National Hispanic Heritage Month: How a local clinic works to serve the underserved

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WFXG) – It’s Nationwide Hispanic Heritage Month! A free clinic helps this group in addition to different underserved populations within the CSRA. 

“It’s insurmountable. There are round 25,000 uninsured folks on this neighborhood.” mentioned Dr. William Salazar, Asociación Latina de Servicios del CSRA (ALAS) President.

This can be a native effort to serve the underserved.

“It’s each human being’s duty to assist the opposite.” mentioned Dr. Salazar.

Clínica Latina is managed by the nonprofit Asociación Latina de Servicios del CSRA (ALAS). ALAS was established in 2005. The group helps the wellbeing of Hispanic folks and different underserved populations within the CSRA. It operates on Augusta College’s Well being Sciences Campus. The free clinic serves these with out medical health insurance and/or anybody who’s beneath the nationwide 200% poverty stage. The group goes past healthcare, with interpreter and identification companies, English language schooling and cultural schooling to the neighborhood.

“We now see a median of 200 sufferers a month. Many of those folks come from their nations, they’re very uneducated folks, they arrive right here and serve the neighborhood. Many of those folks work cleansing homes, many work in building, lots of the folks work within the fields, peach fields and the onion fields…Many of those folks come to serve different folks and to assist. They do not communicate the language. They do not get any connection. They’re afraid to go to the hospital as a result of the payments are going to be insurmountable.” mentioned Dr. Salazar.

Dr. Salazar says this want is just rising.

“The price of healthcare, COVID pandemic, the unemployment price, the truth that many individuals residing on the poverty stage misplaced their jobs– that’s making the entry to healthcare worse.” mentioned Dr. Salazar.

Volunteers, together with AU college students, assist take the time potential.

“I’m Hispanic. One of many causes I got here to medical college was to assist my very own neighborhood.” mentioned Alexa Ghulam, Clinic Coordinator.

“I’m half Dominican, half Peruvian. My mom is a doctor and rising up it was all the time one thing very inspiring watching her give again to the neighborhood we come from.” mentioned Stephanie Revoredo, Clinic Coordinator.

Clínica Latina is open on the primary and third Wednesday every month from 5 to eight pm.

“Each single time now we have a clinic, now we have a waitlist. So, the necessity is nice.” mentioned Ghulam.