‘We provide no less than what anyone would expect at a private clinic’
Nestled into an alcove on Arnold Street is Good Samaritan Health Clinic (GSHC). For those just driving by, you may not even notice it. But for those residents who receive primary health and wellness care from the local free clinic, it is a light in the dark of being uninsured and facing illness.
When you walk into the waiting area, it is a far cry from what comes to mind when you typically envision a free clinic. The receptionist greets you warmly, the floors are spotless and there’s a low calming instrumental backtrack playing. Uninsured patients from all walks of life are gathered to receive high-quality care in a clean environment by trained professionals.
This environment is breaking the stigma most have attached to the idea of a free clinic, according to Executive Director Jolanda Hutson, who said, “We provide no less than what anyone would expect at a private clinic.”
GSHC serves the uninsured population in our area, ages 19 to 65. The reasoning for such a niche age group is that most people younger than 19 and older than 65 can qualify for
government-subsidized health care, like AllKids or Medicare. Those in the mentioned age range can fall in the gap of making too much for Medicaid, yet not enough to get the tax credit from the Affordable Health Care Act: a situation that happens all too often, according to Hutson.
“There’s a misconception that everyone has access to health insurance, when in reality, they do not,” she noted.
The application process is simple, and once a patient qualifies for services, he or she has access to all the services GSHC provides: general visits, medications and hearing evaluations, as well as referrals for diagnostic testing, specialists, dental extractions and recently, mental health counseling.
“As of July 2020, we are now able to offer mental health counseling to our patients. That is thanks to a partnership with Steven K. Griffith Memorial Fund and Haven Counseling,” Hutson stated proudly.
Since the partnership’s inception, GSHC has been able to refer well over 100 of its patients to Haven Counseling, positively impacting not only the lives of those patients, but also the overall well-being of the community.
Hutson said what sets GSHC apart from other clinics is the highly trained, experienced and compassionate staff who truly have a heart for their patients; these staff members are able to provide high-quality care by collaborating with each other and meeting their patients’ health and wellness goals.
“This is not a clinic ran only by volunteers!” she laughed. “We have a certified, registered nurse practitioner with over 30 years of experience who works independently and collaborates with our medical director on more complex cases. Her medical assistant is a licensed practical nurse and phlebotomist, who came out of retirement to serve! We also have two certified pharmacy technicians. We also have a patient advocate that is able to apply for medications from pharmaceutical companies on our patients’ behalves.”
In 2022 alone, GSHC dispensed over 17,000 prescriptions with a retail value of $5.3 million. This is thanks not just to the mentioned patient advocate work, but also to in-kind donations and GSHC’s ability to purchase medications at a lower rate.
Hutson mentioned that in addition to the staff on-site, a social services volunteer comes in exclusively to assess and manage its patients’ ability to take care of other aspects of health and wellness. The volunteer is then able to compile a list of locally available resources to help the specific needs that a patient may have, such as food bank schedules, utility assistance, even referrals to domestic violence counseling.
“Some people don’t think this has anything to do with health, but these really are social determinants for health. If you don’t have money for utilities, or food, that’s going to eventually impact your health,” Hutson noted.
If you are between the ages of 19 and 65, are a resident of Cullman County and meet certain income guidelines you may be eligible for services GSHC provides. Though there is no charge for services or medications, it does request a $20 annual service fee to help offset charges that the clinic itself incurs purchasing medications, paying staff and general overhead costs.
Check out www.goodsamaritancullman.com/patients.
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