CityView Magazine

giving Powered by Volunteers A The CARE Clinic celebrates 20 years of helping By Robin Minnick sk six people at The CARE Clinic on Robeson Street why they volunteer, and you will get six answers. "Because I value health and want health care to be available to those who need services. The CARE Clinic allows me to use my gifts and abilities in the service of others," said Brenda Booth, a licensed nurse practitioner and the chair of the Clinic's long range planning committee, who has volunteered at the Clinic for 20 years. It is a testament to The CARE Clinic's capacity for organization that it runs almost exclusively on the power of volunteers. The sheer number of volunteers and their surprising longevity speaks well of the clinic, its mission and the people who execute it. Conceived by doctors Richard Barbaro, Skip Whitman and Charles Hoffman, and attorney Don DeCort, The CARE Clinic — which stands for Compassion, Assistance, Referral and Education — opened its doors in 1993 through the work and assistance of Catholic Social Ministries and under the direction of Sister Jean Rhoads, an effective organizer whom many credit with establishing the vital pool of volunteers which set the standard upheld today. At the time, children were a focus, but as more care options for children became available, the primary target for The CARE Clinic became the uninsured adult population of Cumberland County. Patients are eligible to receive care if they are uninsured, a resident of Cumberland County and have a household income no more than double the Federal poverty level. Clinics, which are held in the evenings, are medical and dental in nature. The medical clinics provide primary and specialty care. Dental clinics focus on extraction and referrals. All clinic visits are done by appointment only. Visit The CARE Clinic when it is receiving patients and it feels like you've walked into a party. The attitude is cheerful and generally light-hearted — except when it comes to the serious business of making people well and taking away their pain. Clinical Director Katheryn Jenifer, a registered nurse and an energetic woman who is always ready with a smile and a solution, celebrates the camaraderie. "We have a good time," she said, "and we take good care of our patients." "The people we serve are our neighbors, friends and families," said Brenda Booth. "They are hard-working people who are grateful for the medical and dental care we are able to offer them through the generosity of our medical volunteers and our supportive community." There is a patient at every board meeting to testify to what The CARE Clinic has meant to them and their health. It is a CityViewNC.com | 37

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