Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Celebrates Success of Health Clinic for Poor. - Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

By Steve Mocarsky, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Feb. 24--Volunteers and members of the community gathered Sunday to celebrate the accomplishment of bringing health care to those who can't afford it and dedicate the clinic where the mission of mercy is carried out.

The Rev. Don Muller, rector of St. Stephen's Procathedral, 35 S. Franklin St., blessed the five-room clinic in his church basement after a morning worship service during which clinic volunteers were recognized.

'It's nothing short of a miracle the way people volunteered. It's just a team of remarkable people,' said Shirley Smith, a registered nurse and coordinator of the Interfaith Health Clinic.

The dedication came after four months of renovation work and more than five years of providing free doctor visits, medications, limited diagnostic tests and referrals to Wyoming Valley residents who can't afford medical insurance.

Staffed by volunteer nurses, social workers and office staff, the clinic's goal is 'to offer quality care, treating each person with dignity and professional concern,' Smith said.

The clinic began in October 1997 after Dr. Jay Charabati, then the vice president of medical affairs at Mercy Hospital, asked Muller if church facilities could be used for a clinic in connection with a community health rotation offered by the hospital.

Senior resident physicians at the Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center have been providing medical care at the clinic as part of their rotation program, Smith said.

The clinic started in a second-floor hallway of the church 'with a little blue tray of supplies,' Smith said.

After receiving $69,000 in grants, the clinic now has two treatment rooms; a room for counseling, referrals and patient education; a reception area with four work stations; and a waiting room that will soon have a place for children to sit and read or play.

One grant came from tobacco settlement money from the federal government, another from the national organization Volunteers in Health Care.

It was easier to secure grants largely because state Rep. Phyllis Mundy stepped in to bring together all free clinics in the area, other community agencies and services to work as one unit, Smith said.

'The partnership was the key. That collaboration made it very special,' said Noel Duffy, director of special projects for the Commission on Economic Opportunity.

The CEO took the lead in securing grants and worked with programs such as the United Way and the Luzerne Foundation to fund prescription medications. CEO then secured a national grant to establish the Pharmacy Bank Program with the Wilkes University School of Pharmacy, Smith said.

Clinic volunteers have seen and treated more than 1,000 people, some many times, during the past five years, Smith said. Last year, there were 813 visits to the clinic.

The clinic is open 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays and 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. 'or whenever they get done' on Thursdays, Smith said.

For information, call the clinic at 825-8721 during its hours of operation.

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(c) 2003, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.