Free clinic continues to flourish

By Misty Williams

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

When Dr. Charles Moore first began setting up mobile clinics in some of Atlanta’s poorest neighborhoods, he had hoped to at least make a small impact on a few people’s lives.

More than seven years later, Moore’s idea has blossomed into a free clinic in northwest Atlanta that serves roughly 600 people a month -- providing thousands of uninsured Atlantans with a regular place to receive medical care to help them stay healthy and avoid costly hospital visits.

This year alone it has added a new $1.2 million, 6,000-square-foot clinic, pediatric and OBGYN care, evening clinics, and comprehensive care for people with HIV/AIDS, among other services. Located on Joseph E. Boone Boulevard, the HEALing Community Center provides primary care, mental health care, foot care, cardiology and other medical services, and it connects people with financial help, nutrition education and other resources to address social problems that can have an impact on health.

“We address the entire person,” said Moore, a surgeon at Grady Memorial Hospital and Emory Healthcare. “If someone isn’t working and they can’t afford food, does it really make sense to give them a prescription they can’t afford.”

The center has been able to hire medical assistants and other staff this year and has the help of roughly 60 health professionals who volunteer.

Early next year the clinic, which is set up at the nonprofit City of Refuge, plans to add dental services. Moore also hopes to soon start a garden that will provide fresh produce to people in neighborhoods where the closest grocery store is a 45-minute bus ride away. Moore hopes to get children involved so they can learn how to eat healthy and carry those habits through the rest of their lives.

Not having regular access to healthy food is a significant social problem that affects people’s health, said Carolyn Aidman, project coordinator for the Urban Health Initiative at Emory University. The initiative is one of a number of groups teaming up with Moore’s clinic on the garden project.

It can “impact your ability to work, to earn money and to raise your children,” Aidman said.

At one northwest Atlanta apartment complex where 85 percent of the residents are unemployed, the closest grocery store is 12 miles away, she said.

“People end up eating from the convenience stores and the package stores,” she said.

Having access to healthy foods, as well as learning to shop for and prepare them, can be a big benefit for people with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, Aidman said.

While volunteers try to encourage patients to exercise and eat better, it can be frustrating because they only have so much control, said Dani Kaplan, a volunteer and recent Emory graduate. The center recently brought on a nutritionist, however, who will be able to work more closely with people, she said.

Kaplan, who volunteers as a patient care technician taking vitals signs among other duties, has watched the center transform over the past year. Instead of seeing patients in a small room with minimal lighting, the new clinic has 11 patient rooms, she said. “It’s like a world of change.”

The center’s rapid growth has sometimes been overwhelming for Moore. It’s become an avenue for medical professionals to put their skills to work serving those in need, he said.

“Sometimes," he said, "you need someone to take a step out first and create a path that allows other people to come along.”