CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Deborah Watkins says getting a medical exam can sometimes be stressful.
She told Channel 2’s Berndt Petersen it’s nothing compared to what often comes after.
“Oh my gosh! When you receive a bill and you don’t have insurance---of course they ‘have’ to see you---but you may receive a bill for $12-hundred dollars,” Watkins said.
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On Tuesday it was zero at Good Shepherd Clinic, a free clinic in Clayton County.
“We could be open 24 hours a day. The demand for primary care for folks who are uninsured increases year after year,” the clinic’s Director of Development Rachel Barber said.
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“We have a much bigger wait list than the amount of patients we can see. There’s a hospital nearby that closed down,” Nurse Practitioner Susan Whatley told Channel 2 Action News.
The hospital was Atlanta Medical Center, where demolition began last summer. Many patients who used to go there, now to Good Shepherd and to nearby Urban Clinic of Atlanta.
Both free clinics have gotten so busy, with more than 3,000 visits per year between them, that the nonprofits recently joined forces to meet the growing need.
If no appointments are open at Good Shepherd, a patients might be sent to Urban Clinic, or the other way around.
Medical staff can go back and forth, too.
It all gives Watkins a peace of mind she says you can’t put a price on.
“This is great. When you don’t have insurance, this is great. It’s a lifesaver,” Watkins said.
Good Shepherd Clinic and The Urban Clinic of Atlanta receive no federal funding. They rely on local donations to serve the community.
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