Anderson Free Clinic: 25 years old and still going strong

Back in 1984, a small, but dedicated, group of volunteers decided there was a need for access to free medical care in Anderson County for those who were uninsured and couldn’t afford it on their own.
A quarter of a century ago, that group just didn’t know they’d still be around. But they’ve now grown from humble beginnings in a small house on 215 John Street that belonged to St. John’s United Methodist Church to a thriving location at 414 Fant Street saw more than 4,000 patients last year.
“The interesting thing,” says Maureen Sartini, one of the volunteers 25 years ago who retired in July as Director of the Anderson Free Clinic, “is when the clinic opened back then, we were all sure it was just a temporary thing. Can you believe that?”
At the start, she said, the idea was pushed by local churches, a few doctors who saw a need for it, the local health department, the Department of Social Services, Anderson Regional Medical Center (now AnMed Health) and medical professionals who referred patients to the free clinic.
“When we first opened,” Sartini said, “we were open one afternoon a week. Now, we’re open five days a week, and some weeks we also have a clinic on Saturday. And we also have a satellite clinic in 34 North Main Street in Honea Path that is open on the 1st and 3rd Mondays each month.”
In addition to medical services, the Anderson Free Clinic offers dental services on Friday mornings, with additional services by two dental hygienists on Fridays and occasionally on Mondays, and a pharmacy service that filled more than 40,000 prescriptions for the 4,000 or so regular clinic patients and others who have their own doctors but qualify for the free clinic’s services.
The clinic is staffed almost entirely by volunteers, and around 60 people of the approximately 400 people who volunteer regularly for office and other duties show up during any given week. Physicians services are provided by local physicians who give their time regularly.
And, though the Anderson Free Clinic is not directly affiliated with AnMed Health, physicians at that facility – particularly those in the residency program who volunteer as part of their training – have been invaluable, Sartini said.
“The physicians and nurse practitioners our patients see are mostly volunteers,” she said. “We do have a couple of nurses on staff, but this is truly a volunteer effort, no doubt about it.”
The clinic is also funded almost totally by donations from organizations like the local United Way, area churches, individuals and local foundations.
“That’s one misconception about us - that we’re government sponsored and funded,” Sartini said. “We get no government money at all. We rely totally on the community for funds to keep us open, and the community has been very good to us over the years.”
Anyone wishing to donate, she said, can mail a check directly to the clinic or go online at www.andersonfreeclinic.org. The online site also provides information on income and other requirements for becoming a patient, along with information about how to become a volunteer at the clinic.
Sartini, who will still volunteers at the clinic after stepping aside as Director and being replaced by Karen Mogab, still seems surprised that, a quarter of a century after the Anderson Free Clinic opened, there remains a strong need for its services.
“I know right now they’re (the government) working on the healthcare issue,” she said, “and I think it would be wonderful if the need for a free clinic eventually just went away. But after being here for 25 years, I think there’ll always be those people who fall through the cracks. I hope I’m wrong, and I certainly hope we can find a way to lessen the need in the future.”
For now, though, Anderson Free Clinic remains very close to capacity, although new patients are still welcome.
“We were actually closed to new patients for seven or eight months last year,” Sartini said, “but earlier this year we opened back up to them. We’ll try to be here as long as there’s a need for us.”
The Anderson Free Clinic can be reached at (864) 226-1294.

- Gerald Garrett, staff