Making a Noticeable Impact

The Free Clinic new leadership team working to improve lives

• By Suzanna Cisneros
• May 2, 2016

Growing up, Garrett Meeks’ nighttime ritual was a bit different than that of most children. His bedtime stories consisted of surgery tales his mother, an operating room nurse, had experienced for the day. Those childhood memories may have led to a love of medicine.

 

“I grew up wanting to learn more about the human body,” Meeks said. “As I got older, originally wanted to do genetics research on the pathology of cancer, but then I tried bench research and didn’t really enjoy it. So I thought if I don’t do the research side, I would try the people side.”

 

Meeks would find his love of medicine beginning medical school in 2015. In his first year, he heard about The Free Clinic and decided to volunteer to see what it was like.

 

“When I was there, I just felt like, this is what I am supposed to be doing,” Meeks said. “It’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Everything is stressful with academics and studying for the Step exam. The Free Clinic gives you opportunities to stop and talk to someone who in many cases no one has ever taken the time to talk to them about their condition. Many times, they don’t know what is going on with their health. To be able to talk to a patient, take time to explain their condition and make sure that they have care is really satisfying.”

 

Along with Meeks, The Free Clinic new leadership team consists of Logan Adams, M.J. Bollinger, Brittany Cox, Jena Deitrick and David Stamps. The Free Clinic is an urgent care clinic at Lubbock Impact for free basic health care for the uninsured, working poor and homeless population of Lubbock. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine physicians and medical students run the clinic every Wednesday from 4 to 10 p.m. The new team took over the reigns of the clinic in April. This year an additional member was added. Meeks explained that many times the team’s liaison is pulled away from the needed clinical night duties to handle other duties. With the additional team member, the team now always covers those responsibilities.

 

“The team is very enthusiastic,” Meeks said. “They never shrink from a task. They throw themselves in and learn.”

 

Meeks said this year The Free Clinic team will continue the programs already in place as well as add other resources needed in the community. This year they partnered up with the Lubbock Health Department to provide a vaccine clinic the third Wednesday of every month. The partnership allows The Free Clinic to save cost on vaccinations and provide a consistent range of vaccines. The Free Clinic also is looking at how they can work more closely with the South Plains Homeless Consortium.

 

“Our hope is to share our resources with them,” Meeks said. “They also have resources we don’t have access to. They have a full-time homeless clinic that provides a larger scope of services.”

 

Along with the care they provide every Wednesday night and specialized clinics like the Women’s Day Clinic, the leadership team hopes to implement a patient assistant program for illnesses like hepatitis C, diabetes and asthma. Treatments for the diseases are expensive. The patient assistance programs would help diabetics with their insulin and inhalers for asthmatics.

 

Meeks said the team is still in learning phase with what resources are available. They plan to use the summer to prepare grants for these projects and the possibility of building endowments.

 

“Most of the feedback we receive from the patients is very positive,” Meeks said. “People appreciate someone listening and caring for their health care needs when so many have never shown interest. The Free Clinic, which also provides a pharmacy for indigent or homeless patients, works with Lubbock Impact to get them connected to needed resources. Based on clientele the clinic serves, we want to make sure that not only the health care is taken care of but also the rest of their life taken cared for.”

 

The Free Clinic was chosen as the best agency of the year for 2016 South Plains Association of Social Workers. Meeks said the recognition demonstrates the clinic has made a positive impact on Lubbock.

 

“It was great to be recognized, but most of all to know this clinic is making a noticeable impact,” Meeks said.  “It’s nice to know we have positive effect on Lubbock community. This is why we do it. It’s something that we care very deeply for.”