Plano Star-courier > News
Church opens clinic in Douglass Community
Photo courtesy of Baylor Health Care System -- From left; Tom Trenary, president of Baylor Medical Center at Garland, presents Ramon Hodridge, pastor at Avenue F Church of Christ, with the keys to a mobile clinic that will serve as the new home of the church's family health center, which provides health care services to uninsured Plano residents.
By Conner Hammett, chammett@starlocalnews.com
A church in Plano's Douglass Community has ramped up its efforts to provide health care to uninsured residents in the Plano area.
Avenue F Church of Christ, a 50-year-old institution, launched its first community clinic, Avenue F Family Health Center, last month. Staffed by registered nurses and a Baylor Health Care System physician, the clinic provides complete primary care to uninsured residents mostly living in the 75074 and 75075 zip codes Monday and Wednesday.
Ramon Hodridge, minister for Avenue F Church of Christ and CEO of nonprofit AFFECT, Inc., said the church started its involvement with community health care six years ago with a series of health fairs at the church, which included blood pressure testing and various other medical screenings.
Pam Nelson-Mohair, the clinic's coordinator, said it soon became apparent that several attendees of the health fairs could not schedule follow-ups with doctors since they were uninsured or otherwise unable to access health care.
"We did some research and noted that there is a significantly higher number of people who live in those areas who have diabetes, hypertension and have had frequent visits to emergency rooms or [have been documented to] not have health insurance," she said.
After 10 months of planning with help from the Baylor Health Care System, the clinic opened Oct. 15. On Tuesday, Baylor Medical Center at Garland provided the church with a mobile clinic, which will now be parked outside the church twice a week to serve as an examination room for patients.
"We are hoping that by having the mobile unit we will be able to see more people and utilize the space a little bit better," Nelson-Mohair said. "Right now, we're a clinic by day converting back to a church at night for their services, so having the unit will keep us from having to do that."
Tom Trenary, president of Baylor Garland, said the hospital system, which operates or supports nine community clinics in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, has found that partnering with outside community groups has been successful in expanding the volume of patients an organization can see.
"It's not about the hospital; it's not about the clinic," he said. "It's really about those people who are at the center of this effort, and that's the patients. We can set up all the emergency departments that we want and all the hospitals and physician offices, but you have to go to where the people are, and I think this is a wonderful effort with regard to that."
The clinic has also received help from the Bracane Company, which has provided medical supplies and a paid staff member who coordinates the clinic's patient assistance program.
"She interviews [patients], finds out what some of their needs are and tries to get them in to see what's available within their current situation that we could offer, finding companies that have assistance programs for medications," Nelson-Mohair said.
Around 40 patients have already been seen at the clinic, Hodridge said, and demand is growing. The mobile clinic should enable the church to hold the clinic more than twice per week, and there are plans to ultimately open a stand-alone facility while continuing to use the mobile clinic to venture out further into the city and Collin County. A fundraiser for the clinic was held Saturday, and other is planned for March.
Hodridge said the church continues to work to promote healthy lifestyles and will open a fresh food stand in two weeks as well as continue to provide physical activities and exercise programs. A diabetes workshop at the church is scheduled for Dec. 8.
"There's just a lack of awareness of healthy living and lifestyles, so we're just trying to promote it amongst everything else to make sure everyone does preventative care instead of always needing to always go and receive emergency care," he said.
Avenue F Family Health Center is open from 8 to 5 p.m. Any uninsured person in Collin County within 200 percent of the poverty level will likely qualify for the program, Hodridge said.
For information on the church and clinic, visit www.avefchurchofchrist.org.
Avenue F Church of Christ, a 50-year-old institution, launched its first community clinic, Avenue F Family Health Center, last month. Staffed by registered nurses and a Baylor Health Care System physician, the clinic provides complete primary care to uninsured residents mostly living in the 75074 and 75075 zip codes Monday and Wednesday.
Ramon Hodridge, minister for Avenue F Church of Christ and CEO of nonprofit AFFECT, Inc., said the church started its involvement with community health care six years ago with a series of health fairs at the church, which included blood pressure testing and various other medical screenings.
Pam Nelson-Mohair, the clinic's coordinator, said it soon became apparent that several attendees of the health fairs could not schedule follow-ups with doctors since they were uninsured or otherwise unable to access health care.
"We did some research and noted that there is a significantly higher number of people who live in those areas who have diabetes, hypertension and have had frequent visits to emergency rooms or [have been documented to] not have health insurance," she said.
After 10 months of planning with help from the Baylor Health Care System, the clinic opened Oct. 15. On Tuesday, Baylor Medical Center at Garland provided the church with a mobile clinic, which will now be parked outside the church twice a week to serve as an examination room for patients.
"We are hoping that by having the mobile unit we will be able to see more people and utilize the space a little bit better," Nelson-Mohair said. "Right now, we're a clinic by day converting back to a church at night for their services, so having the unit will keep us from having to do that."
Tom Trenary, president of Baylor Garland, said the hospital system, which operates or supports nine community clinics in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, has found that partnering with outside community groups has been successful in expanding the volume of patients an organization can see.
"It's not about the hospital; it's not about the clinic," he said. "It's really about those people who are at the center of this effort, and that's the patients. We can set up all the emergency departments that we want and all the hospitals and physician offices, but you have to go to where the people are, and I think this is a wonderful effort with regard to that."
The clinic has also received help from the Bracane Company, which has provided medical supplies and a paid staff member who coordinates the clinic's patient assistance program.
"She interviews [patients], finds out what some of their needs are and tries to get them in to see what's available within their current situation that we could offer, finding companies that have assistance programs for medications," Nelson-Mohair said.
Around 40 patients have already been seen at the clinic, Hodridge said, and demand is growing. The mobile clinic should enable the church to hold the clinic more than twice per week, and there are plans to ultimately open a stand-alone facility while continuing to use the mobile clinic to venture out further into the city and Collin County. A fundraiser for the clinic was held Saturday, and other is planned for March.
Hodridge said the church continues to work to promote healthy lifestyles and will open a fresh food stand in two weeks as well as continue to provide physical activities and exercise programs. A diabetes workshop at the church is scheduled for Dec. 8.
"There's just a lack of awareness of healthy living and lifestyles, so we're just trying to promote it amongst everything else to make sure everyone does preventative care instead of always needing to always go and receive emergency care," he said.
Avenue F Family Health Center is open from 8 to 5 p.m. Any uninsured person in Collin County within 200 percent of the poverty level will likely qualify for the program, Hodridge said.
For information on the church and clinic, visit www.avefchurchofchrist.org.
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