East Tennessee State University's Johnson City Downtown Clinic is quickly approaching 1,000 patient visits a month, a record for the 19 year-old community heath center. The government-funded clinic, operated by the ETSU College of Nursing, provides care for uninsured and underinsured patients. The clinic receives roughly $1.5 million a year in federal, state, and local grants. It also survives on donations from doctors, community members, and churches.
"As the economy gets worse, our business here gets better," Dr. Ron Barwick said. "The numbers have gotten higher, because some people have lost their jobs and lost their health insurance."
For those people, the Downtown Clinic is a saving grace. The clinic only charges patients as much as they can afford and does not turn anyone away.
"It's about $10 every visit," clinic patient Nakita Stapleton said. "That's cheap!"
With the universal health care debate raging on in Washington D.C., ETSU says government-funded community health centers like the Downtown Clinic could be a reasonable part of the solution. After all, the clinic provides quality care at a fraction of the price.
"I don't really know a whole lot about what (leaders are) going to do, but I hope that the community health center program becomes a key linchpin in that effort," Barwick said.
The concept has already helped Stapleton.
"I don't have that much income," Stapleton said. "They're good with helping me with that. They're nice people. I love them to death."
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