New Dental Suite at the Beersheba Medical Clinic
Alison Gower is the clinics administrator who came here from Nashville. She’s served on the clinics board since the beginning of 2018. In 2018 the clinic received 2,315 patient visits some of which come from 5 states. Alison has been coming to the plateau since she was young which is where she learned many life skills, had multiple experiences, and learned how to be a person of honor helping to mold a unique understanding of the area.
The fact that people always donate, patients and outside supporters, shows the character and quality of work the Clinic has received from its base and the regard to which the public holds them. The lack of health infrastructure is a leading reason as to why the clinic has been so successful and treated so many patients.
The humanizing atmosphere shaped at Beersheba revolves around creating a comfort zone for the patients by treating these people with warmth and compassion while addressing the health situation in the utmost professional manner. Since the clinic is a former house, the institution feeling is eliminated in favor of a home comfort feeling for patients. The founding principle of the clinic is to refrain from any stance other than neutrality and commit to providing people with health care regardless of their ability to pay or any other disputable factor. They have managed to keep personal feelings aside and not let such differences divide the purpose as to why everyone is there. Beersheba has done a good job at forging relationships with other facilities such as St. Thomas in order to appropriately address patient health care needs needs. There has also been a push for more health education where Beersheba hosted a Reverse Diabetes seminar, which SCCF also helped fund, addressing unhealthily lifestyles by trying to incorporate more healthy eating.
According to Alison, it was a dream to get funding for the dental chair which SCCF got the wheels rolling being the first substantial donor for this program. A major reoccurring problem addressed at the clinic is dental absence. Dr. Adams noticed a continuing trend of absence and decided to act. Dental health is just as important as physical health. Without good teeth you can’t eat causing your health to deteriorate showing the importance of the linkage between dental and physical health.
The dental program has been a need in the making since the need has always been realized, the clinic has just obtained the resource to address this issue. It has gotten to the point that losing a tooth is good for people because of the relief from pain once the tooth is abstracted.
Dr Baird was lucky enough to have obtained the skills that are needed to address some of the health issues across the plateau. Once retiring from his own practice in 2011, Dr. Baird knew it was time for him to give the community the dental services it so desperately needed and has been committed to developing a dental suit next to the clinic in Beersheba. Dr. Baird has taken on charity cases in the past that have worked to improve the health of appreciative individuals who don’t have the appropriate means to address their issue.
SCCF had provided funding for the dental suite chair which is expected to be operation around April or May. Since this is a new project and will take time to adjust, the dental services will commence with dental extractions before addressing other dental services according to the needs of the patients. One of the major issues facing this program is the lack of qualified volunteers who can help address these dental emergencies. Dr. Baird is trying to function in this role at a capacity that avoids taking resources from the medical clinic. There’s hope that this program will draw attention to the further need of volunteers to address the health needs the plateau so desperately needs. Along with treatment it would be ideal to address health education which was apparent with the reversing diabetes seminar which spent focus on healthy eating. Not only does dental health and physical health impact the well-being of people, it can cause financial strain with loss in wages from missing work to address health needs or even prevent some from working at all.
Patients are the reason why all these people have devoted their time, money, skills, and compassion in order to make the difference that’s needed to promote a better future on the plateau. There was one instance that Dr. Adams was recognized by a patient who happened to see a video that he was in addressing the health of the plateau. This person gratefully exclaimed that they were so glad that somebody cares.
Started in 2010 by Dr. Garrett Adams, the Beersheba medical clinic has been an institution of, for, and by the community of Beersheba. He knew it was his responsibility to get involved in the plateaus health infrastructure when a person he knew had become a victim of an expensive medical system. He helped get this person reduce their medical bill by addressing the matter directly with the institutions bill services. This instance helped broaden his feeling of affection for the people who fall victims to the health system they cannot afford while truly understanding what is really going on. Upon starting this clinic, Dr. Adams has managed to persuade the board not to accept funds from the medical industrial complex. What made this clinic work was the support from the community and the summer people. The health crisis faced in this country make in necessary to have clinics that address the issues that stem from such instances.
The main point of the mater is that people are sick and need the proper care to get better. Dr. Adams really enjoys being with the patients where he helps provide the care that many have never received before in their lives. For instance, Dr Adams treated a man in his 50’s who had never had a physical examination.
“Beersheba Clinic is an agreement between the mountain community and summer people” Dr. Adams
“The need is desperate. We can fill the need, but we need help” Dr. Adams
