Good Samaritan Clinic Receives Grant to Fund COVID Response

Good Samaritan Care Clinic (GSCC) is the recipient of a $5,000 grant from BKD Foundation Southern Missouri.  The grant will be used to fund the clinic’s COVID-19 response.  Since February 2004, Good Samaritan Care Clinic, Mountain View, MO, has provided free healthcare in over 34,000 patient visits, to uninsured/low-income residents from multiple counties across Southern Missouri.

Precautions were put into place by the clinic’s board of directors on 3/18/2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which have made it more difficult for GSCC to provide the same level of care for the hundreds of uninsured patients who make GSCC their medical home. In an effort to minimize exposure risks to patients, community members, staff, and volunteers, the board decided to make adjustments to program services and temporarily suspended Monday evening medical clinics and scheduled dental clinics. These measures were implemented with elevated concern for patients who solely rely on the medical services (including laboratory services and prescription medication access) which GSCC provides. The BKD grant will be used to help pay current GSCC operating expenses and will pay for a limited number of prescription refills and diabetic supplies for existing patients who are having difficulty paying out-of-pocket for needed prescription medication. The grant funds will also be used to provide support for the clinic’s volunteers through the purchase of additional personal protective equipment (masks, gloves, face shields, and gowns) and future COVID-19 antibody testing for select volunteers and community servants.

This grant was made possible through the generosity of the BKD Foundation and the advocacy of Good Samaritan Care Clinic’s board member Gretchen Cliburn, CFP, CDFA.  Ms. Cliburn, Director at BKD Wealth Advisors, has been an active and passionate member of GSCC’s board of directors since November 2018.  She is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA) and has worked at BKD Wealth Advisors since March 2008.  She comes with a rich history of nonprofit involvement and is a great asset to GSCC’s board of directors.