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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL g % - ' v:?> Contributf*<l George Gamblin meets with Betty Mifflin of Community Health Works. Houston volunteer medical clinic plays vital role in heart transplant Special to the Journal For George Gamblin, the Houston County Volunteer Medical Clinic was a life saver. Diagnosed with con gestive heart failure at age five, Gamblin has been tak ing medications to maintain his heart for the past 17 years. He even had a defi brillator surgically implant ed to shock his heart into a normal rhythm when it began to beat too fast, which had become more and more frequent over the last year. Twenty-two years old, unin sured and living with his mother, Gamblin’s medi cations were costing him $1,200 to $1,500 out of pock et each month, the majority of which he could not afford. He needed help. “If the Volunteer Clinic had not been here, I don’t know how we would have paid for George’s medications,” says his mother, Angela Lefholz. “I’m an educated person, but I had no idea what pro grams were available that could help. Then someone told me about the Volunteer Clinic.” Hundreds of working Houston County residents face this problem every day. They are in need of primary medical care and medica tions for chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and other ailments. But the lack of health insur ance makes it difficult for these individuals to see a primary care physician or obtain the necessary pre scription medications. Founded in January 2005 with funding from the Houston Medical Center Auxiliary, Community Health Works, and many indi viduals and businesses, the Houston County Volunteer Medical Clinic is a non-profit facility whose primary pur pose is to provide free pri mary, non-emergency, medi cal care on an appointment only basis to working, unin sured citizens of Houston County. Reduced or free prescription medications are also available through the Community Health Works Patient Assistance Program. “The Volunteer Clinic is for the working uninsured adults who don’t have the financial means to pur chase health insurance, but their incomes are over the limit to qualify for Medicaid assistance,” explains Vicky Betrosoff, RN, Direct or of the Houston County Volunteer Medical Clinic. “Our clinic is a primary care, family practice facility that treats chronic disease such as dia betes, hypertension, cardio vascular disease, high cho lesterol problems, and mild to medium depression.” The doctors, nurses, technicians and administrative person nel all volunteer their time to provide services two eve nings per week, continues Betrosoff. According to Gamblin, his visit to the Volunteer Medical Clinic for help with SiMe today! Cal 987-1823 Who qualifies? The Houston County Volunteer Medical Clinic is located at 125 Russell Parkway in Warner Robins. The office is open for pick and return of applications Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Pre-qualified patients are seen by appointment only during clinic hours on Mondays and Thursdays from 5-8 p.m. 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 County. ■ 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. ■ 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.) his medications was just the beginning. Dr. Kathy Keebaugh, one of the driv ing forces behind the clinic’s establishment and one of the volunteer physicians for the clinic, agreed to become his primary care physician, referring him to Dr. Rahil Kazi, cardiologist on the medical staff of Houston Medical Center. Despite their efforts to maintain his heart’s health, Gamblin suf fered an almost fatal setback in February 2006. While driving to deliver pizza, Gamblin says his heart went into arrhythmia making his defibrillator shock him more than 15 times in a two-hour period. His mother believes it is a miracle he is alive today. “The emergency room doctor at Houston Medical Center saved his life,” she says. “Someone higher up had a purpose for Georgie.” After that near fatal epi sode, Gamblin was referred to Emory Healthcare’s Heart Failure Therapy Center in Atlanta where he was placed on the heart transplant waiting list. Miraculously, he waited for only seven weeks before receiving a new heart on September 6, and was at home recuperating one week later. He is doing fine now and credits the Houston County Volunteer Medical Clinic for saving his life. “The Volunteer Clinic played a huge role in the whole pro cess,” he says. “It’s where everything started. Without them, I don’t know where I would be today.” Betrosoff believes out comes like Gamblin’s reinforce the need for the Volunteer Clinic and make the efforts of the volunteers worthwhile. “For individuals suffer ing with chronic illnesses or conditions, the lack of health insurance can affect the quality of their life as well as its length,” she explains. “That is so true for George. If he had not come to the Clinic when he did, he would not have had access to the quality