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Heritage Community Clinic Named Free Clinic of the Year
By: WOUB Staff Writer
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The Heritage Community Clinic at Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine has been named the state’s Free Clinic of the Year by the Ohio Association of Free Clinics and Ohio Department of Health.
The honor is one of four new awards established by state legislation last year, designating December as Free Clinic Appreciation Month, according to a press release by the College of Osteopathic Medicine.
The awards – which also include Free Clinic Physician, Nurse and Dentist of the Year – were presented by ODH officials at the Ohio Statehouse Dec. 2.
“We feel very honored and grateful to be chosen for this award,” said Kathy Trace, M.A., B.S.N., R.N., director of Community Health Programs and the Area Health Education Center at the Heritage College. “We are fortunate to have the support of the Heritage College and the service of dedicated physicians and passionate staff who provide the care for our community. And of course, we deeply appreciate our grantors and collaborators who make this work possible.”
Heritage College Executive Dean Kenneth H. Johnson, D.O., called the award a well-deserved acknowledgement, for a program that embodies a central part of the college’s mission. “The work of our faculty, students and staff in the Heritage Community Clinic exemplifies this college’s commitment to improving health care access for the people of our region who need it most,” Johnson said. “It is so fitting and really great to see their dedication and hard work being recognized.”
The Heritage Community Clinic, located on the ground floor of Grosvenor West Hall in Athens, offers primary and specialty health care to qualifying adults in Athens, Hocking, Meigs, Morgan, Perry and Washington counties. It provides referrals to other area care providers, as well as help with prescriptions. The clinic’s two mobile units, which contain fully equipped examination rooms, regularly visit multiple counties in the region to provide screenings, immunizations and other health care services.
In 2014-15, according to Community Health Programs, the clinic served 598 patients with care at a value of $72,368; distributed 346 prescription vouchers and reimbursed local pharmacies $15,597; provided 115 prescription medications at a value of $177,866; and provided supplies including diabetes testing materials worth $32,063