Family Health Clinic in crisis

Health care is something many of us in the work force take for granted.

When we get sick or need an annual physical, we go to our doctor, pay a small doctor visit fee and that’s it. I don’t even have to pay for my annual physical. Well, of course I do through premiums every pay period, but at least I don’t have to shell out an extra $30 for the exam.

While many of us are fortunate to have health insurance, there are a large number of people who cannot afford coverage or have jobs that do not offer it. Sickness isn’t something that can be easily taken care of by them. Being able to pay for doctor visits and prescriptions is not reality for them.

There is a health care crisis for the poor here in Dothan. I was confronted with it Thursday morning when I went to the Alfred Saliba Family Services Center Family Health Clinic to pick up an application for someone.

My wife and I have a ministry that works with the homeless. In January, we came across a married couple who were homeless. They weren’t on drugs and they weren’t drinking alcohol. She has cancer and they came to Dothan with the hope of finding medical help for her.

They became homeless because of the lack of jobs in the area. The first time I met him, he said, “I’ll do anything to make money for my wife and me. I’ll sweep floors if I have to.” He did a number of odd jobs until he landed a welding job with a steel fabrication business in Houston County.

The boss was immediately impressed by his work ethic. Everything was going good for them. They moved into a mobile home and have been paying their own way. But now business has completely dried up and the fabrication business had to lay everyone off. Now he is cutting grass to try to keep from losing their home and keeping the bills paid.

To make matters worse, the Family Health Clinic is no longer taking applications. It’s not that they want to turn people away, but they don’t have a choice. Their funding is running out and, if something doesn’t happen soon, the clinic could be closed by the end of the year.

The clinic was created in 2000, and since then has provided a great service to thousands of people who cannot afford health care. In 2000, the clinic had 322 patient visits. That number greatly increased over the years to a high of 4,335 in 2007.

Not only has it helped the patients, but it relieved local emergency rooms, as 60 percent of those patients would have used emergency room services if not for the clinic. About 35 percent of them would have gone without medical care.

The clinic has benefited over the past three years from a $170,000 grant from the Wiregrass Foundation. That grant is ending and, as of yet, has not been renewed.

In a community so rich in quality medical care with two excellent hospitals and numerous physicians, surely there is an answer out there. Thousands of people need help. Ask anyone working at the clinic and they’ll tell you the majority of these people are not “abusers of the system.”

They are like the married couple I mentioned earlier. They are good people who are working hard to improve themselves. Not everyone is born into a middle or upper class family. Not everyone is privileged to have a job that offers health insurance. And, in this recession, not everyone has a job. Some do have jobs, but they aren’t the same ones they had prior to the recession.

There are answers to keeping the clinic open. Where will the answer come from? Will it be the Wiregrass Foundation? Will it be the medical community? Who will step up and help fill this major need? I don’t know, but I hope and pray someone will.

Ken Tuck is the managing editor of the Dothan Eagle and regional editor of Media General Alabama Newspapers. He can be reached at or 334-712-7960.