NONPROFIT
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Interfaith Community Clinic relies heavily on volunteers to provide health care services to Montgomery County’s uninsured population. The following are some of the volunteer opportunities available at the clinic.
Professional volunteers —including licensed physicians, nurses, medical providers, dentists, dental assistants and dental hygienists—are needed to provide care. intake process, explain the clinic’s policies and procedures, and assist patients in obtaining other health care and social service resources that may be available to them. Translators are frequently needed at the clinic to aid with Spanish interpretation during medical and dental exams. Patient service volunteers assist with the
Interfaith Community Clinic is a nonprofit organization that provides health care to Montgomery County’s uninsured population.
BY HANNAH ZEDAKER Interfaith Community Clinic Volunteer-run clinic meets needs of Montgomery County’s uninsured
SOURCE: INTERFAITHCOMMUNITYCLINIC/COMMUNITY IMPACTNEWSPAPER
as well as one to two Saturdays each month. Located in Oak Ridge North, the clinic provides medical and dental care as well as counseling services and patient service assistance to uninsured Montgomery County residents. “The majority of our patients work; we’re helping the working poor,” Hern- don said. “These people work hard every day and in some cases even have multiple jobs, but they either don’t have access to health insurance or can’t afford it.” PROVIDINGCARE To become a patient, Clinic Director Anita Phillips said an eligibility inter- view is required, during which clinic staff reviews the prospective patient’s identity, income and address to deter- mine whether an individual qualifies for services. Herndon said the clinic uses a slid- ing scale to determine a patient’s cost for services, which ranges from $5-$25. However, Herndon said if a patient is unable to pay, the clinic can still provide care through partnerships with neighboring hospitals. “If someone can’t make their contri- bution, that support [from neighboring hospitals] allows us to basically schol- arship that patient,” Herndon said. Medical services offered at the clinic include treatment for common none- mergency medical problems; man- agement of chronic health problems;
and preventative health exams, such as pap smears, mammograms and prostate exams, Phillips said. On the dental side, the clinic offers biannual dental cleanings, X-rays, fillings and extractions. With only a handful of contracted medical professionals, Herndon said the clinic runs almost entirely on the generosity of local licensed profession- als who donate their time at Interfaith Community Clinic. COMMUNITYOUTREACH In addition to in-clinic services, Interfaith Community Clinic also hosts a Healthy Kids Festival in conjunction with Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands three times a year, Hern- don said. The clinic also offers health classes throughout the year on a range of topics. Additionally, while Herndon said a mobile health van has been a future plan of the clinic’s for some time, telemedicine has removed some of the transportation barriers between patients and health care services and is a resource the clinic plans to rely on more heavily in the future. “We always say, ‘There is a lot of need behind the trees,’ and we see it every day here,” Herndon said. “We’re just continuing to look for ways we can serve more people, meet the[ir] needs and be innovative with the way we’re serving.”
I nterfaith Community Clinic—for- merly South County Community Clinic—has been working to address the medical and dental needs of Montgomery County’s medically uninsured population for the past 23 years. South County Community Clinic was founded in November 1996 by local physician Dr. Joel Kerschenbaum. When his neighbor lost his job and no longer had access to health insur- ance, Kerschenbaum was inspired to start a countywide clinic for the unin- sured, Interfaith President and CEO Missy Herndon said. With this idea in mind, Herndon said Kerschenbaum approached Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center’s then-CEO, Steve Sanders and was granted the seed money to start a clinic. “We are the only community clinic that serves all of Montgomery County,” Herndon said. “We stay true to our mission here, which is to provide health care for those in need and those who otherwise wouldn’t have access to health care.” South County Community Clinic was located on Sawdust Road and was open only two nights a week. The clinic became a branch of service under Interfaith of The Woodlands in 2010 and was reborn as Interfaith Commu- nity Clinic, moving to a new location. Today, Interfaith Community Clinic is open five days and two nights a week,
HEALTHY KIDS FESTIVAL
Interfaith Community Clinic 101 Pine Manor Drive, Oak Ridge North 281-364-7889 www.interfaithcommunityclinic.org Hours: Mon.-Thu. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Fri. 9 a.m.-noon (by appointment only) Healthy Kids Festival hosted by Interfaith Community Clinic and Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands. The festival will also feature face painting, a “Passport to Health” activity, booths and raffles. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. 9 a.m.- noon. Free. Milam Elementary School, 16415 FM 3083, Conroe. Feb. 23 Children ages 2-14 can receive free medical and dental screenings at the
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The Woodlands edition • February 2019
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