Clinic Gives Care to Residents in Need

In 1989, a large-scale volunteer project was initiated in Snellville with a goal of providing basic health care to Gwinnett County residents who were qualified as medically indigent. Dr. Lawrence Lesser and Pam Kramer, a nurse, and the late Madeline Estafen recognized a need in the area, and together they founded The Gwinnett Community Clinic (GCC) to fill that need.

The , located in Snellville just west of the intersection of Highways 124 and 78, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization. According to Sheila Adcock, the clinic’s director, GCC is a collaborative effort between volunteer medical professionals, Emory Eastside Medical Center in Snellville and citizens who volunteer their time helping out at the clinic.

Standing in the nurses’ station in the Wound Care Center on Fountain Drive, Adcock commented on the well-equipped rooms and office. Night clinics are held at the Emory Eastside property on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6-9 p.m.

“It’s already set up like a clinic," she said. "We have cabinets here where we keep our medical and office supplies, so all we have to do is roll over our EKG machine, our chart rack and our lab cart.”

GCC has an annual budget of $150,000 and, according to Adcock, administers almost $6 million in medical care each year. The hospital does that using solely sponsorships and patient donations, along with with goodwill from Emory Eastside. The hospital donates the space to the clinic and the cost of utilities, and then it is able to write off the cost of most of the clinic's medical supplies, Adcock added.

"All the doctors, nurses and support staff are volunteers," she said. "I’m paid for 30 hours a week, and our nurse practitioner is paid for 20 hours a week. Everyone else is a volunteer. That’s how we can get by on a $150,000 budget."

The clinic also partners with several specialists, including gastroenterologists, oncologists and gynecologists. However, it is currently looking for partnerships with physicians with other specialities, including orthopedics and urology.

According to www.gwinnettcommunityclinic.org, the volunteer staff at GCC sees more than 3,000 patients each year and has more than 3,500 patients on file. When patients sign in, they are asked to give a $15 donation.

“If they don’t have it, we don’t turn them away," Adcock said.

Despite the need, the clinic is operating at full capacity. There are not enough staff to handle additional patients, and additional funds are needed to hire more, Adcock said. Specifically, the clinic could use another nurse practioner, or extended hours of the current one.

“Since we are at capacity, we ask for people to bring us a referral," Adcock said. "It can’t be from their cousin or their sister. It needs to be from a partnering physician. We take new patients every day, as long as a parterning physician refers them."

According to Byron Hall, a patient at GCC, the donations given by supporters of the clinic and all the volunteers who give their time are very much appreciated.

“You get real professional help here," he said. "It’s a great facility that works very well hand-in-hand with Emory for individuals who have low income or are unemployed and can’t afford insurance."

To qualify as a clinic patient, persons must be Gwinnett County residents and meet poverty guidelines outlined by the clinic. To find out more about the qualification process to become a patient at GCC, or to make a tax deductible donation, visit www.gwinnettcommunityclinic.org.