Saturday, January 10, 2009

Eureka Christian Health Outreach Clinic

I’d like to sing the praises of an old medical school classmate, Dr Dan Bell, and his wife Suzie (a nurse).  They were recently on the ABC World News with Charles Gibson as part of the “Spirit of America” series.  The segment ran on January 7, 2009.
They are part of a unique approach to the health care crisis in America: all have volunteered to help their uninsured neighbors receive first-rate health care -- for free. And nearly 200 other local volunteers have joined them.
"I thought it would be more of an effort to get everybody on board," explains Dr. Dan Bell. He's the idealistic family doctor who, with his bright and energetic wife Suzie, envisioned creating a free health care clinic four years ago.
"I thought we'd be doing something in the back room of our church and seeing a dozen people," Dan said of his early vision.
Instead, the Eureka Christian Health Outreach clinic, known as ECHO, sees hundreds of patients a year. Its entire staff, which now includes doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists and a wide range of clerks, assistants, social workers and specialists, are all volunteers. No one receives a penny for their time and, on clinic nights, they can work six hours or more without a break. And that's after most of them have already put in a full day at their regular jobs.

Eureka  Christian Health Outreach

For more information regarding ECHO or to make a donation, e-mail echo@hbeark.com or call 253-5547.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

How neat that he was your medical school classmate! I watched the special with great interest. We need more like him! :)

Jabulani said...

What wonderfully inspirational people. If only there were more like these to help others in such great need! Puts a very practical slant on "Love your neighbour as you love yourself". God bless them, and you for telling me about them.

Jeffrey said...

wow!

6-7hrs on top of their full regular working days. inspirational. one cannot help but wonder who the Source of the motivation, strength, and love come from.

"For the love of Christ constraineth us..." 2 Corinthians 5:14

God bless them.