By Phil Whatley
On April 19, Urban Health and Wellness opened its doors to serve residents in Grant Park and the surrounding communities. The new medical clinic provides free healthcare for adults who are low-income and are either uninsured or have Medicaid. The clinic operates in the basement of the historic Georgia Avenue Church located at 645 Grant Street at the corner of Georgia Avenue and Grant Street.
Urban Health and Wellness is a nonprofit free clinic. It is run entirely by volunteers, all of whom are registered with the Georgia Volunteer Healthcare Program. The clinic is open Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10:00am and 1:00pm, by appointment only. It is also open on Wednesdays between 10:00am and 1:00pm for new patient registration (no appointments). Patients must register and verify eligibility prior to making an appointment.
Patients eligible for care include adults only (18 and older) who are either uninsured or on Medicaid and whose household income is 200% or below the Federal poverty level.
The clinic started as an idea by its founder and director, Susan Whatley, while she was volunteering at Urban Recipe, a local food co-op that also meets in the basement of Georgia Avenue Church. Susan vetted the idea with Jeremy Lewis, Urban Recipe’s Executive Director, and then formed a board of advisors to work out the numerous details involved.
Susan is an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) and has been a resident of Grant Park for the past seven years. She previously worked as a nurse practitioner for both a primary care practice and for a nephrology (kidney care) practice. Before receiving her Master’s degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner, she worked as a registered nurse in a cardiac step-down unit at a local hospital.
After months of preparation, the clinic was able to raise enough funds to open its doors two days a week thanks to charitable donations by Kairos Church (a previous tenant of Georgia Avenue Church), First Baptist Church of Tucker, and a number of individual donors.
The clinic provides routine primary care, helps patients manage chronic illness and/or diseases, and helps with obtaining certain prescription medications. The clinic does not provide urgent or emergency care.
For additional details and eligibility information, please visit the website at www.urbanrecipe.org/urban-health-wellness or call (404) 618-6983.
Comments are closed.