<strong>From staff reports</strong>

The Good Neighbor Free Medical Clinic of Beaufort will soon be closer to the medical heart of Beaufort.

Plans are under way for the clinic, which provides free medical services to adults who have no medical insurance and meet low-income guidelines, to occupy the Beaufort Memorial Hospital-owned building at 974 Ribaut Road. The building was recently vacated by the relocation of Beaufort Memorial Express Care &amp; Occupational Health.

According to the clinic’s executive director, Cassi Kilpatrick, the move is scheduled for March.

“The new location will be a great benefit to our patients,” Kilpatrick said in a release. “As a primary care clinic, we often refer patients for diagnostic tests available at the hospital or for medical specialty services that are arranged by AccessHealth of the Lowcountry, which will now be a couple of doors down the street. And having a pharmacy literally next door will be another terrific asset.”

Their soon-to-be tenant-landlord relationship will strengthen the longtime relationship between the two nonprofits, says Alice Moss, chair of the clinic’s board of directors.

“The clinic and BMH have collaborated since the clinic was conceived in 2007 as an outgrowth of Operation Good Neighbor, an initiative of eight downtown churches,” Moss said. “Beaufort Memorial’s ER and social work teams frequently send patients to us. We help the patients manage their chronic health conditions so they become healthier with fewer medical emergencies.”

Beaufort Memorial does not charge Good Neighbor patients for diagnostic tests, and is making the new location available rent-free.

The clinic, which opened its doors in 2009, is staffed by volunteer doctors, nurses and support staff; overseen by a volunteer board of directors; and managed by a small paid staff.

“As our name indicates, our neighbors are our lifeblood,” Kilpatrick said. “Beaufort County Human Services Alliance, United Way of the Lowcountry, Coastal Community Foundation, Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, Bargain Box as well as numerous area churches, community service organizations, clubs and individuals make our mission possible.”

The clinic is a credentialed member of the S.C. Free Clinic Association and the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics. For more information, visit gnfmcbeaufort.org or the clinic’s Facebook page or call 843-470-9088.