull-time job. she does not hav e any medical insurance through her employer, l uckily for Davis, the Houston ( nuntv \ olunteer Medical ( linic w as available w hen she discovered the lump on her throat last year "The doctors at the Volunteer v link hoped the lump was just a regular thyroid glandular problem." she explains. "Unfortunately, it turned out to be thy roid cancer. I would not have gone to see a doctor had the Clinic not been here." Hundreds of working Houston County residents face this problem even day. They are in need of primary medical care for chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and other ailments But the lack of health insurance makes it difficult for these individuals to see a primary care phvsician or obtain the necessary prescription medications. Founded in January' 2005 w ith funding from the Houston Medical Center Auxiliary. Community Health Works. and many individuals and businesses, the Houston County Volunteer Medical Clinic is a non-profit facility whose primary purpose is to prov ide tree primary. non emergency. medical care on an ■■■l jjjf, appointment-onlv basis to working, uninsured citizens of Houston County. Reduced or tree prescription medications are also av ailable through the Community Health Works Patient Assistance Program. "Hie Volunteer Clinic is for the working uninsured adults who don't have the financial means to purchase health insurance, but their incomes are over the limit to quality tor Medicaid assistance." explains \ ickv Betrosoff. KV Director ol the Houston County A olunteer Medical Clinic "Our clinic is a primary care, family practice tacilitv that treats chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol problems, and mild to medium depression." According to Davis, it is important to have a facility such as the Volunteer Clinic av ailable because il offers people like her hope and a chance to receive medical attention. "Without the Clinic. I would have toughed it out or gone to the I mergence Room and somehow paid the medical bill." she says. "1 have used the T.mergence Room before when I've been sick They treated me and sent me home with instructions to follow up with my family doctor. I lav mg no health insurance. I don t have a family doctor to follow up w ith." As soon as the lump on her throat w as diagnosed as cancer, Davis w as referred to l)r. Horatio A . Cabasares. a general surgeon and member of the medical staff of Perry Hospital, to undergo surgery to remove the lump. “After the lump was remov ed. I underwent two radioactive iodine treatments. The doctors believe till of the cancer is gone, and my prognosis looks good. Dav is adds According to l)r. Cabasares. had the Volunteer Clinic not been av ailable. Dav is' outcome would have been v ery different. "For all practical purposes, she would probably not have received any treatment until her condition became very serious, he says. In the past, cancer patients such as I )av is were referred to the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta where students in the medical teaching program would take care of them, adds Dr. Cabasares. Unfortunately , the Medical College no longer otters that assistance tor indigent patients. Dr. Cabasares believes the Volunteer Clinic is v ery important to the uninsured living in Houston Countv. "If we don’t take care ot those w ho are w ithout any health insurance, the standard of healthcare in our area will suffer, he states. "Statistics show that Emergency Rooms and Urgent Care facilities in places that do not have volunteer clinics are being overloaded by people who hav e no health insurance or w ho are considered indigent because there is no other av enue for them to seek medical help. If that continues it would place a severe strain on our Emergency Rooms and low er the standard of healthcare in the United States." • J| j£T: luiiKsr ff/ie Houston Comitv Volunteer Medical Clinic is located at 125 Russell Parkway in Hamer Robins. The office is open for pick up and return of applications Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until I p.m. Pre-qualified patients arc seen by appointment only during clinic hours on Mondays and Thursdays from 5 p.m. until 8 pan. For more information or to make a donation, please call (478) 923-9730. To qualify for medical services through the Houston County Volunteer Medical Clinic: ■ You must live in Houston Count)’. ■ You must be 18 to 64 years of age. ■ You or your spouse must be employed. ■ You must have no health insurance. ■ Your family s gross income must be 200 percent or less of the poverty level. According to Betrosoff. it is outcomes like Dav is' that reinforce the need for the Volunteer Clinic and make the efforts ot the volunteers worthwhile. "For these individuals suffering with chronic illnesses, the lack of health insurance can affect the quality of their life as well as its length." she explains. "Our job is to get a person's condition or disease stabilized and keep it stabilized. Volunteers liv e to get results like Angela's. It means everything to them." Dav is' daughter is also grateful the Volunteer Clinic was available for her mother. "I'm very glad someone opened the doors to the Clinic to our family." says Christine Varnadoe. "My brother and I couldn't make it without our mother, and we are so very thankful that someone was here to help her." For Dav is. the Volunteer Clinic was a lifesaver. "My children are v ery important to me." she savs. "Being a single mom. I think about not being here to see them grow and accomplish things in life. I have a two-year-old granddaughter who I want to see graduate and get married. If I had not come to the Volunteer Clinic. I wouldn't hav e been able to do that. I thank God everyday that it is here." ■ You must provide proof of your family income. ■ You must provide identification. ■ You must provide your Social Security Number. (There are exceptions to this policy.)