Free health clinic good option for uninsured

Call it the working poor, or the poor working, and the fact remains the same: people like Shirley Boykin are among millions in the country who are employed but still can’t afford health insurance.

But she has found help at the Family Health Clinic on Main Street, which meets the Dothan resident’s needs. Boykin has visited the center for more than a year for medical appointments and prescription assistance.

In today’s economy, more than 100 people like Boykin come to the clinic for the services each month.

“We have income guidelines and people who come can not have applied for disability. People who meet those qualifications and the others have increased big time,” said clinic medical assistant Lesley Rabb.

“We have Dr. (Harriett) Searcy here who sees the patients, and if there is a need for more medical attention some doctors — not all — will break up our patients’ medical bills in payments.”

The health clinic, which Rabb said operates directly from donations, started in August 2000 with a generous donation from Dr. Paul Flowers.

A previous Dothan Eagle report said Mary Julia Lee of the Alfred Saliba Family Services Center then recruited Karen Smith, a family nurse practitioner, to start the clinic without pay after seeing her while walking at Wiregrass Commons Mall.

Smith worked as medical director until retired Dr. Joe Suggs took over and continued working at the clinic, although the board obtained enough funds to pay her a salary.

Searcy led the clinic after Suggs’ retirement.

Boykin said she found the center through Columbia Baptist Church.

“I needed somewhere to go because when I went to the emergency room, you either had to pay a bill then or get billed later. I’ve been workin’ but not enough to pay a doctor that money,” Boykin said.