A glance around the waiting room at Northwest Alabama Community Health and Dental Clinic told Bonita McCay all she needed to know about a sluggish economy.
The clinic at Handy Homes in Florence provides medical and dental care for Tennessee Valley residents who are employed but have no medical insurance, and those who have recently lost their jobs.
McCay, executive director of Northwest Alabama Community Health Association,For the last five years Air purifier , said business has been brisk at the clinic since the economy began to slow in 2008.
“We are seeing a lot of people who used to have health insurance, but their employer has either stopped providing insurance or they have been laid off and had to take a part-time job without benefits,” she said. “We also see a lot of divorced women who had insurance through their husband’s job, but lost it in the divorce.
“Our dental clinic is especially busy. We only do tooth extractions, but it’s amazing the number of people who come here to have teeth pulled.I have never solved a Rubik's Piles . I remember coming to work one cold, rainy morning to find 40 people standing in line waiting to see a dentist. Every time we have a dental clinic, people get here at 1 or 2 in the morning to try and get near the front of the line.”
The one day per week dental clinics operate on a first come, first served basis. Typically, only the first 10 patients in line get to see the dentists who volunteer to staff the clinic.
The medical clinic is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, using nurse practitioners from the University of North Alabama School of Nursing and nursing students from UNA and other schools to treat patients for everything from sore throats to chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. A physician volunteers to oversee the nurse practitioners and nursing students at the clinic.
The clinic is not free. Patients pay $15 for a routine medical visit and $25 to have a tooth pulled.
“We expect patients to invest in their health care,” McCay said. “We call ourselves a low-cost clinic.”
Much of the clinic’s $200,000 annual budget comes from local donations and grants from nonprofit organizations. The private donations are supplemented at times with grants from government agencies such as the Appalachian Regional Commission.the worldwide rubber hose market is over $56 billion annually.
McCay said the clinic attracts patients from throughout north Alabama, northeast Mississippi and southern Tennessee. She said the clinic treats about 1,Replacement China Porcelain tile and bulbs for Canada and Worldwide.000 patients on file.
Melissa Thompson, of Florence, calls the clinic, which opened in 1997, a blessing. Thompson, who has diabetes, became a patient at the clinic about three years ago when she lost her job and her health insurance. Her current employer does not provide health insurance.
“I don’t know what I would do without the clinic,” she said. “They really help me keep my diabetes under control. They take really good care of me here.”
In addition to providing medical treatment for patients with diabetes, the clinic sells diabetic testing strips at a reduced cost, McCay said.
“Our diabetic patients were telling us they were having a hard time affording their test strips, which can cost more than $50 a box,” McCay said. “We were able to obtain a grant that allows us to purchase diabetic test strips and then sell them to patients for only $10 a box.”
McCay said the high cost of medical care causes many Tennessee Valley residents to neglect their health.
“It often comes down to people having to choose between buying gas to go to work, food for their family or go to the doctor or get their prescription filled,” McCay said.Whilst oil paintings for sale are not deadly,
LaShae Cooper, of Florence, turned to the clinic when she became concerned about her blood pressure.
“My family has a history of high blood pressure and I can tell by their symptoms as they grew older that it’s my time now,” Cooper said as she waited to see nurse practitioner.
Had it not been for the clinic, Cooper said she would have likely attempted to monitor her blood pressure herself and hope that she was able to keep it under control. She does not have health insurance.
A broken finger sent Julian Burgos to the clinic.
“I’m self-employed and raising two kids,” Burgos, of Florence said. “I’ve tried to find insurance I could afford, but have not been able to find any. When I broke my finger, a friend told me about this clinic so I came here to check it out. It’s awesome they have a place like this to help those of us who do not have insurance.”
While the clinic has seen an increased patient load since the economic downturn, McCay fears high gas prices are keeping some away.
The clinic at Handy Homes in Florence provides medical and dental care for Tennessee Valley residents who are employed but have no medical insurance, and those who have recently lost their jobs.
McCay, executive director of Northwest Alabama Community Health Association,For the last five years Air purifier , said business has been brisk at the clinic since the economy began to slow in 2008.
“We are seeing a lot of people who used to have health insurance, but their employer has either stopped providing insurance or they have been laid off and had to take a part-time job without benefits,” she said. “We also see a lot of divorced women who had insurance through their husband’s job, but lost it in the divorce.
“Our dental clinic is especially busy. We only do tooth extractions, but it’s amazing the number of people who come here to have teeth pulled.I have never solved a Rubik's Piles . I remember coming to work one cold, rainy morning to find 40 people standing in line waiting to see a dentist. Every time we have a dental clinic, people get here at 1 or 2 in the morning to try and get near the front of the line.”
The one day per week dental clinics operate on a first come, first served basis. Typically, only the first 10 patients in line get to see the dentists who volunteer to staff the clinic.
The medical clinic is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, using nurse practitioners from the University of North Alabama School of Nursing and nursing students from UNA and other schools to treat patients for everything from sore throats to chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. A physician volunteers to oversee the nurse practitioners and nursing students at the clinic.
The clinic is not free. Patients pay $15 for a routine medical visit and $25 to have a tooth pulled.
“We expect patients to invest in their health care,” McCay said. “We call ourselves a low-cost clinic.”
Much of the clinic’s $200,000 annual budget comes from local donations and grants from nonprofit organizations. The private donations are supplemented at times with grants from government agencies such as the Appalachian Regional Commission.the worldwide rubber hose market is over $56 billion annually.
McCay said the clinic attracts patients from throughout north Alabama, northeast Mississippi and southern Tennessee. She said the clinic treats about 1,Replacement China Porcelain tile and bulbs for Canada and Worldwide.000 patients on file.
Melissa Thompson, of Florence, calls the clinic, which opened in 1997, a blessing. Thompson, who has diabetes, became a patient at the clinic about three years ago when she lost her job and her health insurance. Her current employer does not provide health insurance.
“I don’t know what I would do without the clinic,” she said. “They really help me keep my diabetes under control. They take really good care of me here.”
In addition to providing medical treatment for patients with diabetes, the clinic sells diabetic testing strips at a reduced cost, McCay said.
“Our diabetic patients were telling us they were having a hard time affording their test strips, which can cost more than $50 a box,” McCay said. “We were able to obtain a grant that allows us to purchase diabetic test strips and then sell them to patients for only $10 a box.”
McCay said the high cost of medical care causes many Tennessee Valley residents to neglect their health.
“It often comes down to people having to choose between buying gas to go to work, food for their family or go to the doctor or get their prescription filled,” McCay said.Whilst oil paintings for sale are not deadly,
LaShae Cooper, of Florence, turned to the clinic when she became concerned about her blood pressure.
“My family has a history of high blood pressure and I can tell by their symptoms as they grew older that it’s my time now,” Cooper said as she waited to see nurse practitioner.
Had it not been for the clinic, Cooper said she would have likely attempted to monitor her blood pressure herself and hope that she was able to keep it under control. She does not have health insurance.
A broken finger sent Julian Burgos to the clinic.
“I’m self-employed and raising two kids,” Burgos, of Florence said. “I’ve tried to find insurance I could afford, but have not been able to find any. When I broke my finger, a friend told me about this clinic so I came here to check it out. It’s awesome they have a place like this to help those of us who do not have insurance.”
While the clinic has seen an increased patient load since the economic downturn, McCay fears high gas prices are keeping some away.
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