Paula Margison of Atkins said she would never be able to afford her diabetes medication if it weren’t for the River Valley Christian Clinic in Dardanelle.
“I would be in deep, serious trouble. I use four bottles of insulin a month. The last time I had to buy a bottle of one of them, it was like $170-something. There’s just no way,” she said.
The River Valley Christian Clinic provides free medical, dental and optical services to more than 150 patients a month, said Marcia Chronister, clinic administrator.
Clinics are held at 6 p.m. the first and third Thursday of each month, by appointment.
“We go until we see our last patient,” Chronister said. About 50 to 60 volunteers work each clinic night.
Several doctors volunteer on a rotating basis for the night clinics. A nurse practitioner sees qualified patients from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Applications, based on household income, are available during office hours, too.
The individuals, most of whom have no insurance, come from several counties, including Pope, Yell, Johnson and Conway.
“A few are underinsured. They’re having the money taken out of their check every month for their premiums, but they can’t afford their deductible. It’s crazy,” Chronister said.
The average patient is a 46-year-old white female, she said. “They’re awesome; they’re just wonderful people,” Chronister said.
Margison, 52, said she has high blood pressure, “stomach problems” and neuropathy, as well as diabetes.
“I haven’t been able to work for a long time,” she said. The money simply isn’t there to afford health care, she said.
Her husband, Gene, lost his insurance when he was forced to retire in June because of health problems, she said, “and insurance was going to cost him too much money.”
The clinic has a pharmacy, a lab, X-rays, medical and dental services, and optical services, where people can get free eyeglasses.
“The value of services is just mind-boggling,” Chronister said. Since River Valley Christian Center opened in January 2007, the total value of medical care provided is estimated at $16 million, not including hundreds of referrals and diagnostic tests, according to the clinic’s website, www.rvchristianclinic.org.
Chronister said members of five Russellville churches were interested in starting a free clinic, and in 2006, several people went to look at a similar facility in Mountain Home.
When they came back to Dardanelle to look for a location, they found a vacant building at 1714 Arkansas 22 that had been used by St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Russellville, which owns the building and lets the River Valley Christian Center use it rent-free.
The five churches provided $5,000 in seed money to get the clinic off the ground, Chronister said: First Baptist, First Assembly of God, Fellowship of Christians, First Free Will Baptist and First United Methodist churches.
“Our plan all along was to do medical, dental and optical,” Chronister said. “We get funding from donations, from individuals, churches and civic clubs. I also write grants.
“We’ve got a couple of semiretired doctors, and we have some that are still in full practice who come volunteer. We really need more doctors right now; we’re kind of short-handed on doctors.”
She said the clinic has a database of more than 1,000 volunteers.
Chronister has worked at the clinic since it opened. A former principal of the Community Christian School, she left to take a job at the clinic.
“My husband said, ‘You can administrate anything,’” she said. “I get to work with people who want to be here; the volunteers all want to be here and do good things for the Lord. It’s just an awesome place to be. I’ve got the best job in the world, and we have the best board.”
Suzanne Yelverton of Russellville, president of the board for the past five years, is the volunteer coordinator for the clinic.
“It’s amazing the stories that you hear on a Thursday night,” she said. “There’s no way they could pay for the medication. If there’s a drug we don’t carry, we steer them through a lot of the $4 drugs, or the Walmart drugs. The doctors know where to send them.”
“People are very generous. A lot of churches have us as a budget item,” Yelverton said. Child care is available for the patients’ children, and interpreters are provided for Hispanic patients.
A diabetic clinic was established in 2008, and it is held quarterly. The patients receive lab work, nutrition classes and doctor’s visits.
Margison said she used to attend the diabetic clinic every three months when it was held at night, but because it is now held in the afternoon, she doesn’t always have transportation to get there.
Chronister said a nutritionist who works at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center attends the diabetic clinic “and just does an awesome job explaining the disease and how it affects your body” and giving information on how to manage the disease.
Yelverton said the dental services are important for the patients, too.
“That’s a very, very, very big deal because they’re in pain,” she said. Extractions are the only procedure performed, she said.
Yelverton said there are some regular patients at the clinic.
“That’s the most wonderful thing — you get to follow some of these people and get to know them and know you’ve contributed somehow to their health,” she said.
Margison said the clinic has made all the difference in her life.
“They’ve been a blessing,” she said. “They’re wonderful people, you know. You can go in there feeling totally horrible. Even if you’re still sick, you usually come out with a smile on your face. They’re good-natured, and the Lord’s with them on what they’re doing.”
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.