From left, Ada Jenkins Center director Georgia Krueger, Dr. Craig White, Free Clinic of Our Towns manager Kay Newsome, past board chair John Adams, and Jason Baisden, president of the N.C. Association of Free Clinics pose with the accreditation certificate presented to Free Clinic of Our Towns Friday. (David Boraks photo)

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Every Thursday night at Ada Jenkins Center on Davidson’s West Side, the Free Clinic of Our Towns sees 25 to 35 patients in need of basic medical care. Staffed by volunteers and operating on a shoestring budget, the clinic fills a crucial need among the uninsured or underinsured, who come with routine illnesses or chronic problems such as diabetes or heart disease.

But don’t get the idea this is a makeshift operation offering low-budget care. It turns out the Free Clinic of Our Towns actually measures up to the standards of private medical practices, according to the North Carolina Association of Free Clinics. On Friday, the association presented the clinic with a certificate for earning Level 3 accreditation – a report card saying it meets the association’s highest standards.

“The greatest part of what they have achieved is a seal of approval, a seal of excellence,” said Jason Baisden, president of the N.C. Association of Free Clinics.

The Free Clinic of Our Towns is one of about 75 in operation statewide and one of only 15 to win top accreditation, he said.

“To me, this demonstrates to our patients, to our donors, to our funders that we are using best practices here at the clinic,” said Kay Newsome, the clinic’s manager.

Officials say the accreditation could help the clinic as it pursues additional grants over the next year.

Added Dr. Craig White, a Davidson physician and clinic co-founder: “It shows that (patients) can get a standard of care here that they might get at a private practice…. It’s quite an honor to be one of just a few (clinics) in the state to have this accreditation.”

Dr. White and colleague Dr. Steven Williamson helped found the clinic in Huntersville early this decade. They saw a need for free health services across north Mecklenburg and South Iredell. In 2003, after discussions that included people at the Ada Jenkins Center, Davidson College and then-Davidson Mayor Randy Kincaid, the clinic moved to the Ada Jenkins Center.

“We wanted to serve more people and be a little closer to Davidson and Mooresville, and have the resources of the college,” Dr. White said.  Ada Jenkins Center “was just a natural fit,” he said.

The clinic operates on an $85,000 annual budget, and counts on volunteer doctors, nurses and assistants from Davidson and beyond. Doctors from many area practices are involved, and the list also includes stalwarts such as 84-year-old Dr. Sam Hay, who lives at The Pines at Davidson retirement community and volunteers weekly, Dr. White said.

The weak economy has brought an evolution in the kinds of patients the clinic sees, Dr. White said. Initially, patients were drawn from a wide area beyond Davidson. But with more people out of work, he and his colleagues are seeing more Davidson residents.

“It’s becoming more crowded and we are seeing more and more patients who have lost their jobs and their insurance, or who are underinsured,” he said.

LINKS

Free Clinic of Our Towns, on the Ada Jenkins Center website, adajenkins.org

North Carolina Association of Free Clinics, ncfreeclinics.org

March 4, 2009, DavidsonNews.net, “Ada Jenkins perseveres despite funding problems.”