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Updated: 7:14 PM Mar 4, 2009
Free or reduced health care increasing as people lose coverage
Since the recession began roughly 6 million Americans have either lost or dropped their health insurance. A new report crunches the numbers -- that come out to 14,000 people losing coverage every day. News 12 is on your side with one clinic you can go if you find yourself in need of a doctor.
Posted: 6:42 PM Mar 4, 2009Reporter: Katie Beasley Email Address: katie.beasley@wrdw.com |
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News 12 at 6 o'clock, March 4, 2009
AUGUSTA, Ga.---There are free or reduced health care clinics all around the Augusta area and more and more of you are turning to them during your time of need.
Joseph Williams Jr. Is one of the millions of Americans with no health insurance. He lost his job and has chronic heart problems.
To make sure his heart stays healthy, Joseph's been coming to the Christ Community Clinic for the last six months.
"People losing their job then they can't afford the increase on the insurance. It's ridiculous," says Joseph.
Two doctors started the clinic in November 2007. Dr. Grant Scarborough and Dr. Robert Campbell call themselves urban missionaries.
"Our goal in setting up the clinic was to take care of those people who fell through the gaps, to provide them the best physical care we can," says Dr. Scarborough.
The clinic provides free health care for the homeless and they charge uninsured patients on a sliding scale based on income and household size. A check up could cost as low as $20.00.
"In our first year we saw a little over 4,000 patient visits. Three out of four of those patients were uninsured," says Dr. Campbell.
According to the 2005 census, 20 percent of those people who live in Richmond County live below the poverty line and 18 percent are uninsured. But Dr. Campbell believes now they are much higher, "I think those numbers are a lot worse now."
And they are. Nationally 14,000 people a day are losing or dropping coverage. But these doctor's don't see what they do as saintly, they believe they're the ones benefiting.
"We consider ourselves well paid missionaries and poorly paid physicians," says Dr. Campbell. "We aren't making as much as we could, but I feel like I'm serving something greater than myself. I'm serving a god who will reward me at the right time," says Dr. Scarborough.
In the meantime Dr. Campbell and Dr. Scarborough doing everything they can...one patient at a time.
The Christ Community Clinic is busting at the seams, they have new patients booked 4 to 6 weeks out.
Just about everything they have was donated to them, including their new building, The Widow's Home on Greene Street where they hope to move in the next year.
