May 19, 2013
Diana Kane had nowhere to turn.
Kane said, “Had a bad case of sun poisoning.”
So she went to the only place she could afford.
A place called the Samaritan clinic right here in Dothan.
That clinic would end up saving her life.
Kane said, “They found out that my blood pressure was 210 over 180 when I was here. That was something I didn't even know about.”
Executive director Dwight Deal opened the clinic for cases just like Kanes a year ago.
Deal said, “The Alfred Saliba Free Clinic was closing due to a loss in funds and we saw a need for the homeless and the uninsured in Dothan that they really needed a clinic to go to.”
Patients have been pouring in ever since.
Faye Davis, Clinical Director, said, “We average 25 to 30 patients every Thursday night and there have been nights that we've had a longer line than that.”
The clinic doesn't turn anyone away, either. Instead they just make room for more.
Right now, the clinic is open every Thursday, but soon they’ll take patients for a full day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. They’ll even offer dental work.
Deal said, “We started with three exam rooms and as the patient population grew,we were able to get this building and we've been meeting here for a month now.”
Nurses say without this care, patients would end up in the E.R and it wouldn't be pretty for anyone.
Faye Davis said, “If they go to the E.R., those dollars are divided up among paying patients and hopefully grants most of the time the hospitals have to write that expense off.”
Writing expenses off at this clinic, so no one ends up paying at the E.R. later.
Hours of Operation:
Thursday 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
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