A new health clinic officially opened its doors in Greenville on September 10th, bringing free health care services to uninsured people in the community.
The medical director at Access East and president of the HealthAssist program, Dr. Tom Irons said they’ve been working with uninsured patients for 25 years in eastern North Carolina, because there’s an obvious need for accessible healthcare.
“Recognition that there were people who were just weren’t getting any kind of care, except for emergency room care, until they either got on Medicare or got disabled, and it just didn’t seem right.”
Irons said the new clinic is a team effort, offering uninsured patients from Pitt and surrounding counties the opportunity to join the Access East HealthAssist program, and access comprehensive health care at no cost.
“We believe that we lead from the position of service, and for me personally, that’s on your knees before the patient.”
After retiring from his long-time career as a professor at East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine, Irons said he continues to serve his patients because it is a lifetime commitment for him.
“Getting to know them as people, getting to know what their lives are like, and feeling like I can actually do something for them. Not just me, that all of us can help them to a new, better place in their lives, and maybe even to where they can have a secure place to sleep or food on the table, or have their blood pressure actually controlled.”
The clinic is housed within the same building as the JOY Soup Kitchen, providing comprehensive health services, including medication assistance, patient education and connections to local resources.
Care management social worker for HealthAssist, Savanah Ebron, said she loves working at the clinic because the community needs better access to basic healthcare.
“We offer a lot of benefits to people in our community, a lot of the things that I didn’t know was needed.”
The clinic has two standard exam rooms, treating non-emergency conditions like colds, bug bites and rashes. Ebron said they also help manage chronic illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure and even some cancer patients.
“They don’t know who else to go to, so one thing I’m really proud of is just giving them like that one step, like okay this is who you need to go to, this is what you can do to get in the position you need to be in. Even if it’s just pointing someone to a food bank so they can have meal for the day, or for the week.”
The clinic is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at JOY Community Center & Soup Kitchen in Greenville.
Dr. Irons said this clinic will continue to serve the vital needs of its community.