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Region 1 Coordinator Suzanne Flinn recalls the five years that
William Lee, MD (center, left), a Georgia volunteer doctor in
Region 1, has participated in GVHCP along with Mary Corchnoy
(center, right), a retired RN. They are pictured here with a
local family of five who received free medical services. Dr.
Lee, Ms. Corchnov, RN, along with Claude Mathis, Missionary,
started the Morganton Medical/Dental Clinic and Mountaintown
Medical Clinic in Region 1.
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Carla Catalon-Scott gets excited when she talks about the Georgia Volunteer
Health Care Program (GVHCP) as the Region 2 Coordinator. Catalon-Scott
currently supports 28 partnering GVHCP clinics. She is not alone in her
enthusiasm. There are five GVHCP regional coordinators covering Georgia in
the North, Coastal, Atlanta, Central and Southwest regions helping to
recruit licensed medical, dental and vision providers to volunteer in
Georgia.
GVHCP has enabled almost 1,700 Georgia providers to volunteer 113,000
service hours and clinical resources, totaling 125,000 patient visits for
the uninsured in Georgia. Collectively, the volunteer medical, dental and
vision care is worth $15.6 million.
GVHCP's goal is to increase access to quality health care for indigent and
low-income residents through volunteerism from the healthcare provider
community. There is no cost to the individual providers (physicians,
physician's assistants, nurses, dentists, etc.), nor to partnering clinics.
GVHCP was a concept of State Representative Mickey Channell and other state
legislators. GVHCP was based on Florida's program and how the state served
their uninsured by providing free health care to eligible patients. GVHCP is
now a free service provided through the Georgia Department of Public Health
(DPH) in locations statewide where there are partnering clinics and licensed
health care professionals who provide donated care to eligible patients.
GVHCP began in 2005 when the Georgia Assembly passed the Health Share
Volunteers in Medicine Act. Launched in August 2006, the GVHCP
collaboration has grown from three partnering clinics to over 75 partnering
clinics.
The stories of GVHCP's success are numerous.
A mother told Catalon-Scott after she received medical services from a
partnering clinic, "now that my headache is gone and I have my blood
pressure medication, I can be a better mom,"
"At the end of the day, it feels good knowing that my job helps recruit
physicians, and dentists, and other providers, who provide free quality
health care for uninsured and underinsured families," said Catalon-Scott.
Robyn Freeh, Region 3 Coordinator, shares the same passion to help needy
Georgians access health services. Freeh has worked with GVHCP since its
inception in 2006 and helped to coordinate the first clinic, FaithCare
Clinic, in Evans, Georgia. "The highlight of my career is working with
people who are driven to volunteer for GVHCP. To experience this dedication
by volunteers is pure joy," said Freeh.
Region 3, which covers Macon to Augusta and Athens to Sylvania, has been
fortunate to see existing clinics come under the GVHCP and help new ones
develop. The clinics vary in operation from daily, weekly and monthly with
some sponsored by churches, universities and free standing non-profit
agencies.
Recently, Region 3 held a vision clinic at a hotel for some of the
housekeeping staff, all of whom were uninsured. Freeh told
PHWEEK that when
the housekeepers were examined and received their eyewear, they responded
with overwhelming gratitude. They told Freeh and the vision healthcare
volunteers that they could perform their jobs better with the improved
vision.
Like the others, Region 5 Coordinator Patricia Adamcak has also worked for
GVHCP since its inception. "GVHCP is very well-received. Some communities
wanted to start a free clinic but were discouraged by the liability aspect
for providers. GVHCP brought a missing piece to the puzzle."
Adamcak recalls one particular GVHCP diabetic patient. "All of her siblings
had diabetes and several had died of complications," said Adamcak. "She just
assumed she, too, would die from diabetes because she couldn't afford
treatment. She was in her 40s." GVHCP is literally giving Georgians hope to
live longer and to live better.
The GVHCP's requirements are:
- Patients must not be charged for treatment in partnering free
clinics. However, patients may pay for laboratory services and
prescription drugs.
- Patients must be uninsured and at or below 200 percent of the
Federal Poverty Level.
- They must be screened by an approved DPH volunteer and seen by a
contracted provider.
"The GVHCP serves eligible Georgia residents who are too old for PeachCare
for Kids, too young for Medicare or make too much money for Medicaid, but
are in need of basic medical, dental and vision services," said Catalon-Scott.
Some of the free partnering clinics even offer limited specialty care. The
donated clinical services help the working poor, as well as Georgia's
indigent residents. According to the U.S. Census, Georgia currently has 1.9
million uninsured residents. The program provides care to those who would
not normally receive care.
Georgia's volunteer medical, dental and vision professionals are true
champions in Georgia and DPH recognizes the impact they have on the poor and
uninsured in Georgia. Take the volunteer pledge and join the hundreds of
licensed professionals who make a true difference everyday in Georgia. For
more information on GVHCP, call Khaliah Smith at 404-656-9887.
- Story by Connie F. Smith, DPH Communications
