Houston clinic fills uninsured gap

For those who fall in the gap between the Affordable Health Care Act, Medicare and Medicaid, there is an option in Warner Robins.

The Volunteer Medical Clinic of Houston County offers free doctor appointments for those individuals who happen to be the wrong age, only work part-time or make too much money to otherwise qualify for insurance.

In the past, there has been a waiting list of three months, said Michelle Cronin, executive director of the facility.

Because of its partnership with Houston Healthcare, doctors who are in the residency program are volunteering hours to make that wait time even less.

The clinic is open 5-8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday and once a month Wednesday morning. Appointments are required.

There are also several documents that are required before someone is approved to use the clinic.

The facility is not for acute patients nor an emergency clinic. It is for routine visits for the uninsured.

Mary Aaron has been a patient at the clinic since 2005.

She was diagnosed with diabetes. With her part-time job, and she had no health insurance.

"Without the Houston County Volunteer Medical Clinic, I do not think I would be here today," the 50-year-old Warner Robins resident said.

In addition to her previous monthly visits, which are now down to every three months, she was also referred to nutrition classes to help her manage her condition.

Since she started, Aaron has lost 77 pounds and her A1C glucose levels have gone from 11.4 to 6.9.

She has also saved money on her prescriptions, in the amount of $57,000 a year if she would've paid out of pocket.

Aaron's eye drops for glaucoma cost $100 per bottle.

The facility also has equipment that doctors have given to the clinic.

Each of the four patient rooms are equipped with touch screen monitors that show various parts of the body. Doctors can use these as a visual representation when talking to a patient.

Local churches have also donated supplies such as paper gowns and office supplies.

Over half of the clients the volunteer doctors see have been diagnosed with diabetes. The clinic has some medicines available but there are no narcotics on site.

Since its inception in 2005, 47 doctors have volunteered at the clinic. Last year, it served 220 patients.

A few of the doctors are specialty doctors, including a gynecologist, a cardiologist and an endocrinologist.

"They are wonderful doctors. They should all be commended for their time," Aaron said.

Most of the clinic's funding comes from United Way donations, and it recently received a donation from Robins Financial Credit Union to give the facility a face-lift.

The biggest challenge the clinic faces is how to keep the doors open.

"Our operational costs are a minimum of $150,000 a year," Cronin said.

Without donations of time as well as money, though, the clinic's doors would be shuttered.

"We would love to have guaranteed funding," Cronin said.

This story was originally published February 24, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Houston clinic fills uninsured gap ."