Free clinic puts out appeal for physician volunteers
The Bedford Christian Free Clinic will stop holding medical appointments for patients on Monday afternoons in September.
The move comes as the nonprofit clinic has struggled to maintain enough volunteer physicians to support its Monday evening hours, said Don Craighead, the clinic’s executive director. He said he hopes the reduced hours are temporary.
Already the clinic has limited its enrollment of new patients, Craighead said.
“It’s the first time we’ve had to be somewhat restrictive with our services,” Craighead said. “We have to do what is fair for our patients and our volunteers.”
The clinic has put out an appeal to find new volunteers who are willing to treat patients. Craighead said he is looking for nurses, nurse practitioners and doctors.
The clinic, which operates on total revenues of under $100,000, according to its most recent tax filing, relies on about five clinicians to treat patients. In all about 43 volunteers support the clinic.
The need for volunteer clinicians comes at a time when patient enrollment has never been higher, Craighead said. Currently the clinic serves about 330 patients.
The clinic will maintain its Wednesday hours and will continue to fill prescriptions on Mondays from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
August 17, 2012 - 9:46 AM
Maybe more people would be willing to volunteer if they were just a free clinic, instead of a religiously selective clinic.
So if physcians are getting their pay cut due to Medicare cuts, why would anbody expect them to volunteer! This is disgusting!!
The reason it is called The Bedford Christian Free Clinic is because it was founded by several Pastors from the Bedford area. No one is saying you have to be religious to come there…you only have to have a need for medical help. True the volunteers have a grounded belief in God and therefor they are there helping others because they want to model what God wants us to do. I might add a great percentage of the patients tell the volunteers what a blessing from God the volunteers and the clinic are for them!
The physicains who volunteer have a deep compassion for people and understand the need in our community for people without healthcare to have a place to go. Everyone without healthcare isn’t in that postition because they don’t have jobs, many are working very hard to make their lives better and just need the compassion of others. As for the situtation with medicare call your polititions and complain!
Whoever is kind to the needy, honors God! (Proverbs 14:31)