The Good News Clinics, a Hall County nonprofit that provides free medical and dental care to uninsured patients, launched a three-year capital campaign called “Greater Things” to expand its facilities.
The health clinics need $8 million to make the expansion a reality. So far, local businesses have already donated $5.2 million to the Greater Things campaign since January.
Good News Clinics executive director Liz Coates spoke on WDUN’s Newsroom and said the expansion will increase the clinics' medical care capacity by 60 percent. This will allow the Good News Clinics, which already serve 3,500 low-income Hall County residents, to take an additional 2,000 patients a year.
“We realized not only have we already been bursting at the seams, but with the booming Hall County that we live in, we can only expect that trajectory to just go up and up for the need,” Coates said.
To increase patient space, the Good News Clinics purchased an 8,400-square-foot Northeast Georgia Health Systems facility. This facility is directly behind the Good News Clinics, and it will serve as a Health Education Center.
The Health Education Center will offer patients an outdoor education space, eligibility and intake services, lifestyle and disease education and access to specialty care with the Health Access Referrals Department.
Coates stressed the importance of patient education and early intervention to prevent chronic illnesses.
“When we look at the root causes of [chronic illnesses], so much of it is behavioral and lifestyle,” Coates said. “All of us know that we're supposed to exercise and eat well, but not all of us know exactly what that means. Not only do we all, no matter our socioeconomic background or status, need that encouragement in this life, I think that it's especially charged when we have a lot of obstacles in a way because of stress, poverty and the difficulties that come along with where you live.”
Coates said preventing emergent chronic conditions also alleviates the health system’s overall burden. According to a press release, the Good News Clinics provide an estimated total of $4.5 million in cost avoidance to the local emergency department and local healthcare system.
The Health Education Center will also significantly expand the clinics’ behavioral health center.
“We cannot get through our waitlist quickly enough when it comes to counseling,” Coates said. “And we just feel that that's got to be a priority for our clinic moving forward because there aren't other resources for mental health if you're uninsured, and without the ability to pay for services.”
The Health Education Center will allow the clinic to triple its mental and behavioral health services. The Good News Clinics began providing mental health services five years ago, and demand for the program has doubled.
The Good News Clinics will also receive renovations to its current 11,000-square-foot office on Pine Street. In addition to providing medical, dental and pharmacy services, the Good News Clinical Center will offer ophthalmology services. The Clinical Center will undergo renovations to include six new eye exam rooms, clinical workstations, additional eye clinic space and more room for ancillary services.
The welcome center will also be renovated and renamed the “Anne Warren Thomas Welcome Center.” Patients will benefit from more efficient reception and will be able to access free medical supplies, shelf-stable foods and hygiene items.
“This expansion is about the patients,” Coates said in a press release. “It’s about making sure our services are adequate for a growing community. As a place following the principles of Christ, we offer patients the respect and care they so need and deserve. Our expanded, renovated facilities will exemplify our belief that every person is worthy of access to dignified healthcare.”
You can donate to the capital campaign by visiting the Good News Clinics’ website.
