ONEONTA _ Oneonta's free health-care clinic has a new name and an opening date.
The Oneonta Community Health Center at 22 Academy St. will open July 1, board members said Sunday, and organizers are gearing up to raise $20,000 needed to open the doors.
Formerly called the Oneonta Free Clinic, the organization aims to provide free medical care to people without health insurance.
The clinic is on the first floor of a three-story house in mansard style, built probably in the 1830s, said Grace Smith, president of the Friends of the Oneonta Community Health Center.
Rooms are painted in golden, cream and other warm tones, accented by patterned wallpaper and artwork. It has two rooms with examining tables, a workspace, storage area, a restroom, a receptionist's and office area, and a meeting room.
``It's really absolutely spectacular,'' Smith said during a walk through the clinic Sunday with Dr. Benjamin Friedell.
``I can see it happening,'' said Friedell, board member and clinic medical director. ``It's not just if, but when. ... It's the final touches.''
The clinic aims to have $30,000 ``in the bank'' by opening day, Smith said, and it is one-third toward that goal.
``We've got to get community support,'' Smith said.
The board seeks donations from individuals, churches, foundations, companies and others to meet the $63,000 annual budget, Smith said. The clinic is tax-exempt through the Unitarian Universalist Society, which initiated the project, but is applying for its own status, she said.
Maureen Sullivan had prepared the space at 22 Academy St. for a midwifery practice. But when opportunities changed, she offered the space rent-free to the clinic, which will pay heat and utilities, the board members said.
Smith said the effort to open a local clinic was guided and inspired by the work of Dr. Jack McConnell, founder of Volunteers in Medicine, an organization dedicated to providing access to health care for all people.
Friedell said 14 providers, including physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, have offered to volunteer at the clinic. The area lacks a pool of retired physicians and doesn't have a medical school, which means the volunteer staff will be working full- or part-time at paying jobs, he said.
However, support is strong for the project, including from chief executives of A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital in Oneonta and Bassett Healthcare, based in Cooperstown, he said.
``A lot of people want to do this,'' Friedell said. Hopes are to renew the one-year lease, unless the program outgrows the space or universal health-care becomes a reality, he said.
Organizers seek volunteers to be greeters, work in the office and meet other needs. Smith said the mailing list of possible supporters and volunteers has about 250 names, and volunteers will be trained.
Friedell said likely treatment would be for chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, heart disease and lung disease. Treatment could include generic medications, which are available at some pharmacies for $4, he said, and through drug companies that help with prescriptions.
Smith said VIM has established connections with pharmaceutical companies and other resources that may be helpful to the Oneonta clinic.
Initially, the clinic would be open for three hours, one night a week, with two providers and a nurse plus office volunteers, board members said, and about a dozen patients might be seen. Plans call for a second night to open starting in the autumn.
Smith said 13 percent of the adult population in Otsego and Delaware counties have no health insurance. The clinic will review patients' eligibility for insurance and other health-care programs and provide free primary medical care and educational support to low-income, uninsured adults, she said.
Smith said:
Income limits will be based on 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. For example, adults in a family of four earning $41,300 annually would be eligible; and $20,420 would be the cutoff for a single person.
There will be no residency requirement, but patients are expected primarily from Otsego and Delaware counties.
The clinic's website at www.oneontafreeclinic.org is ``under construction.'' It will have details about income guidelines, referrals, hours and other information. The clinic doesn't have a telephone but will soon.
Donations, with checks payable to the Oneonta Community Health Center, may be sent to P.O. Box 361, Oneonta, 13820. Grants have been received from the Patrick Ministries and UU Society of Oneonta, and supporters have donated cleaning and office supplies.
Professionals or lay volunteers may reach the clinic through its website or call Smith at 433-1277.
The clinic was a social outreach project of the local Unitarian Universalist Society that started more than two years ago. Recently, the clinic was incorporated by the state, a major step needed before an opening date could be set, Smith said. She and Friedell are UU members, but the clinic board now has a broader community base.
