Good Neighbor Free Medical Clinic of Beaufort recently announced that it has received grants from The Beaufort Fund, The Bargain Box and Blue-Cross Blue Shield Foundation of South Carolina. The Beaufort Fund and The Bargain Box are helping to support general operations this year, which will allow the Clinic continue providing free primary medical services to very low-income, uninsured adults in Beaufort County.

The grant from Blue-Cross Blue Shield Foundation of South Carolina was made through South Carolina Free Clinic Association to address identified gaps in our healthcare communities. The Blue-Cross Blue-Shield Foundation grant will address a top health priority (chronic disease, including diabetes) and two of the top health issues (being overweight and access to medical care) that were identified in the last Beaufort Memorial Hospital Community Needs Assessment. The grant will fund an education program to help patients with diabetes better manage this disease. The funded diabetes education program is being offered to Clinic patients in collaboration with Gullah Church Nurses Association. Participants will be offered a series of three class sessions led by professional educators, which will be held over a period of six months. There will be no charge to participants, and transportation assistance will be provided.

“We are very pleased to be able to offer these classes to our patients and to have the opportunity to collaborate with Gullah Church Nurses Association on such an important project,” said Carol J. McConn, MBA RN, and Clinical Director at Good Neighbor Free Medical Clinic. “We are excited and are ready to get started,” said Betty J. Haskins, RN BSN, President of Gullah Church Nurses Association, Inc.

To sign up to become a Clinic member, call the Clinic and leave a call-back number. There will be 10 series of classes this year, and participants will be assigned to a series that works for them. The Clinic phone number is 843-470-9088.

Good Neighbor Free Medical Clinic of Beaufort is a faith-based organization, serving very low-income, uninsured adults in Beaufort County. The Clinic is located on Lady’s Island. In 2015, the Clinic provided medical care to 461 patients who made 1,677 visits for medical treatment and uncounted visits for health education, prescription assistance and pastoral care. These services were made possible by volunteers who gave over 5,000 service hours working at the Clinic last year. Diagnostic tests, laboratory services and medications prescribed by the Clinic’s health care providers were made available through in-kind donations by Beaufort Memorial Hospital and pharmaceutical company patient assistance programs.