Louisville Medicine Volume 64, Issue 10 | Page 16

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14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 0

Years of Potential Life Lost

by an area ministry , adapted it to provide a clinic with two examining rooms , a reception and office area , a handicapped-accessible bathroom , a laboratory area , a conference room and a staff restroom .
We scavenged for used equipment and were given equipment . On November 23 , 2010 , we opened our clinic under my Tennessee medical license as the supervising physician .
We were fortunate to hire local people as our first employees , a certified physician assistant and an office manager . The advantage of local staff is that they know most of our patients personally . In 2012 , with the help of a local grant , we hired a medical assistant .
I go every month to attend in the clinic .
10 th – 90 th Percentiles
USA Mean : 8,103
YPLL before age 75 , per 100,000 lives 2011 County Health Rankings : www . countyhealthrankings . org
Grundy County : 13,685
10th 20th 30th 40th 50th 60th 70th 80th 90th Percentile Ranking of All 3,144 USA Counties and County Equivalents nutrition , weight control , smoking cessation and immunizations ). We also host mammography clinics .
Routine laboratory tests are performed on site ; others are sent out ; lab test results are discussed with the patients . We provide common medications free , and prescribe medicines that can be purchased at discount pharmacies . Outrageous price hikes in common medicines have been shocking . In June 2015 , our cost for bulk doxycycline temporarily jumped from $ 70 to $ 700 , and glimepride from $ 13 to $ 318 . A generous donor has provided a small fund for patient assistance that we use sparingly in particular circumstances .
The clinic was established by the Beersheba Springs community to provide free medical services for the community , but we quickly became aware that the desperate need for medical care extended far beyond Beersheba ; patients have come from 13 surrounding counties . Clinic days are Monday and Wednesday , 8 a . m . to 4 p . m . On Wednesdays we have a second PA-C , who volunteers . We average 30 visits / day , up to 3,000 visits a year .
The clinic does not charge fees , does not bill insurance and receives no government funding . Expenses are met entirely by voluntary donations from individual donors , patients and small local grants . In the first few years , donations were matched by a generous donor . We do not solicit support from for-profit hospitals or health insurance companies . We gratefully accept support from area businesses and friends ; donations are encouraged and are necessary to the clinic ’ s sustainability . The gifts mean that mountain people now have relief from pain and suffering , which they did not have before . The clinic
A volunteer radiologist comes from Oak Ridge to perform ultrasound studies , and from time to time other specialists visit the clinic . Specialist referral is challenging . Fortunately , we know specialists who see our patients either pro -bono or for a discounted fee , but some serious or complicated conditions simply go untreated . Tennessee statutes establish liability immunity for voluntary provision of health care services in the clinic unless an act or omission was the result of gross negligence or willful misconduct ( Tennessee Code Ann . 63-6-708 ).
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We treat acute illness and minor injuries ; evaluate and manage chronic illness ( e . g ., diabetes , hypertension , cardiovascular complications of atherosclerosis , and depression ); perform minor surgery ; provide electrocardiograms and many inhalation therapy treatments . We focus on improving lifestyles ( i . e ., exercise and healthy
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