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Helping Hands Clinic recognizes its volunteer physicians on National Doctors Day.

Helping Hands is a free clinic that has been providing primary healthcare to those in the community since 2003.

The clinic on 1111 Watercrest Street, is the county’s primary care provider for uninsured residents and employees of Hamblen County with a household income of less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. It provides care to over 2500 patients within the community at no charge to the patient.

“We see any adult that needs care and that meets our guidelines. We help them get their medicine, treat diabetes and just provide the best care we can,” said Martha Anderson, the clinic’s nurse practitioner.

“We see a lot of people that have just been discharged from the hospital and need follow up care but do not have insurance.”

Currently the clinic employs one nurse practitioner, Anderson, and four local doctors who volunteer at the clinic by providing care to patients.

Dr. Eric Delay, Dr. Shannon Hancock, Dr. Bonnie Vick and Dr. Aaron Wilson are the four doctors who volunteer their time at the clinic.

“They are wonderful, and we are so happy they dedicate their time to the clinic,” Anderson said. “If I have any questions or any concerns about a patient they will come in and answer questions and help in any way they can.”

“They are truly a gift to this community and we are blessed that they donate their talents to this clinic.”

The work that Anderson and the volunteer doctors do changes the lives of their patients who desperately need care.

“It’s really so much fun working here and we love our patients,” Anderson said. “We also have the ability to help so many people in our community who need help.”

“The people who come in here truly need care and we are blessed to be able to make differences in their lives.”

Anderson highlighted the different groups of people that the clinic offers care to.

“We see a lot of homeless people who are very ill and have nowhere else to go.” she said. “We also see people who just got out of jail.”

“When people are in jail they don’t have the best diet and don’t get a lot of physical activity so when they get out they come to us and we are able to treat them and get them back to a healthy lifestyle.”

However, Anderson said the most seen patient is everyday working people who can’t afford insurance.

“We see a lot of people who work in fast food or in factories and they just can’t afford health insurance.”

“We’ve had people who have worked in factories all their lives and then they have a stroke or some other major health related event and they can’t work. Well if they don’t work then their insurance will be canceled. Now they have no insurance and since they’re not working they can’t make any money and if they don’t have any savings then the medical bills just keep piling up. We can step in and offer care to them for free so they no longer have to worry about paying those bills.”

The clinic support for working individuals extends through free physicals offered to the community.

“We do a lot of physicals for people looking to get a job in factories and that is required for them to be hired.”

Anderson highlighted the importance of having the clinic in the community.

“Without this clinic people’s only option to receive care is to go to the ER,” Anderson said. “So now the ER is full of people who should really be visiting a primary care physician. Then after they receive care they receive extremely expensive hospital bills that they will never be able to pay back.”

“However, with us here we are able to eliminate that issue while also giving people the care they need.”

Anderson discussed how the Morristown-Hamblen Health Care System supports the clinic.

“The hospital is a great supporter of the clinic because they understand the work we’re trying to do and how we help keep people out of the ER.”

“The hospital offered us this building to utilize at little to no cost so we can actually see our patients and they have just been so helpful to our work.”

However, all the care wouldn’t be possible without the doctors who volunteer their time to see patients.

“We would not be able to give care without our doctors who come and volunteer their time here at the clinic,” Anderson said. “They come in are willing to give back to the community at no cost, and help people who are truly in need.”

Anderson encourages any physicians in the area to visit the clinic and volunteer their time.

“The more doctors we have here the more patients we can see and the more care we can give to our community,” she said.

Providers work in 4 hour slots 1-2 times a month and the clinic currently needs physicians, physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses and medical assistants.

Another need is for bilingual volunteers to assist with Spanish speaking patients.

For more call 423-581-4100