and level of care he needed to live.” George’s mother agrees. “This Volunteer Clinic is a Godsend. It saved Georgie.” h ■ - SifjSf i "• " I w | § ■ ■lllllllllllllllll^^ Urological experience you can trust. - When you or a family member need urological services, you should know that clinical expertise and technology is available close to home. From prostate surgery, reno-vascular hypertension, urinary tract infections and obstructions to treatments for urinary incontinence, genitourinary oncology and lithotripsy for kidney stone removal, the Board certified Urologists at Houston Healthcare can meet your family's needs. And best of all, our services are all right here, close to home. Houston Healthcare Htmjion Medical Center * hrrj Hospital www.hhc.org General Surgery Daniel A. Deighton, MD 109 Osigian Boulevard, Suite 300 Warner Robins 478-953-5074 HEALTH Should I go to the ER? Special to the Journal The Winter months seem to bring more illness than other times of the year. When people experi ence the flu or other flu like symptoms such as colds and coughs, one of the most frequent questions asked is, “Should I go to the Emergency Room?” “Patients with colds, flu and flu-like symptoms along with other medical prob lems such as eye infections, insect and animal bites, rashes, back pain, minor cuts and abrasions, minor burns, minor abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting should consider, if possible, visiting their family doctor or one of our local Med-Stop urgent care centers for treat ment,” said Laurie Darsey, RN, Clinical Coordinator at Houston Medical Center’s Emergency Department. “By doing so, they are most likely going to receive care in a more timely manner than in the Emergency Department. Emergency Departments are really for true emergencies—those critical injuries and illnesses that need immediate atten tion by a highly specialized staff of medical profession als. When we are treating these critical patients, other patients may have to wait and that wait time can be several hours, especially on weekends and holidays dur ing this busy time of year when the flu season is upon us.” According to staff at Houston Medical Center and Perry Hospital, rea sons to visit the Emergency Department include the fol- UROLOGY lowing: ■ Chest Pain ■ Severe Abdominal Pain ■ Severe Cuts ■ Serious Injuries ■ Major Burns ■ Head Trauma ■ Pregnancy Complications ■ Fever in children three months and younger ■ Severe Allergic Reactions ■ Open Fractures ■ Severe Nosebleeds ■ Respiratory Distress ■ Sexual Assault. Emergency Departments are designed to treat patients in the order of the severity of their illness or injury, not in the order they arrive. Persons experiencing a critical or life-threatening illness or injury, such as chest pain, respiratory dis tress or head trauma, are treated immediately upon arrival. Those with less serious ailments, such as cold and flu symptoms or sprains and strains, are treated as soon as they can be seen. Darsey and her staff, along with the Emergency Department staff at Perry Hospital, try to educate patients not only about when to use the Emergency Department versus the doc tor’s office and Med-Stop, but also about why patients often experience a wait time while in the Emergency Department. “Once a patient is in our Emergency Department, the physician will often order specific tests, such as x-rays or lab work, to diagnose the illness. These Orthopedics Melvin L.C. Fussell, MD 1011 North Houston Road Warner Robins 478-923-4040 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2006 ♦ tests add time, sometimes up to several hours, to the overall visit,” explained Karen Talton, RN, Nurse Manager of Perry Hospital’s Emergency Department. “Certain treatments such as suturing cuts, checking eye injuries or inserting special IV lines require additional time as well as attention from the physician and Emergency Department staff. When that happens, other patients with less serious symptoms have to wait.” Houston Healthcare oper ates two urgent care centers - Houston Lake Med-Stop (located on Highway 127 at Moody Road) and the Pavilion Med-Stop (located at Houston Mall - both staffed by a physician, reg istered nurse and certified medical assistants. Basic lab and x-ray services are avail able on-site. The Houston Lake Med-Stop is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. until 6:30 p.m., and the Pavilion Med-Stop is open seven days per week from 8 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. “Our Emergency Departments at Houston Medical Center and Perry Hospital are always open and available to treat patients 24 hours a day, seven days per week, 365 days per year,” Darsey said. “Our goal is to provide qual ity patient care in the short est time possible. We ask that patients understand that we must see patients in the order of how critical they are, and that we strive to keep every patient’s wait time as minimal as possi ble.” ENT John J. Vecchio, MD 114 Hospital Drive Warner Robins 478-929*1856 5A