For the past 18 months, the organizers at the Bluffton Volunteers in Medicine clinic have worked to get care to those in need in Jasper County and slowly its become a reality.
Opening June 9th, the new clinic will offer a variety of primary care services for those without insurance, and making less than the poverty rate. Folks in Jasper County up until now, had the choice of driving to the Bluffton clinic, going straight to the hospital, or not receiving care at all.
One of three free clinics in the Lowcountry is offering colon cancer screenings for uninsured people. According to a release from Heather Bragg, Beaufort Jasper County Volunteers in Medicine with efforts from Beaufort Jasper Hampton Comprehensive Health Services, which secured a grant with the American Cancer Society’s National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable, and a grant from AccessHealth Lowcountry, BJVIM, Good Neighbors Free Medical Clinic in Beaufort and the Volunteers in Medicine of Hilton Head are offering fecal immonochemical test (FIT) for screening colon cancer. It tests for hidden human blood in stool, which can be an early sign of cancer. Medicines and food do not interfere with the test. The test tends to be more accuracte and has fewer false positive results than other tests.
(Published in the Jasper Sun Times)
A free medical clinic could be on its way to Jasper County.
The Bluffton Jasper Volunteers in Medicine, which offers medical services free of charge to individuals who qualify based on income, currently serves Jasper residents but according to Executive Director for the BJVIM clinic Pam Toney, the organization hopes to expand in the next few years to reach an even bigger client base.
“We have 450 patients from Jasper that come to us, but one of the big issues is transportation,” Toney said. “So they’re just not able to get to us to make appointments. We realized the need to have a physical presence in Jasper County and we’re working on that.”
(Published in The Island Packet)
Thanks to a Bluffton dental office for sharing the story of its involvement with Bluffton-Jasper Volunteers In Medicine.
‘Dentist Gives Back After Scare’
Special to Lowcountry Life
This year did not start off very well for Dr. Michael Langehans. The local dentist thought he was beginning the year with a simple case of the flu, however what transpired for the next 34 days changed Langehans’ life and dental practice forever.
© 2023 Volunteers in Medicine Greater Bluffton & Jasper County. Bluffton Jasper County Volunteers In Medicine is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
