KUAR Features
(2009-11-23)
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Photo by Michael Cook
Angela Godfrey from Jacksonville was typical of the patients that volunteer medical staff saw on Saturday.
"I've had two back surgeries, I don't have medical insurance I don't have anything, so yes, this is a big help."
Taking up the entire lobby and convention floor area, the sprawling clinic looks and runs like a well oiled machine. N-A-F-C Senior Director, Carrie Thompson it's their goal to get patient through in a timely fashion.
Volunteers wore bright red shirts making it easy to see that they outnumbered patients. Thompson says the number of volunteers made a huge difference for them.
According to the NAFC, more than 90 percent of those who came on Saturday had three or more life-threatening conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, cardio-vascular, and pulmonary disease. Dr. Kimberly Garner, who works for the Veteran's Administration in North Little Rock and was one of the volunteer physicians at the clinic, says those kinds of numbers illustrate the need for change.
While the clinic was going on in Little Rock... in Washington the US Senate was voting on health care reform where Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln provided the deciding vote to move forward on debate. Several political commentators, such as MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, sought to paint this event as a shot in the eye at opponents of the bill. Organizers took pains to say otherwise, including Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter, whose office had a key role in bringing the event to Little Rock.
NAFC's goal is to continue providing these large events, but more importantly to expand and guide the uninsured to free and low cost resources in their local communities. If that is to happen as it did on Saturday, they will need help from every political persuasion. © Copyright 2010, UALR Public Radio
