Texarkana Clinic Making Changes To Survive

There`s a medical clinic in Texarkana known for meeting the needs of patients who can`t pay for health care. The clinic`s services used to be free, but that`s changing. "This operation has never been free from the point of view that we had no expenses," says Dr. C. Jack Smith of the Greater Texarkana People`s Clinic. The clinic is making change to secure health care for the needy for years to come, which means it`s transitioning to a federally qualified health center. Which means patients are being asked to pay for a portion of their care. Smith says patients are being asked to make a 10 dollar contribution. Last month the clinic applied for the FQHC grant, Which could be worth 650,000 dollars. That is about 40-percent of the clinic`s annual budget, the grant money along with community donation would make running the clinic easier. "This doesn`t change our mission or philosophy, we still want to help people regardless of their ability to pay. We are not saying we will turn people away if they don`t have ten dollars," said Smith. Last month more than 500 patients received service. At least 6,000 patients are enrolled but in order for more growth Smith says the change is needed. "If we get this grant we have some assurance we`ll continue far into the future. The generosity of the people in the community can only go so far."