Pop-up medical clinic coming together
Dr. Meredith Fennell, a dentist with Chicora Dental Care, has seen people choose between paying to take care of their children or pay out of pocket for a dentist appointment because they don’t have insurance.
This weekend, those people won’t have to pay a cent to get their teeth checked, because hundreds of medical professionals and volunteers will set up at Butler Intermediate High School for the first Remote Area Medical pop-up clinic in the county
Fennell said she and several people from Chicora Dental Care were happy to sign on to provide free exams at the clinic after learning about it from its local coordinator, Lynn McKinnis.
“Things are more expensive than they have been in the past,” Fennell said. “It's just nice to give back to the community when you have the opportunity to do so, and this isn't something that happens often.”
McKinnis is leader of the community host group for Remote Area Medical and an employee of Concordia Lutheran Ministries, which has been helping to coordinate the pop-up clinic for more than a year.
Remote Area Medical is a nonprofit provider of pop-up clinics that travels around the nation to coordinate free medical care in underserved areas. McKinnis is helping to organize a clinic Saturday, Nov. 11, and Sunday, Nov. 12, at the school. It is meant to bring care to the more than 8,000 uninsured people living in Butler County.
Located at 551 Fairground Hill Road, the clinic will last two days only.
All RAM services are free, and no ID is required. Free dental, vision and medical services will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. The patient parking lot will open no later than 11:59 p.m. (midnight) on Friday night and remain open for the duration of the clinic.
“The clinic is open for 12 hours from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday,” McKinnis said. “Because it is first come, first served, if you have a car you have the opportunity to comes as early as midnight and wait in your car on either day.“
Once in the parking lot, additional information regarding clinic-opening processes and next steps will be provided. Those who are coming by bus or walking will be directed to a waiting area inside the school during clinic hours.
The Butler Area School District is donating the use of the school for the clinic, and Concordia is covering Butler Transit Authority bus fare for people who take a ride to the school, according to McKinnis.
“We wanted it to be an accessible area, as close to anyone that is walkable and with access to public transportation if possible,” said SaraBeth Swain, public relations specialist at Concordia Lutheran Ministries.
The clinic is getting support from the Jean B. Purvis Community Health Center, Independence Health System, VA Butler Healthcare and the Center for Community Resources.
“We really could still use any dentists or ophthalmologists who can help. If they can even give a few hours, then we can see that many more people,” McKinnis said.
In addition to 23 RAM staff members who will attend the clinic, McKinnis rallied numerous health care providers in the area who not only will evaluate patients but help them connect with follow-up care. The clinic will have doctors of many specialties, as well as eye doctors and dentists, to evaluate people of all ages and needs. The clinic will also make glasses on-site for people who need them.
The providers are all volunteering their time to help at the clinic, McKinnis said.
“We have a lot of Concordia physicians as our core group, and we have nurse practitioners from the Jean B. Purvis clinic,” McKinnis said. “(Patients) may have a wait, but the important thing is that people get the services they need.”
McKinnis said because this is the first time the clinic is coming to Butler County, she is not sure what to expect in terms of attendance. However, she urges people to not only attend the clinic, but get there early because it is operating on a first-come, first-served basis.
“We boosted the event on social media. People were sharing it, tagging other people, so that was reassuring. That was the only barometer I have,” she said. “Anyone who hasn't seen a doctor in a few years, this is the place to come.”
Attendance at the clinic could indicate to the RAM organization that Butler County needs more pop-up clinics in the future, McKinnis said, and she speculated the clinic could see success if it returned to the region every other year.
“We are removing all barriers to receiving health care,” McKinnis said. “You can have no insurance, you can have insurance, you can't afford your co-pays, that's one of the reasons there are no prequalifications.”
Fennell said she and other employees of Chicora Dental Care were eager to volunteer at the clinic. With the number of area residents in need of dental care increasing, Fennell also liked the idea of bringing Remote Area Medical to the region every other year.
“I do hope it becomes annual,” Fennell said. “It's nice to know people of this area were willing to give of their time.”
How to help
Dentists and eye doctors who want to volunteer at the Remote Area Medical clinic Nov. 11 and 12 at the can call Lynn McKinnis at 724-496-2504.
