Clinic expands hours of caring

New funding allows Good Samaritan to operate 5 days a week

Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008

By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer

Last week, for the first time, Doug Sharrow had an appointment at Burke County's free medical clinic.

The residual pain from a cancer-related surgery two years earlier had been getting worse, forcing Sharrow to the emergency room several times a year. And with the average hospital visit costing about $2,000, it didn't take long for Sharrow, who doesn't have health insurance, to build $34,000 in medical debt.

He had tried to get into the county's free Good Samaritan Clinic several times before, but the part-time facility only had enough funding to take in a few new patients a month, and Sharrow's name was never picked in the monthly drawing.

But on Monday, two weeks after the clinic expanded from fours hours a week to full time, Sharrow had an appointment. And for the first time in several years, it cost him nothing.

On Jan. 22, the Good Samaritan Clinic, a Christian-based, nonprofit organization, opened its doors full time to uninsured Burke County residents needing medical help and, in the past week, set up about 70 appointments with a new staff doctor and volunteer physicians, said office manager Katie Hayward.

Previously, she said, limited funding allowed the clinic, which receives private and public donations, to see only about three new patients a week, even though several dozen more had submitted applications. Now, doctors are seeing about three patients an hour.

"There are so many people that have such a large need and for many different reasons have fallen into situations where health care isn't available," Hayward said. "I've had two patients come in and tell me that before we went full time, they were just waiting to die."

But local and private grants, as well as several fundraisers, Hayward said, have allowed the adults-only clinic to secure enough funding to go from being open two nights a week to holding regular office hours Monday through Friday.

Dr. Tammy Boyd, the new full-time physician, has been volunteering at the clinic since she moved to Burke County in March 2005 and now works with a volunteer doctor, Dr. Robert Leo, during the week. Together, she said, they can see as many as 60 patients a day.

Patients qualify for long-term help at the clinic if they live in Burke County, meet certain income requirements and can show they do not have health insurance, veteran benefits, Medicaid or Medicare.

Exams, treatment and medications are free, and the clinic often refers patients to private medical specialists, such as cardiologists, in the community, said Boyd, a 2001 Eastern Carolina University medical school graduate who previously worked in a Morganton private practice.

When those services aren't free, she said, patients might have to qualify for charity assistance through the hospital or work out a payment plan.

About 90,000 people live in Burke County, and of those, more than 17,000 do not have any health insurance or other medical financial help, including Medicaid and Medicare, according to the county health department.

"It's a population that has been neglected and hasn't had the money to cover their health care," said Boyd.

"Many times they have chronic problems that have been ignored and now, they're getting the help they need."

Want to help?
The Good Samaritan Clinic needs volunteers to help with new patient screenings, as well as volunteer nurses and other medical professionals. If you want to donate something other than your time, the clinic is also asking for financial donations, copy and computer paper, legal-size envelopes, snacks for volunteers, paper plates and cups, plastic utensils and coffee filters.

For more information, contact office manager Katie Hayward. 305 W. Union St., Morganton 28655, 828-439-9948.

About the Good Samaritan Clinic
The clinic is open from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and holds evening hours from 5:30 until 7 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. All uninsured Burke County adults will be seen initially but are required to fill out an application, show identification and go through a screening with office staff beforehand, said office manager Katie Hayward.

After the first visit with a doctor, patients will be asked to verify their residency and income and provide proof that they are uninsured before they can become a permanent patient at the clinic.

For more information, call 828-439-9948.

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