According to Harvard Medical School, “study after study has shown that people who have poor oral health (such as gum disease or tooth loss) have higher rates of cardiovascular problems such as heart attack or stroke than people with good oral health.”
Now imagine that you are already living paycheck to paycheck. You have health insurance, but it only covers catastrophic illness. Dental care is not covered and simply too expensive to add.
Low cost dental care by qualified professionals is just one of many services provided by the Good Samaritan Health Centers of Gwinnett. The faith-based nonprofit serves the uninsured and underinsured working poor at two locations in Norcross.
Good Sam Gwinnett, as they are affectionately known, provides non-emergency primary healthcare, routine dental care and discounted medications at little or no cost. The fortunate seldom need more extensive attention. Many need more.
“The biggest need we see today is affordable access to specialty healthcare. We are a primary care/family practice and manage the generally well patient with ease, but by necessity we have had to become skilled in endocrinology, neurology, cardiology, and more, because those services are very expensive for the uninsured,” said Executive Director Gregory E. Lang, PhD. “We’d love to either see more specialists open their doors to the uninsured or offer to volunteer with us to serve those who need that level of care.”
In October, Good Sam Gwinnett opened a new special care center for patients with COVID-19 and other highly communicable, infectious diseases. The Screening and Prevention Annex, a 500-square-foot addition at 5949 Buford Highway in Norcross, allows the center to care for symptomatic patients while protecting their staff and patients from infection. Prior to its construction, patients were screened in the parking lot under open-air tents.
“The Screening and Prevention Annex has permitted us to serve people with comfort no matter the weather conditions, increased patient privacy, provided a better working environment for medical providers (no more trying to listen to lung sounds while a leaf blower is in use), increased our secure space so that we can now store COVID vaccine, and gives us the versatility to use the new space for other medical conditions best treated in isolation,” stated Lang.
As colder temperatures make their way into the metro Atlanta area, the center is anticipating increases in COVID and flu infections. They are committed to ongoing efforts to gain the community’s trust regarding vaccinations.
Looking ahead, Good Sam Gwinnett is hoping to be the recipient of a 2022 block grant that will enable them to add a third medical and dental facility in 2023, most likely in Lawrenceville or Snellville.
Learn more, donate or volunteer: www.goodsamgwinnett.org.
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