Local leaders attend retreat

Directors from Fayette County’s two charitable health care clinics attended the Georgia Charitable Care Network’s (GCCN) recent gathering Sept. 25-27 in Jekyll Island. It was sponsored in part by Piedmont Healthcare.

Dr. Loida Bonney, MD, medical director of the Fayette Care Clinic, and Rose Carroll, executive director of the Healing Bridge Clinic represented the two clinics that serve Fayette County residents in need of medical care access.

The Georgia Charitable Care Network is the statewide association of charitable and free medical and dental clinics, and individual providers.  The annual retreat gives directors of charitable clinics from across Georgia the opportunity to network and share best practices in managing their organizations.  These clinics provide medical services for free or at a nominal fee to those who don’t have insurance and with income below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.

In the 2015 state legislative session, the GCCN was successful in advocating for a $500,000 state appropriation for grants to clinics which will be used to build capacity and expand services, as well as the reinstatement of the state sales tax exemption for clinics. The directors’ retreat was an opportunity to learn more about navigating continuing changes due to the Affordable Care Act and Georgia’s decision not to expand Medicaid eligibility.